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5 MINUTES READ

Step into my digital universe

Jeff P.

An iPhone mockup displaying a “Plan & track” financial dashboard (accounts and cash flow showing $1,000 for March) on the right, set against a dark, misty gradient background with glowing orbit lines and a warm orange light streak sweeping across the image.
An iPhone mockup displaying a “Plan & track” financial dashboard (accounts and cash flow showing $1,000 for March) on the right, set against a dark, misty gradient background with glowing orbit lines and a warm orange light streak sweeping across the image.
An iPhone mockup displaying a “Plan & track” financial dashboard (accounts and cash flow showing $1,000 for March) on the right, set against a dark, misty gradient background with glowing orbit lines and a warm orange light streak sweeping across the image.

Client

U.S. Bank

Date

July 1, 2025

Role

UX Lead

Website

Live project

Helping users find what matters most in their financial journey

As the UX Lead for U.S. Bank’s Plan & Track team, I led a focused discovery initiative to improve the usability and navigation of our mobile banking experience.

As the experience expanded to include tools for spending, saving, and borrowing, users began struggling to find key features and understand how different tools connected. This two-sprint research effort uncovered the root causes of that confusion and created a clear roadmap for redesigning the Plan & Track navigation system.

When everything is connected, users can’t find what’s essential

Over time, Plan & Track had grown into a powerful but complex ecosystem. Analytics and early feedback showed users bouncing between sections, relying heavily on search, and misinterpreting navigation labels like “Plan,” “Tools,” and “Insights.”

We needed to understand how people navigated the experience — and how to make that journey intuitive, consistent, and confidence-building.

A collage of mobile finance dashboard cards—cash flow, spending chart, bills & subscriptions, top categories, automatic savings, emergency fund progress, goals, and credit score—floating on a dark indigo-to-purple misty gradient background with subtle glowing dots and a warm orange light streak on the right.
A collage of mobile finance dashboard cards—cash flow, spending chart, bills & subscriptions, top categories, automatic savings, emergency fund progress, goals, and credit score—floating on a dark indigo-to-purple misty gradient background with subtle glowing dots and a warm orange light streak on the right.
A collage of mobile finance dashboard cards—cash flow, spending chart, bills & subscriptions, top categories, automatic savings, emergency fund progress, goals, and credit score—floating on a dark indigo-to-purple misty gradient background with subtle glowing dots and a warm orange light streak on the right.

Defining a clear goal for navigation clarity and discoverability

Our objectives were to:

  • Simplify and clarify the navigation structure

  • Improve visibility of high-value tools like budgeting and savings goals

  • Align labels and hierarchy with user mental models

  • Benchmark against best-in-class fintech navigation patterns

Evaluating the experience through multiple research lenses

To move quickly while maintaining rigor, I designed a three-part discovery approach:

Heuristic Evaluation

I created a custom framework to assess simplicity, labeling, accessibility, consistency, and goal-oriented navigation across spending, saving, and borrowing tools.

Competitive Analysis

I evaluated 11 leading fintech and banking apps (including Rocket Money, Monarch, SoFi, and Chase) to benchmark best practices in navigation clarity and personalization.

Persona-Based Research Simulation

Using modeled personas, I explored navigation flows and behavioral patterns to quickly validate assumptions and uncover early opportunities within our tight two-sprint timeline.

A space-themed illustration showing three planets along a glowing orange orbital path labeled “Review,” “Compare,” and “Ask,” leading to a bright star labeled “Evidence,” with a small spacecraft flying toward the star on a dark, misty indigo-purple background.
A space-themed illustration showing three planets along a glowing orange orbital path labeled “Review,” “Compare,” and “Ask,” leading to a bright star labeled “Evidence,” with a small spacecraft flying toward the star on a dark, misty indigo-purple background.
A space-themed illustration showing three planets along a glowing orange orbital path labeled “Review,” “Compare,” and “Ask,” leading to a bright star labeled “Evidence,” with a small spacecraft flying toward the star on a dark, misty indigo-purple background.

What we discovered: complexity, inconsistency, and missed opportunities

Across all methods, several themes emerged:

  • Navigation overload — Too many options buried high-value tools and increased task failure.

  • Inconsistent labeling — Terms like Plan and Insights varied across iOS and Android, confusing users.

  • Low personalization — Competitors surfaced tools based on goals; U.S. Bank did not.

  • Fragmented journeys — Spending, saving, and borrowing felt disconnected.

  • Low emotional reinforcement — Lack of encouraging language reduced user confidence.

These insights reinforced that navigation clarity is foundational to trust.

Turning insights into a navigation strategy

I developed a prioritized set of recommendations:

  • Simplify top-level navigation and merge redundant sections

  • Introduce goal-based labels (e.g., Track Spending, Grow Savings)

  • Personalize dashboards based on user intent

  • Surface trends and progress on the home screen

  • Reduce redundancy and streamline task flows

  • Reinforce confidence through supportive copy and micro-interactions

An abstract, space-like graphic on a dark misty gradient background: flowing blue and orange light trails on the left converge toward a “>” arrow in the center, leading to glowing orange orbit rings with bright nodes on the right.
An abstract, space-like graphic on a dark misty gradient background: flowing blue and orange light trails on the left converge toward a “>” arrow in the center, leading to glowing orange orbit rings with bright nodes on the right.
An abstract, space-like graphic on a dark misty gradient background: flowing blue and orange light trails on the left converge toward a “>” arrow in the center, leading to glowing orange orbit rings with bright nodes on the right.

Working lean and adapting in real time

With only two sprints, I relied on lightweight methods and tight collaboration with Product and Content partners. As new stakeholder questions emerged, I refined the scope and expanded analysis to ensure the work stayed aligned with roadmap priorities.

Delivering a roadmap for redesign

The work resulted in a clear plan to:

  • Define a simplified, goal-based navigation framework

  • Prototype and validate new flows

  • Standardize labeling across platforms

  • Establish usability and discoverability success metrics

These insights were packaged into a stakeholder-ready brief that now guides the next phase of navigation redesign.

What this project taught me about research and alignment

This project reinforced the value of early cross-functional collaboration and showed how fast, focused research can shape long-term strategy when aligned closely with product priorities.

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A dark purple, foggy gradient background with a small glowing lantern in the upper right casting a warm beam over two illuminated labels, “Save” and “Borrow,” while a faint “Spend” label sits in the shadows to the left.

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A dark purple, foggy gradient background with a small glowing lantern in the upper right casting a warm beam over two illuminated labels, “Save” and “Borrow,” while a faint “Spend” label sits in the shadows to the left.

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