Client: Top 10 U.S. Bank

Role: Human-Centered Design Strategist

Platform

Design strategy for improving the acquisition and onboarding of Micro, Small, and Commercial business clients to merchant payment processing services.

Users

New and existing Micro-Business, Small Business, and Commercial clients interacting with the bank’s merchant services offerings.

The Problem

The bank needed to improve how it attracted and onboarded business clients to its merchant payment solutions. Existing journeys lacked clarity, consistency, and differentiation across business tiers. There was also limited insight into market perception and competitive positioning.

Project Goals

• Understand how clients experience the merchant services offering across the Shop, Buy, and Sell journeys

• Evaluate market perception, brand strengths and weaknesses, and gaps in the current onboarding process

• Identify opportunities to improve acquisition, conversion, and retention

• Define a vision and strategic recommendations supported by research and industry benchmarks

My Role

As the Human-Centered Design Strategist, I:

• Led research design and execution, including stakeholder alignment

• Conducted guerrilla research with multiple tiers of clients

• Synthesized findings from internal workshops, industry trend analysis, and competitor benchmarking

• Developed journey-based recommendations and strategic themes

• Delivered a future-ready vision for Merchant Services growth

Approach

User & Market Research

• Engaged micro, small, and commercial clients in qualitative research

• Mapped impressions and decision drivers across the Shop, Buy, and Sell journeys

• Conducted internal collaboration sessions and competitive benchmarking to frame the bank’s market position

Strategic Recommendations

• Identified critical success factors and experience gaps at each stage of the client journey

• Delivered data-supported recommendations with rationale (“reasons to believe”)

• Outlined qualitative and quantitative business outcomes based on current trends and research insights

Future-State Planning

• Created future-state user journeys and experience process maps

• Prioritized initiatives through an actionable matrix to guide development investment

• Positioned the strategy for phased rollout and future service enhancement

Deliverables

• Strategic Vision Document and Executive Summary

• Industry and Competitive Insights Report

• Shop / Buy / Sell Journey Analysis

• Future-State Client Journey Maps

• Process Maps and Opportunity Areas

• Recommendations with Supporting Research Data

• Prioritization Matrix of Initiatives

• Projected Outcomes Framework

Challenges

• Capturing meaningful insights from a wide range of client types and business maturity levels

• Aligning multiple internal teams around a shared vision for improvement

• Translating complex research into focused, digestible strategic actions

• Balancing short-term fixes with long-term strategic opportunities

Business Benefits

• Clear articulation of market position, client perception, and offering value

• Strategic clarity across the acquisition funnel

• Actionable roadmap for Merchant Services growth and evolution

• Future-state client experience vision grounded in real user and market data

• Enhanced ability to differentiate in a competitive payments landscape