Redesign of PFG's Website for Financial Advisors

Principal Financial Group (PFG) provides financial services to a diverse global clientele, from individuals to Fortune 1000 employees. I led the analysis and redesign of PFG's sprawling 3,000-page website for financial advisors, their primary users, to better meet their organizational and functional needs.

Time: the license for the existing technology will be expiring in a year

Silos: the different departments connecting to this site work separately

Bloated site: years of technical debt + the result of silos

Lack of User Understanding: I was the first User for the project to talk to a user

Due to the lack of users knowledge, and the complexity of the current experience, it was crucial to get to talking to users asap. I structure my interviews so I can learn a little about the user, see what issues they bring up before we start sharing screens, then I have them perform tasks while thinking out loud. I find this approach best highlights the most important areas to address.

Once the usability issues were resolved, I moved on to design the final screens in Figma. My goal was to create a visual identity that’s aligned with the Principal brand and Design System. Also, I’ve checked the competition and took a deep dive into my catalog of references for inspiration. I adapted a few of the design system components to better fit the advisor’s needs.