Strategy and Research at FMB
I joined First Merchants Bank in 2021 to spearhead the establishment of a digital and omnichannel innovation division. My focus included helping to build out and lead the UX team, implementing effective processes, driving research and promoting user-centered design solutions.
Title: Sr. UX Designer, AVP
Time frame: 9 months
Defining processes and best practices
How the UX team works within digital/omnichannel
In my role as the senior designer on the UX team, part of my focus is on seamlessly integrating UX principles into the organization and driving maturity. When joining an established company, it's all about strategically earning a place at the decision-making table. One crucial step involves enlightening our fellow teams about the nuances of UX—how it aligns with their roles and fosters collaborative success in product development. Visualizations play a key role in this process, serving as dynamic tools to easily convey the intricacies of UX thinking and methodologies. These visual aids not only promote understanding within teams but also stand as enduring resources for others seeking a quick grasp of UX essentials.
As we expand our team to include researchers and other members, illustrating the collaboration between CX and UX in the design process becomes essential. This visual representation not only aids in onboarding new team members but also serves as a valuable tool for senior management to grasp the transformative journey from a customer complaint to a finely tuned, optimized experience.
Gathering Insights
Talking to stakeholders and understanding the landscape
Another crucial element of seamlessly integrating UX into a company is conducting a deep dive into the existing product development frameworks and fostering connection between the colleagues whose processes we are inserting ourselves into. It's critical to grasp the lay of the land we're stepping into and understanding the current functioning so that we can strategically position ourselves.
Engaging with curiosity is key when interacting with colleagues and stakeholders, showcasing not only goodwill but also a genuine interest in unraveling the pain points within the product life cycle, so that we can contribute to an improved product not just at the output level, but in the whole product lifecycle. Conducting strategic sessions to gather their perspective and gain insights into the organization’s current landscape enables us to seamlessly weave UX into the fabric while minimizing disruptions, preserving harmony, and fostering trust among colleagues.
We dedicated multiple sessions to design workshops with executive leaders, aiming to not only understand their perspectives on solving our big problems but also to impart the principles of design thinking through active engagement. The success of these sessions is evident in executives actively seeking similar workshops for addressing other issues afterward.
Empathy mapping exercises allow us to make informed, user-centric design decisions. They also help build a culture of empathy and understanding within the organization
Design
Information, product auditing, technology
In addition to understanding the company's inner workings, we needed to grasp the tech side of things. We got down to business, thoroughly examining aspects like the mobile app, desktop experiences, user onboarding at branches, and the customer service journey. Building a solid understanding of the products we would be impacted was crucial for making meaningful contributions. Our team delved into the nitty-gritty, analyzing information architecture, user flows, and and conducting heuristic evaluations and accessibility audits.
I consult with the marketing team to improve emails, marketing ads, and branding decisions