Vanguard
Helping New Investors Take the First Step
The Challenge
For many first-time investors, the hardest part isn’t choosing an account — it’s knowing where to begin. Vanguard wanted to support beginner investors arriving with broad goals (“I need to start saving for retirement”) but little clarity on how to get started. The goal was to reduce friction, build confidence, and help prospects take the next step.
My Role
I led design and prototyping for a new decision support tool, working with Vanguard’s RIG IT Tools team. I collaborated closely with strategists to shape the early structure and user flow — including wireframes, quiz logic, and journey mapping — to ensure a smooth, goal-driven experience.
The tool needed to feel more like a guided experience than a chatbot — structured, reassuring, and easy to follow — while surfacing relevant account types and educational content based on user goals.
The Approach
We framed the experience around user intent. Instead of asking users to choose between account types up front, we started with a simple question: What are you investing for? From there, a static decision tree guided users through a quiz-like flow, narrowing down to a personalized results page. For example, someone selecting “Education” as a goal would see information about 529 and UGMA accounts — with clear next steps, but no recommendation bias.
I designed two distinct prototypes for qualitative testing, each exploring different approaches to tone and structure. Both prioritized clarity and momentum, helping users move from confusion to action — and reinforcing Vanguard’s brand strengths: trusted guidance, low-cost investing, and educational support.
The Outcome
The tool was well received in user testing, especially for its clarity and calming tone. Users appreciated how it “pointed them in the right direction” without overwhelming them. Based on feedback, we refined the stronger prototype for handoff to Vanguard’s internal tools team for development.
Early success was defined by increased engagement — more page views, more time spent, and more users continuing into the account opening flow. Most importantly, it gave first-time investors the confidence to get started.
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More work
More projects drawn from the same creative vision and aesthetic language.
