B2B • Fintech • UI/UX Design
Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management Redesign
I designed and improved internal financial advisory tools for wealth management professionals, streamlining complex workflows and improving data visualization for faster decision-making.
Overview
Embedded at Merrill Lynch through The Big Studio, I was the sole IC designer on a 3-person agency team focused on rethinking how people visualize retirement savings. The core challenge was reducing the fear and friction that discouraged people from saving, making accumulation and withdrawal feel approachable rather than overwhelming. During a related engagement with Bank of America, I led 4 interns through a design exercise for an iPad retirement balance application. That concept was brought back to Merrill Lynch and evolved into a suite of financial advisor-facing applications, which a larger Big Studio team and I designed, resulting in a 300% increase in conversion.
Abilities Demonstrated
- Designed and improved internal financial advisory tools
- Simplified complex financial data into intuitive dashboard interfaces
- Created wireframes and prototypes for wealth management workflows
- Collaborated with financial advisors to understand domain-specific needs
- Ensured compliance with financial industry regulations in UX patterns
Understanding Financial Advisors
Financial advisors at Merrill Lynch relied on complex internal tools to manage client portfolios, analyze market data, and provide investment recommendations. These tools had grown organically over time, resulting in fragmented experiences and steep learning curves for new advisors. The challenge was to streamline these workflows, improve data presentation for faster decision-making, and create interfaces that reduced cognitive load, all while maintaining strict compliance with financial industry regulations.
Whiteboard session — Auto enrollment flow ideation
Auto enrollment user flow — Decision tree and branch mapping
Information Architecture
I took a user-centered approach, working closely with financial advisors to understand their daily workflows, pain points, and the critical decisions they needed to make quickly. Through contextual inquiry and task analysis, I identified the highest-impact areas for improvement. I then created information architecture improvements, wireframes, and interactive prototypes that were tested with advisors before development. Every design decision was vetted against compliance requirements to ensure regulatory adherence.
Dashboard wireframe — Information architecture and layout planning
Platform & Advisory Tools
- Redesigned portfolio overview dashboards for faster data comprehension
- Streamlined client onboarding workflows reducing steps and time-to-completion
- Created clear data visualization patterns for market trends and portfolio performance
- Designed responsive layouts that worked across desktop workstations and tablets
- Implemented consistent design patterns aligned with Merrill Lynch's brand guidelines
Combined Account Balance — Homepage Dashboard
401(k) Account Summary with performance tracking
Retirement Priorities Profile — Interactive bubble interface for setting priorities
Results & Impact
The redesigned financial advisory tools delivered measurable improvements in workflow efficiency and advisor satisfaction. Portfolio dashboards were streamlined for faster data comprehension, client onboarding processes were simplified, and data visualization patterns were standardized across the platform. All designs maintained full compliance with financial industry regulations while significantly reducing the cognitive load on advisors during their daily workflows.
Reduced task completion time
Regulatory adherence
Using redesigned tools
FA-facing application suite
Project Outcomes
Streamlined Workflows
Reduced complexity in key financial advisory tasks and client onboarding processes.
Improved Data Clarity
Redesigned dashboards enabled faster decision-making through better data visualization.
Regulatory Compliance
All designs maintained full compliance with financial industry regulations.
Advisor Satisfaction
Positive feedback from financial advisors on improved tool usability.
"I had the pleasure of working with Mario Machado at The Big Studio from 2012 to 2015, where I served as his UX manager and mentor. During this time, he demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing complex product design for our Fortune 500 clients, including Merrill Lynch, New York Life, and Bank of America.
While with The Big Studio, Mario was committed to sharing his knowledge with junior designers and with our client partners. Mario was client-facing for almost every initiative he worked on and had the perfect balance of reliability, creativity, execution, and collaboration. Beyond being a strong mentor and thought leader, he excelled at leading projects and teams with a focus on Agile practices and core UX design processes.
Additionally, he facilitated strategic workshops with stakeholders, translating complex business requirements into actionable concept designs and led brainstorming sessions that energized both our internal teams and clients. His technical expertise in responsive design and cross-browser compatibility, combined with his advocacy for user-centered design principles, made him a rare designer that can connect the dots from concept design to execution.
Beyond all the technical stuff, Mario is just a great team player who is highly engaged and easy to work with. I wholeheartedly recommend him for any senior product or design leadership role."
