Edward Jones
Designing a Money-Tracking Dashboard to Empower Advisors and Reduce Support Overload
Services
UX Strategy, UX Research, Product Design, UI Design, Usability Testing, Dashboard Design
Tools
Sketch, Mural, Confluence, Zoom, UserTesting
Platform
Internal Advisor Dashboard (Web Application)
Edward Jones
Designing a Money-Tracking Dashboard to Empower Advisors and Reduce Support Overload
Services
UX Strategy, UX Research, Product Design, UI Design, Usability Testing, Dashboard Design
Tools
Sketch, Mural, Confluence, Zoom, UserTesting
Platform
Internal Advisor Dashboard (Web Application)
Project Overview
Edward Jones set out to improve how Branch Office Administrators (BOAs) track client money—helping them quickly answer questions like “Where’s the money?” without relying on fragmented systems or making unnecessary calls to internal support. The goal: reduce confusion, increase visibility, and empower BOAs to deliver clearer answers with confidence.
As the lead UX Designer, I designed an internal dashboard focused on transaction visibility. From foundational research to high-fidelity design, I worked closely with product managers, engineers, and a dedicated group of BOAs to transform pain points into a streamlined and intuitive experience.
My Role
Title: | UX & Product Consultant |
Teams: | Product, Engineering, & BOA End Users |
Reported To: | Platform Product Owner & Design Leadership |
Key Responsibilities
Conducted stakeholder interviews and journey mapping to define the money-tracking experience
Facilitated weekly focus groups with a dedicated cohort of ~8 BOAs for usability testing and real-time feedback
Designed and iterated wireframes, interaction patterns, and dashboard components
Delivered high-fidelity designs and developer-ready specs
Supported visual QA, accessibility, and iterative feature refinement during development sprints
Challenges & Constraints
Fragmented Visibility Across Tools
BOAs had no single place to view transaction status—requiring workarounds, multiple logins, and frequent calls to back-office support.
Time-Sensitive Questions
Client requests about deposits, transfers, or withdrawals were urgent and high-stakes, but the data available to BOAs was inconsistent or unclear.
Legacy System Dependencies
The new dashboard had to integrate with existing infrastructure and back-end systems, requiring flexible design logic and developer partnership.
User Trust & Accuracy
Because the tool involved financial activity, clarity and accuracy were critical—any ambiguity could lead to poor service or reputational risk.
Key Audiences
Branch Office Administrators (BOAs)
Needed a fast, accurate way to track client transactions and reduce dependency on support teams.
Financial Advisors & Clients
Relied on BOAs to communicate timely updates on money movement with clarity and confidence.
Internal Product & Engineering Teams
Needed scalable, well-scoped design recommendations that could integrate with existing tech stacks.
Research & Discovery
1:1 Interviews
Conducted deep-dive interviews with BOAs to understand real workflows, language, and frustration points.
Weekly Focus Groups
Ran ongoing weekly sessions with a standing group of ~8 BOAs to gather live feedback on wireframes, validate design changes, and uncover hidden usability issues as the project progressed.
Workflow & Journey Mapping
Mapped existing workflows for deposits, transfers, and corrections—identifying redundancy, bottlenecks, and missed context across tools.
Design Process
UX Architecture & Dashboard Logic
Created modular dashboard components to surface transaction timelines, exceptions, and next steps
Designed filterable tables and search functionality tailored to daily BOA behaviors
Introduced confidence-building patterns like color-coded statuses, hover details, and help text
UI Design & Iteration
Delivered high-fidelity screens optimized for scannability and low-friction navigation
Prioritized clarity and contrast in presenting time-sensitive financial data
Incorporated direct user feedback from weekly sessions to refine layout, copy, and sorting logic
Prototyping & Testing
Used interactive prototypes to simulate real-world scenarios for BOAs
Validated assumptions around task success, terminology, and speed-to-answer
Iterated weekly based on what users liked, misunderstood, or struggled with
Cross-Functional Collaboration
BOA Partnership
Collaborated directly with end users to validate features and workflows, ensuring real usability for real financial scenarios.
Product & Engineering Syncs
Worked with developers throughout the sprint cycle to ensure design feasibility, smooth implementation, and accessibility compliance.
Internal Communication & QA
Documented design decisions in Confluence and attended QA sessions to ensure build quality reflected UX intent.
Methodologies
End-user interviews and contextual inquiry
Weekly usability focus groups (~8 BOAs)
Workflow mapping and scenario-based prototyping
Heuristic evaluation and information design
Annotated handoff and accessibility QA
Outcomes & Impact
89.7% Reduction in Support Calls
Post-launch data showed a sharp drop in calls to internal support—proof that BOAs were more self-sufficient with the new dashboard.
Clearer, Faster Answers
BOAs could now locate transaction statuses and address client inquiries in real time—without toggling tools or escalating issues.
High User Confidence
Focus group participants praised the ease of use and clarity of the new system, particularly the improved labeling and filtering options.
Foundation for Future Internal Tools
The structure and patterns established here created a model for how Edward Jones could continue evolving internal advisor support platforms.