Investment Portal Upgrade.
The strategic overhaul of a leading New Zealand investment firm’s Customer Portal, improving user experience, maintaining brand consistency and synchronising with updated mobile apps.
Five years of iterative updates had made a significant refresh necessary.
A research-led redesign, with a full brand design system.
Production-ready after a single UAT revision cycle, aligned with the updated mobile app.
A cornerstone of the digital strategy, due a refresh.
GCD initially developed the firm’s Customer Portal in 2018, and it quickly became a cornerstone of its digital strategy. Rapid advancements in online engagement standards then made a refresh necessary, both to meet contemporary user expectations and to align with the brand’s continued evolution.
Experience and brand
- Responsive, optimised performance across devices, particularly mobile
- The client’s latest brand colours and iconography
- A cohesive design system aligning online and offline assets
Timing and security
- Synchronised with the launch of the updated mobile app
- A seamless transition for users between web and mobile
- Advanced security measures across the platform
Every design decision guided by research.
A systematic, user-focused implementation, starting with a comprehensive review of the interface and navigation.
User research
User feedback, one-on-one qualitative sessions, analytics data, screen recordings and heat map insights.
Interface redesign
Navigation and on-page elements restructured for seamless interaction.
Responsive design
Responsiveness improved across three primary screen sizes.
Brand design system
Consistency between digital and non-digital assets, giving stakeholders a clear framework for visualising alignment and managing future changes.
Built for agile updates.
Front end
A custom Angular portal.
APIs
Internally developed Go APIs and numerous external APIs.
Deployment
Microsoft Azure, with a fully automated CI/CD pipeline.
Quality assurance
Automated tests, plus extensive cross-browser and cross-device testing.
Deliverables User research · UX/UI design · Front-end development · Complex integrations · Ongoing maintenance · Analytics & reporting · Evolution & support · Security enhancements
A seamless launch, in step with the app.
GCD observed improved user engagement metrics and, critically, received no negative feedback from stakeholders or end users following launch.
- Improved interaction across all devices, with particular gains on mobile
- A unified brand experience across digital and physical touchpoints
- Stronger safeguarding of confidential information and data integrity
- All delivery deadlines met, in alignment with the updated mobile app
“The transition was so seamless that it feels like the portal has always been this way. The highest praise for a revamp of this type.”
Planning a digital experience transformation?
Whether you’re modernising an established platform or connecting web, mobile and the touchpoints in between, we help financial services organisations create cohesive investor experiences, built around the systems and workflows you already rely on.