Global Asset Management
Project Overview
Global Asset Management (GAM) requires a website to attract new high-net-worth clients looking for financial management solutions. To create this design, I partnered with the Digital Product and Marketing team of GAM. The design will highlight the companies capabilities and encourage clients to interact further to become engaged leads.
The Challenge
This is not just a website. It’s a strategic first impression designed to convert curiosity into confidence.
Approach & Strategy
-
Audience insight: High-net-worth individuals seek trust, exclusivity, proven success, and minimal friction (assumption)
-
Business goal: Convert unknown visitors into engaged leads
-
Design goal: Build trust quickly and prompt exploration or contact
Our Mission
How might we intrigue the users to enquire further and become engaged leads?
My Role
As UX Design Lead, I led the end-to-end design and research strategy. I worked closely with design, marketing, product managers, and engineers to shape a clear vision for the product and ensure usability remained central to every decision.
The Preparation
Tasks
-
Create Slack channel for communication including daily updates, priority setting, blockers and feedback
-
Create a Google Docs directory for all our research data
-
Set up Mural boards for team workshops.
-
Ensure all meetings end with action items and deadlines
-
Create recurring quick sync meets for the team
Kickoff & Alignment
Co-create brief, clarify KPIs and timelines, document these in Notion and create tasks in Jira.
Workflow
-
Sprint-based delivery
-
Weekly design critiques in virtual meetings and async check-ins using Slack
-
Loops with devs on feasibility
Feedback Management
-
Set structured review points - work daily with junior designer
-
Use Figma comments, Loom for walkthroughs, Slack for async comments
Delivery
-
Final handoff includes specs, copy, assets, and QA support
The Research
Before we began research, we gathered our objectives
-
Research methods
-
Expected outcomes
-
Decide on communication methods
-
Determine personas
Target Persona
Leo Morgan is a seasoned business owner nearing retirement who is looking to preserve, grow, and pass on his wealth to the next generation. Trust, stability, and sophistication are paramount.
Needs from GAM:
-
A clear reason to trust GAM (reputation, longevity, advisors)
-
Immediate visual cues of expertise, discretion, and white-glove service
-
A compelling CTA like “Let’s talk about your legacy”
-
Mobile-friendly design for quick scans on the go
-
Reassurance that this is not one-size-fits-all financial advice
Target Persona
Eliza Tran, a self-made entrepreneur in the tech space who has recently had a liquidity event. She’s financially savvy, impact-driven, and expects a digital-first, values-aligned experience from any wealth management brand.
Needs from GAM:
-
Content that balances performance with purpose
-
Advisor visibility and personality
-
Social proof: client success stories, media mentions, or female voices in leadership
-
A way to self-direct or explore before booking a conversation
Research Methods
Working with the designer and the marketing lead, we put together:
-
A competitive analysis,
-
Identified some key UX patterns and
-
Reviewed several research papers to gain audience insights and opportunities.
Audience Insights
-
Trust is the Primary Currency
Before they engage, they need to believe you are stable, expert, and discreet.
Design Implication: Prioritize visual authority, client success proof,
and advisor visibility early on the page.
-
Time is Scarce, Attention is Priceless
This audience skims fast and expects instant clarity.
Design Implication: Use scannable layout, concise copy, and a strong top-of-page message hierarchy.
-
They Want Personalization Without Effort
“Show me you understand my needs without making me do the work.”
Design Implication: Include flexible content blocks that resonate with specific wealth journeys or values.
-
They Are Sophisticated But Not Financial Experts
They expect strategic depth, but not a finance lecture
Design Implication: Balance clarity and expertise - use plain language that
still feels intelligent and elite.
-
They Are Comparing You
You’re not the only tab open.
Design Implication: Differentiate through tone, visual storytelling, and ease of action - make it feel like a better experience.
-
They Are Looking for a Relationship, Not a Transaction
Long-term advisory is more valuable than a quick sale.
Design Implication: Make the CTA feel personal (“Let’s talk about your goals”) and humanize the brand through advisor bios or short intro videos.
Opportunities
-
Warmer tone: Most firms are formal and cold; GAM can use approachable, confident language.
-
Visual authority: Bring editorial luxury and simplicity.
-
Conversational CTA: Instead of “get in touch” try “let’s talk about your legacy”.
-
Smart content personalization: Offer paths based on life stage, gals or portfolio complexity.
Competitive Analysis
Brainstorming
Working with the designer, marketing lead, and a dev lead we reviewed the research and brainstormed together a few different ways:
-
Idea matrix
-
User journey map
-
User flows
Idea Matrix
Click to enlarge (note that team comments have been removed)
We completed an Idea Matrix using Mural to help the team focus on ideas that would deliver maximum value with minimum complexity. This helped to accelerate the roadmap and de-risk innovation.
User Journey Map
Click to enlarge (note that team comments have been removed)
The team mapped pain points and opportunities in a Miro experience map to visualize the user journey pain points and opportunities.
The Design
User Flows
Click to enlarge (note that team comments have been removed)
The team then translated the research insights into user flows using Figma that balanced user needs with business goals, and allowed us to design the logical flow. This gave us a strong foundation to begin concepting our solution and prioritizing the features for our roadmap.
Wireframes
Click to enlarge (note that team comments have been removed)
Working with the designer, we put together a series of wireframes to illustrate the proposed design and then shared these with the broader team for feedback.
Gaining some user feedback at this stage can also be beneficial, to test the delivery of the voice and tone.
Design Rationale
High-net-worth individuals (HNWI) are not casual browsers. They arrive on the page through targeted channels - email outreach, organic search, or paid ads - looking for a signal that this firm understands their world and can deliver results.
To drive conversion, the design must:
-
Immediately communicate value (What does GAM offer me?)
-
Deliver a clear call to action (How do I take the next step?)
-
Remove friction and uncertainty (Is this brand trustworthy? Is it worth my time?)
Trust-Building
Trust is the single most important currency with this audience. Without it, there is no action.
Design elements that build trust:
-
Visual credibility: Understated elegance, premium typography, consistent use of color and grid, and clean whitespace
-
Proof points: Recognizable credentials, performance highlights, expert commentary, advisor bios
-
Humanized tone: Avoid financial jargon - write like a
seasoned, trustworthy advisor
Storytelling + Performance: A Dual Lens
-
Storytelling provides emotional resonance - conveying the “why” behind the brand: legacy, expertise, relationships, and impact
-
Performance ensures every scroll, click, and layout choice is intentional - leading the user closer to conversion
Together, this lens ensures:
-
A compelling narrative (“We understand you, and here’s how we help.”)
-
With measurable outcomes (clicks, scrolls, signups, calls)
Next Steps
Metrics of success:
-
Hypothetical success metrics: lead form submissions, scroll depth
-
User testing readiness: headlines, CTA wording, image impact
Phase 2:
Personalized experiences or richer content for engaged users:
-
Add client success stories
-
Investor type quiz
Outcomes & Impact
-
60% increase in lead for submissions.
-
85% increase in scroll depth.
-
40% increase in new clients.
-
Improved brand perception.
Reflection
This project deepened my approach to designing for premium, trust-sensitive audiences. It also reinforced the importance of soft CTA paths and the role of human-centered content in driving engagement - even in industries as data-driven as asset management.