We initiated the discovery process by conducting competitor analysis and stakeholder interviews with both internal roles such as Underwriters, Credit Operations, and Business Relationship Managers, and our external users - the Brokers. These interviews aimed to deeply understand user wants, needs, and pain points. We maintained regular communication to ensure their needs and perspectives remained at the forefront of our design process. Secondary research was also carried out as part of a new design system, consolidating component design and accessibility best practices at the Allica.

After the research, we organized our findings into categories, eliciting key insights and using a prioritization matrix to rank them. This activity helped formulate a comprehensive and impactful UX roadmap. We also translated our findings and qualitative data into 'Personas' - a tool to help guide the project by ensuring the team retains a user-centric approach throughout. Our findings exposed a clear gap in post-application functionality, currently handled manually by internal teams via email.

During the design phase, ideation tasks and collaborative UX workshops played a pivotal role. Brainstorming sessions were conducted, fostering creativity and diverse perspectives to restructure the portal's information architecture. These sessions involved sketching, concept development, and rapid prototyping, leading to the creation of new post-application user journeys. Our iterative approach emphasised the continuous testing and validation of these prototypes to refine the user flows and components.

The Broker Portal saw a UI overhaul, featuring a visually cohesive Dashboard, characterized by the creation of a new component library, supported by our own, newly established UX best practice documentation. These aesthetic yet functional enhancements incorporated key elements of visual design including colour harmony, typography, and data visualisation, in adherence to WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring consistency and accessibility across the portal.

Improved business operations and enhanced user experience with the introduction of a new Dashboard and post-application view, providing application updates and empowering users to handle post-application task. These additions led to more efficient and successful submissions, facilitated seamless communication across multiple internal systems, minimised the need for manual intervention and fostered alignment between the Bank lending team and their Brokers. By positioning Brokers in the driver's seat and offering them greater control over their applications we allowed internal teams to concentrate on critical tasks, resulting in a Broker Portal that not only meets users' requirements but also proves adaptable for future needs and business growth.