Fidelity.com
Background
Fidelity Investments welcomes millions of new customers each year, but many visitors arriving at Fidelity.com are unsure where to begin. The onboarding experience presents dozens of different account types, each with unique requirements and purposes.
This complexity made it difficult for people to know which account to open, often leading to hesitation or drop-off. Fidelity needed a simpler, more confident way to guide prospects toward the right choice.
As the sole Product Designer, I partnered with one Product Manager who also served as the Engineer on the project. Together we designed and built a new “Prospect Quiz” to help new customers get started. We used generative AI to explore conversational and visual concepts that could simplify decision-making and increase confidence for first-time investors.
The Challenge
Two primary challenges shaped our work.
Complex Product Landscape: Dozens of account types across different business areas made the decision process confusing for new customers.
Decision Paralysis: Many prospects left the site without opening an account because they didn’t know where to start.
We needed to design an experience that felt clear, human, and trustworthy while staying consistent with Fidelity’s brand and compliance standards.
The Work
Collaborative Experimentation
Worked as a two-person team combining product management, engineering, and design for fast feedback and iteration.
Used generative AI to prototype and test different conversational and visual directions, helping us explore new approaches quickly.
Shared early prototypes with internal partners to align on the opportunity and value of a guided entry experience.
Design Strategy
Simplifying Complexity: Reframed the quiz as a guided discovery rather than a selection tool, focusing on customer goals such as saving, investing, or retirement planning.
Conversational Flow: Crafted a question-by-question experience that felt approachable and easy to follow. Confidence as an Outcome: Defined success not only by conversion but also by the user’s sense of clarity and confidence.
Rapid Prototyping and Testing
Built multiple interactive prototypes to evaluate tone, pacing, and visual framing.
Gathered feedback from internal reviewers and new user segments to refine clarity and trust.
Improved flow and language based on insights from testing sessions.
The Outcome
We encouraged our stakeholders to be more bold and to bring qualitative research into the marketing process to learn from customers early and push for more connected, cross-product marketing experiences. The new experience showed stronger engagement and completion than the existing flow. Participants expressed greater confidence in their account choices and a clearer understanding of how to begin with Fidelity.
The work also sparked broader impact inside the organization.
Patent Filing: Filed a patent with Fidelity for our approach to using generative AI responsibly in financial contexts. The work established guardrails that kept conversations focused on financial topics and ensured compliance with Fidelity’s voice, tone, and customer service policies.
Validated New Methods: Demonstrated how small, cross-functional teams can use AI-assisted products to explore new ideas efficiently.
Influenced Culture: Encouraged teams to think about guidance and customer confidence as key measures of success.
Created a Model: Inspired similar guided experiences across other areas of Fidelity.com.
By combining design leadership, hands-on execution, and experimentation with AI, we created a more approachable path for millions of people starting their financial journey with Fidelity.