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Overview

Problem

Research

Ideation

Prototyping

Testing

Contributions

Final Delivery

Reflections

Organization

WEX

My role

Product Designer,
Corporate Payments Team

Timeline

8 Weeks (2025)

Keeping finance workflows organized with in-product notifications.

Keeping finance workflows organized with in-product notifications.

Keeping finance workflows organized with in-product notifications.

At WEX, I worked on multiple design initiatives for WEX's Corporate Payments' line of business. This particular initiative entailed designing a solution for the notifications system, serving WEX business payment customers. I primarily worked on research and design system efforts, supported by our design, research, PMs, and stakeholder teams.

DESIGN SYSTEM COMPONENTS

1

Notification-system components handed off with fully customizable properties.

UX WRITING DELIVERABLES

12

Copies handed-off for notifications and different categories of alerts.

PROTOTYPE TURN-AROUND

<2

Weeks of moving from ideating and iterating, to prototyping in Figma.

My first product design internship!

My summer was full of amazing firsts: presenting my work to corporate teams, learning fintech flows, and trying out rope courses in Maine. On top of this being my first PD internship, I was also my team's first design intern!

THE PROBLEM

Finance workers juggled email and in-app details.

Controllers rely on timely alerts to review transactions and resolve payment issues. However, urgent items were being missed and workflows didn't feel optimal.

Users are juggling too many tabs manually for their workflow

Teams needed to track important information on different platforms, leaving workers feeling inefficient and slow.

As you read, it's worth knowing: This is my first time in fintech…

Fintech is new to me, and in order to design effectively, I needed to better understand its audience. From listening to podcasts on finance, to signing up for competitor demos, I spent 25+ hours in my freetime studying industry jargon, and WEX's market landscape. This was important because as I design, I want to better understand what issues I can fully address. This routine allows me to better empathize with what industry veterans may experience.
Fintech is new to me, and in order to design effectively, I needed to better understand its audience. From listening to podcasts on finance, to signing up for competitor demos, I spent 25+ hours in my freetime s...
Fintech is new to me, and in order to design effectively, I needed to better understand its audience. From listening to podcasts on finance, to signing up for competitor demos, I spent 25+ hours in my freetime s...

RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY

First, we wanted to get a better sense of our users' current workflows.

First, we wanted to get a better sense of our users' current workflows.

Prior user interviews and research had been conducted before I joined this project. To reopen and kickoff this project, I focused on synthesizing our existing efforts and data in order to discover improvement opportunities, current strengths, unseen pain points, and deeply understand our finance teams.

"How are customers currently working with alerts?"


Using Dovetail, UserTesting, and user interviews, I observed repeated complaints, successes, and behavioral patterns with users that work with our alerts daily to guide my understanding of the situation.

Using Dovetail, UserTesting, and user interviews, I observed repeated complaints and behavioral patterns with users that work with our alerts daily to guide my understanding of the situation.

USER JOURNEY MAP

To understand the bigger picture, we closely analyzed the physical and emotional journey of their workflows.

Maintaining open communication with the research team, I mapped their insights onto a user journey map in order to pinpoint successes and limitations of their current workflows.

KEY INSIGHTS: FINANCE CONTROLLERS

We concluded that our users were confused and mentally overloaded with the separation of "email-alerts" and "platform-actions."

PAIN POINTS

"As a user, I'm frustrated that:"

  1. PRODUCT: Important items are too easily forgotten or delayed.

    • Finance controllers checked emails for alerts, but had to log into the WEX platform to investigate issues

    • Risks: sensitive finances, delayed responses, and missed urgent items

  2. PROCESS: Recording important information relied on controllers' DIY solutions.

    • Had to manually record it elsewhere for future use, no centralized place for older alerts

ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

"As a user, I want to:"

  1. Review issues in full details immediately

  2. Easily take relevant action after being alerted

  3. Conveniently track and revisit alerts

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: INDUSTRY PATTERN EXPLORATION

To circulate different ideas into our process, we analyzed notification design patterns in the fintech industry.

Through signing up for demos and discovering patterns from fellow fintech companies, we analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of their patterns, informing our ideation, visual cohesiveness, and future direction.

DESIGN FOCUS: USER NEEDS + GOALS + CONSTRAINTS

As effective guidelines for success, I illustrated the priorities that should be reflected in our future solution.

To ideate an effective design solution, it was important to see the full picture. Bringing in what I learned from our research, I carefully mapped our user needs, business goals, and technical constraints to guide my ideation.

To make sure I was aligned with the team, I discussed with our stakeholders and PMs what our desired outcome of this project may look like, which also helped me accomodate longer-term future goals.

IDEATION + OPPORTUNITY

We saw an important opportunity to ease the transition between "awareness" and "taking action."

Help finance teams move from alert to action more clearly and efficiently?

How might we

Help finance teams move from alert to action more clearly and efficiently?

How might we

IDEATION: WIREFRAME SKETCHES

After establishing our goals and focus, I began freely sketching my ideas on paper.

I set up a timer for 10-minutes and began sketching away. Once I finished, I added notes and sought feedback by discussing my thought process and expanded the conversation by applying considerations to constraints and goals.

Then after contextualizing the problem, I suggested we go with the 'Inbox' idea.

By benchmarking our key insights, user journey map, interviews, and design focus, I was able to advise to stakeholders that an 'Inbox' may be most suitable. The 'Inbox' addresses workflow needs, industry patterns, and as a bonus, aligns with technical backend constraints. (Ideally, I'd create low-fi digital prototypes to test and validate, but there were deadline priorities that needed to be adhered to.)

PROTOTYPING: MID-FI PROTOTYPES

After aligning with the team, I iterated and refined to create mid-fi prototypes.

As a team, we ensured open communication and checked in with one another, so that the designs remained consistent and on-track.

After completing multiple iterations and receiving feedback, like refining positioning and adding necessary elements, I turned my wireframes to mid-fi prototypes; we were then given the greenlight to move forward with testing.

UX WRITING

Assuring users stay on top of their finances easily and clearly.

Following the effective principles of UX writing and researching how competitors write their alerts, I focused on communicating the urgency and clarity of the content without fearmongering.

TESTING: STAKEHOLDER + PM FEEDBACK

Validating usability & uncovering blindspots

Heading into the final stages, we synthesized feedback from our internal stakeholders after walking them through the mid-fi prototypes. It was decided that the Popover design would be set aside for future consideration, and we were going to prioritize the Inbox design. My team and I were on-track with the project, given my internship was wrapping up soon. Heading into the final stages, we performed usability testing, then walked through the stages of the mid-fi prototypes.
Heading into the final stages, we synthesized feedback from our internal stakeholders after walking them through the mid-fi prototypes. It was decided that the Popover design would be set aside for future consideration, and we were going to prioritize the Inbox design. My team and I were on-track with the project, given my internship was wrapping up soon. Heading into the final stages, we performed usability testing, then walked through the stages of the mid-fi prototypes.

Contribution Highlights

Actionized UX research and ongoing feedback.
Validated design decisions and consolidated takeaways to inform future implementations.
Users no longer need to rely on email-alerts.
Automatically access the most urgent alerts and take action right away.
Delivered responsive components with dynamic properties.
Reusable in different contexts and future development.

Final Deliverables

Reflections

Working for WEX was deeply rewarding, especially on a project that makes a positive difference in how thousands of people feel and experience their work. Throughout this process, I learned the importance of ideating without judgment and balancing design details with technical and business goals, which ultimately allows us to explore a multitude of effective possibilities. Working alongside senior talents has also been an honor. This summer, I've seen it as a way to adapt to new work styles, but also have a chance to see exactly where I can improve in terms of presenting my ideas and efficient UX practices. I'm excited to try out what I've learned and am continously aiming to refine my expertise.
Working for WEX was deeply rewarding, especially on a project that makes a positive difference in how thousands of people feel and experience their work. Throughout this process, I learned the importance of ide...
Working for WEX was deeply rewarding, especially on a project that makes a positive difference in how thousands of people feel and experience their work. Throughout this process, I learned the importance of ide...