Colonial First State is an fund
management company that currently manages and administers
more than $99 billion globally. Their online component has
six different areas (FirstNet secure sites): FirstNet Adviser
and FirstWrap, FirstNet Investor, FirstNet Master, FirstNet
Employer, and FirstNet Dealer. These sites provide fund management
and customer management for CFS advisers and customers.
Challenge:
CFS received complaints about their interface and the complicated
nature of their navigation and especially the labels used.
The sites were built on proprietary software and it was going
to be challenging to change the way the information was displayed.
Our task (1) was to review and enhance the navigational structure
of the FirstNet secure sites. We knew we needed to understand
what points of pain people were actually expressing with the
sites. Was it the site itself or the fund management industry
altogether?
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Solution:
We came into the project with a neutral and objective viewpoint.
As we delved into the sites we discovered that the technology
was quite robust and noticed where there could be issues with
performance and understanding (the world of finance can be
daunting). We followed a user-centered approach, ensuring
that the structure and labeling enhances the usability of
the site and meets the needs of the target users.
We audited the sites, polled the users and tested new navigation
architecture models as well as terminology. We changed terms
that were difficult to understand, re-arranged the navigation
and in result had sites that were ultimately more user friendly.
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