For the first time, advisors sent clients to the portal during onboarding and reviews.
Digital silence.
Clients rarely came back after onboarding, which often took weeks. They couldn't make sense of allocation, performance or account status without calling their advisor. Every one of those calls was time not spent on real advice, and advisors hesitated to promote a tool they didn't trust themselves.
The legacy portal.
Functional, but uninviting.
No product metrics existed. Success had to be defined before anything was designed.
- 01Legacy systems. Third-party custodial data limited real-time information and UI flexibility.
- 02A new product team. PMs were former wealth advisors with deep domain knowledge but little experience scoping an MVP.
- 03Little client access. Direct access to clients was minimal because the client base is so sensitive.
Four signals, agreed before design.
- 01Adoption. Clients complete a first login after onboarding.
- 02Engagement. Repeat logins in the first 30 days.
- 03Advisor efficiency. Fewer basic portfolio inquiries.
- 04Confidence. Advisors willing to send clients to the portal.
Extend the advisor. Don't replace them.
- 01Clarity first. Essential portfolio information right away.
- 02Advisor alignment. Mirror how advisors already talk about portfolios.
- 03Restraint. Self-service for visibility, the relationship for advice.
- 04Discipline. An MVP that could actually ship and scale.
Exploratory wireframes.
Refined concepts.
Calm by design. Every screen answers one question.
A high-level view of a client's financial picture: total value and allocation, performance built for clarity instead of analysis, secure documents, and the advisor always in reach.
The key financial signals first. Everything else one tap away.
Deeper portfolio detail and planning context, without crowding the first view.
Assets, liabilities and the overall position in one snapshot.
The underlying accounts and trends, for when clients and advisors want to dig in.
Define success early when data is thin and trust is everything.
Working closely with advisors and holding the line on scope is what let this ship. The launch gave Mercer its first cohesive client-facing experience, and got design, product and advisory teams to agree on what digital transparency should do.