ROCKEFELLER CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Member Experience : Mobile
Redesigning the Member-Facing Mobile App through proxy-facilitated ethnographic interviews.
Research Context
I faced a core constraint: I could not conduct member interviews directly. RCM's member relationships are deeply private. The advisory team was protective of the client experience and understandably cautious about introducing an outside-facing designer.
The solution: a collaboration with RCM's quantitative analytics team. They had existing rapport with members. I designed the interview guide and analytical framework, and the quants facilitated the conversations during scheduled touchpoints.
Methodology
- Proxy-Facilitated Interviews: 6 interviews conducted by quants.
- Duration: 20–30 minutes per session.
- Focus: Surface current behavior, entry points, pain points, and mental models around portfolio interaction.
Participant Overview
Six members participated across a range of wealth tiers, life stages, and relationship tenures. All had assets under management of $3M or more.
From Insight to Design Decision
I organized the findings into seven design-actionable themes. Each theme was pressure-tested against at least two member interviews.
Clarity Over Density
RESEARCH INSIGHT
Members want contextual signals (on track, needs attention, changed) rather than raw position data on first open.
DESIGN DECISION
Redesigned the home screen around a single consolidated net worth figure, a trend indicator, and a short prioritized action list. Detailed position data moved to a dedicated Portfolio tab.
EXPECTED IMPACT
Reduces cognitive load on first open. Serves both the two-minute check-in and the monthly reassurance visit without requiring either to navigate.
New User Journey with Added Security
We added extra security measures. In addition to these new features, if the app was dormant for more than 2 minutes it would lock again. In order to change a passcode, a client would have to call their advisor. And in order to register, the same was applicable.
Reflection on the Proxy Facilitation Method
Trust transferred faster
Members already had a working relationship with the quants. There was no warm-up period; they spoke candidly from the first question.
Fluency enabled probing
The quants understood the underlying portfolio structure immediately and could ask follow-up questions without signaling unfamiliarity.
Tradeoff: Observational depth
Lost access to body language, tone shifts, and nonverbal cues. The paraphrased notes filtered out emotional texture.