Fact Find UX:
From Guesswork to Data
Turning a clunky, multi-page legacy system into a fast, high-density workspace—all while migrating the underlying tech stack.
1. Designing in the Dark
The original Fact Find tool was built on an aging VB stack. When the company decided to migrate to C#, we had to rebuild the UI to support a new API integration.
But at first, we didn't have any user tracking. We were relying purely on "word of mouth" feedback from managers to figure out what users wanted—which turned out to be a deeply flawed way to design a product.
Legacy VB Interface
Legacy Data Points
2. Iteration 1: The "Modern" Bloat
Our first redesign actually made things worse. We expanded the pages to give users more room for notes, but this was entirely based on educated guesses. I pushed to integrate Microsoft Clarity into the staged launch. Suddenly, we had the heatmaps and metrics to see exactly how, when, and where advisors were getting stuck. We finally stopped guessing and started observing.
3. Letting the Data Win
When we rolled out the pilot to 200 consultants, they were frustrated. The new fragmented pages were slowing them down. Using the heatmap data, I showed leadership that we needed to stop reacting to individual complaints and look at the actual user behavior. The data proved that separating the pages was a mistake—we needed to consolidate.
4. The "Cockpit" Workspace (v3)
We ditched the "too many pages" approach and built a high-density hub. We put dual applicants side-by-side so advisors didn't have to keep clicking back and forth. We cleaned up the property section so tracking multiple mortgages didn't look like a mess. It worked so well that this "Cockpit" layout is now the standard model for our other internal tools.
v3: High-Density Side-by-Side Personal Hub
v3: Unified Multi-Charge Property Hub
Efficiency
60% Less Clicks
Scale
1,300+ Daily Users
Method
Metric Driven
Solving the Annoying Details
Forcing Compliance Without Pop-ups
We strategically placed the Vulnerability Status right before the final notes section. This forced advisors to pause and consider a client's health or financial resilience, keeping us completely compliant with strict FCA standards without resorting to annoying alert boxes.
The "Portal Paste" Fix
Advisors were constantly frustrated by clicking phone numbers or emails and accidentally opening their mail apps when all they wanted to do was copy the text. I swapped the hyperlinks for simple one-click copy buttons, saving them endless headaches when pasting client data into lender portals.
Process
Early wireframes, Figma explorations, and the thinking behind the decisions.