Morgan Stanley Online Documents Redesign
Where clients can access key account information,
such as tax documents and statements.
Time
2020 - present
Role
Visual and UX Design
Team
2 project managers
2 user experience designers
7 developers
Tools
Invision
Sketch
Usertesting.com
Zoom
Overview
The Morgan Stanley Online (MSO) documents page has remained the same for years, and is one of the last on the site to be updated to align with the new style guide.
More clients are reliant on MSO and the Morgan Stanley Mobile (MSM) App for their account documents as eDelivery continues to grow. Further emphasized by the core digital personas below, each have individual goals and needs, but access to tools is imperative for all.
The business is looking to revamp the account document experience for clients by 2022, that will also include a complete reengineering of backend systems to created a best-in-class experience and reduce the need for inquiries and escalations.
In order to optimize the MSO documents experience, initial research was completed on the current experience with members of the Morgan Stanley Client Council (based on timing and budgetary constraints).
UX deliverable recommendations would be based on insights from usability testing.
Solution Process
First research session
Objective
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Identify any UX issues within the current experience
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Assess findability of the document center
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Gather feedback on how Morgan Stanley’s document center compares to that of other firms
Methodology
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60 minute in-depth interview were in March 2020
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Conducted on Focus Vision
Respondents
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6 respondents
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All Morgan Stanley’s Client Council members
Existing desktop and mobile app layouts
“Probably every other section is modern with a modern font and aesthetically pretty nice. And this part definitely looks a little more old school, like the first version of a website from 1994... It doesn't make it a worse experience but it does feel a little mismatched. Why is it not the same font? It should be.”
Client Council Research Participant
Key research takeaways
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Outdated UI negatively affects the user experience
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Information architecture does not match user mental models
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Not all users know how to sign up for eDelivery
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Include both individual and bulk download options
UX deliverables
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Competitive analysis
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Information architecture audit and updates
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User flows
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Prototype
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User testing round two scheduled for June 2020
Flexibility
Additional feature
A request from the business team to include a recently added section using larger icons, and alternative the filter dropdown menus, was also requested to test in the June research session.
Collaboration
The project team used online tools to collaborate, and an Invision library was created to showcase wireframe development, prototypes, selected visual designs, and served as a repository to streamline discussions between all stakeholders.
Second research session
Objective
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Gauge how well respondents are able to use the new designs to perform a similar set of tasks to the first round of testing
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Compare and contrast user’s reactions to the version with and the version without a Recently Added section
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Assess UX of key elements: filtering by document type, switching between accounts, select all button, language
Methodology
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60 min remote, in-depth interviews in June
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Via Zoom on UserTesting.com
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Participants interacted with clickable prototypes
Respondents
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6 respondents
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Have an account at Morgan Stanley or competitor
“This feels like it exceeds expectations....I think the Recently Added makes it feel like the average user can actually use it instead of a document dump.”
Research Participant
“I would want a ‘commonly looked at’ section to be more efficient and faster.”
Research Participant
Key research takeaways
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The design no longer felt out-of-date
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The idea of elevating specific documents (Recently Added) greatly resonated with respondents; however, there might be an alternate way to consider
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Certain elements, such as download, needed better proximity
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Updates to the latest style guide seem to have fixed a number of usability issues.
Results
Feedback was implemented based on key takeaways from the user research session, including:
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Recently Added section evolved into a quick filter section, allowing users to choose a general or specific search feature. It is shown on the initial viewing of the page, and provides the option to collapse the section. In subsequent user testing sessions, it has performed strongly.
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Information architecture no longer relies on the account filter at the top of the page – placing one next to the other filters fit more in line with users' mental models
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Enroll in eDelivery gained more prominence within the page, providing a direct link to managing, and tooltip for further information
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Download functionality diverted from the initial recommendation to keep at the top and was placed below the table's checkboxes. If the number of checkboxes selected is greater than one, two options would appear when clicked, allowing the user to choose between individual or bulk downloads
