RBC Wealth Wise

Context

RBC Insights help advisors and client get informed and knowledgable regarding the current market and industry and is apart of the advisors daily. However, the Insight platform suffers from poor search functionality, outdated design, lack of responsiveness, and inadequate reporting metrics, resulting in user frustration and inefficiency in content utilization.

The Work

Wealth Wise began in October 2023 with a small team: myself as product designer, a design lead, product owner, and developers. Early on, I spotted a misalignment, the product team saw it as a simple makeover, but my UX audit revealed deeper flaws in RBC Insights. I used that audit to push for research and alignment, setting the tone for the project. To keep pace with business goals, I introduced tools like the UX Lean Canvas and worked with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Their input was valuable, but I noticed decisions leaned too heavily on SME opinions instead of user needs. That’s when I doubled down on advocating for research until it became part of the process.

To strengthen my case, I mapped the old site’s information architecture and built user flows that exposed navigation pain points. These artifacts became persuasion tools, showing stakeholders why assumptions weren’t enough. Once research was approved, I designed low and mid-fidelity prototypes. Usability testing scored them a 78 on the SUS scale proof we were heading in the right direction. User sentiment validated: “You’ve saved me quite a few clicks, I love it” (Associate), “It’s cleaner, faster, more intuitive, this is a step up” (Associate Advisor), and “Just being able to search within a report and email it directly? That’s a game-changer” (PAG). At high fidelity, a pilot test uncovered three major issues, mostly with the dashboard. Instead of seeing it as a setback, I ran a workshop with users, directly applying their feedback into a sharper redesign.After aligning stakeholders on the redesigned dashboard and flows, I finalized high-fidelity designs and handed them off to development.

Conclusion

The site is set to go live on September 8th, 2025. I’ll continue to support Wealth Wise post-launch, ensuring the platform grows with users and business needs.What I Learned (Individually):

• No single framework fits every project, every scenario, teammate, and way of processing information is different.
• Communication is the real game changer: preparing content in advance, setting objectives, and ensuring alignment during discussions.

What We Learned (As a Team):

• Consistently advocating for users, even when it wasn’t the obvious choice, turned tension into opportunity.
• Design became the bridge aligning product, SMEs, and developers while shaping how we worked together.

What I Would Do Differently:

• Be more proactive at the start instead of searching for a perfect framework or roadmap.
• Step into the role of shaping the process earlier, knowing design can facilitates the path forward.

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