SCADpro x FINRA
SCADpro Sponsored Course
Internal Accessibility Guideline and Risk Assessment Tool for Novice Investor (Project under NDA – Details Obscured)
Overview
To help Deloitte better communicate its unique value to federal health clients and the public, our team conducted in-depth mixed-method research across seven sectors of the federal health industry, identifying gaps in perception and engagement. Targeting agency decision-makers and public stakeholders, we designed a multi-channel marketing campaign combining online and on-the-ground touchpoints. By showcasing Deloitte’s competitive edge through real-world case studies, the campaign strengthens brand positioning, builds trust, and drives engagement in a complex and highly regulated ecosystem.
Methods
Mixed Method Research, Ideal Experience Wheel. Usability Testing, Sensory Cue Workshop, Interactive Prototyping
Meet the Team
19 students from 8 majors
My Role
User Experience Designer
Tool
Figma, Figjam, Adobe Suite, Maze. Zoom
Duration
10 Weeks, 2025 Jan.- Mar.
My Responsibility
As part of the Risk Assessment Team, I…
Designed an onboarding-focused risk assessment tool tailored to Gen Z novice investors, simplifying financial complexity and building trust through intuitive interaction models, visual hierarchy, and emotion-driven design.
Designed and facilitated a “sensory cue” workshop, helping users associate abstract risk levels (e.g., “moderate,” “aggressive”) with visual and emotional cues. This method enhanced empathy and clarity, and was praised by FINRA stakeholders as a standout design feature.
Co-led the design of 50+ responsive screens and 20+ modular UI components, from wireframes to high-fidelity interactive prototypes in Figma, adhering to WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards and leveraging FINRA’s internal design system..
Ran usability tests using Maze, validated task flows and micro-interactions, and synthesized feedback into 9 actionable refinements to improve onboarding clarity and information delivery.
Key Takeaways
Building 50+ high-fidelity responsive screens emphasized the need to think systemically, creating modular components that could evolve with FINRA’s design system.
Designed and facilitated a sensory-cue–based workshop that taught me the value of simplifying abstract financial concepts into tangible, emotionally resonant experiences.
Maintaining a clear backlog of the design process helps to improve cross-team collaboration and alignment between design, developers, and stakeholders.
The Challenge
Design and Content Accessibility
As FINRA works to empower and protect investors, a key challenge is ensuring that financial tools and resources are accessible and understandable for a wide range of users. The challenge was to enhance accessibility design guidelines and communication and new public-facing investment tools in ways that promote accessibility, clarity, and user confidence.
The Approach
Mixed-method research
We conducted secondary research focusing on investment, investment risk, customer behaviors, and industry trends, followed by 5 interviews and a 109-response survey with target users. We focused on understanding both the emotional and cognitive barriers that new investors face and the pain points around accessing and interpreting financial tools.
Synthesis and Insights
Our findings highlighted a need for more consistent design standards, more straightforward language, and support for users with varying familiarity and accessibility needs.
Prototyping and testing
To ground our work in real user needs, we successfully conducted nine usability tests and facilitated a sensory cue workshop. These sessions helped us uncover how users interpret content, navigate interfaces, and respond to visual, auditory, and interaction cues.
Sensory Cue Workshop for Risk Perception
To uncover how novice investors perceive financial risk, I designed a Sensory Cue Workshop. Participants rated everyday activities—like skydiving, driving, or yoga- on a spectrum from “aggressive” to “conservative.”
The resulting heatmap revealed intuitive groupings (e.g., 70% linked rodeo with aggressive behavior), which we translated into design metaphors and tone of voice for the interface. This informed a tone-based onboarding flow that let users self-identify their risk tolerance without financial jargon.
Collaboration
Documentation and backlog system
Within the accessibility team
We collaborated closely with our internal accessibility team to ensure all design solutions met the WCAG 2.1 standard, including font size, color, contrast, etc.. To maintain consistency, we also established a structured documentation and backlog system for components and interfaces, capturing accessibility requirements, design decisions, and testing feedback—so the entire team could align quickly and track progress throughout iterations.
Clear deliverables and focused materials
Within the clients
We met with FINRA stakeholders every three weeks—including check-ins, a midpoint, and the final presentation—guided by a clear project roadmap outlining deliverables for each stage. To ensure efficient communication, we prepared focused materials ahead of each session, which allowed us to capture actionable feedback and keep design decisions aligned with both user needs and organizational goals.
The Impact
Accessibility serves as the core design principle and grows with the needs of users and business
Evidence-Based Design:
The iterative testing and prototyping process gave stakeholders confidence in the solutions we proposed, while also aligning internal teams around user-validated design choices.
Accessible and Inclusive Design :
Our approach aimed to reduce barriers for novice or underserved users and enhance the clarity and approachability of the overall user experience.
Long-term Scalability:
The insights and design frameworks we developed laid the groundwork for more accessible and consistent experiences across future tools and platforms.
