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management team like? What vision were they conveying? All of these were components
of their brand. Ultimately, whatever I designed had to fit the image they had already cre-
ated.
Once I had a picture of First Rate, other research gave me some context. As I looked
beyond the company, I found a white paper about common mistakes financial companies
make when they initiate UX design projects. As I learned more, I saw an industry that was
a good fit for better UX products. The financial sector was just beginning to emerge from
the worldwide economic meltdown. Customer confidence remained stuck at a level that
was barely higher than its all-time lows. But some light was piercing the depths. Most indi-
vidual financial portfolios were beginning to show some improvement. More people were
working, and more businesses were showing profits. Markets were edging upward, real es-
tate was no longer plummeting, and investors were beginning to test the waters again. But
everyone remembered that it had all begun when too many banks made too many irrespons-
ible loans.
When people's confidence in an entire industry is shaken, an individual company must
do all it can to establish and maintain trust with existing and potential customers. That trust
begins with experience. Customers must feel confident that they're dealing with compet-
ent professionals using the best, most up-to-date tools. First Rate wanted apps that their
investment professionals could use to show clients a complete, well-organized picture of
investments and strategies.
Early in this process, I began looking at the people I'd be working with: First Rate's
team. I googled their project manager to get some initial background information about
who I would be working with; knowing the players as much as possible can help you un-
derstand their needs and goals. Once you have a good picture of this team, you can frame
and present solutions better targeted to their specific problems.
For this project, First Rate wanted to create an iPad app for investment professionals.
I needed to know how these professionals would use the app. Was it just for First Rate's
investment advisors to help them manage data? Or would they employ this app during
face-to-face meetings with clients? When using the app with a client, would the profes-
sional glance at the screen for data to support his or her arguments? Or would this app be
something that the customer could refer to and quickly grasp? I needed to talk to the invest-
ment professionals who were going to use this, and hear what they needed directly from
them.
I used LinkedIn to find investment managers who were willing to share stories of how
they dealt with their customers' day-to-day concerns. What did these managers need to
