SCADpro is SCAD’s internal innovation studio that gives students the ability to work in collaboration with real companies on real-world projects. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm, came to SCAD with a challenge: digitizing and modernizing their institutional client business.

After collecting the research, speaking with BlackRock representatives, and developing concepts, we divided into teams to most efficiently and effectively execute the project. As part of the UX and graphic design teams, I worked with a large multidisciplinary group of fellow students and helped lead from research to concept to execution. For the final project, we developed a system that would ultimately better the flow of the way BlackRock conducts business by eliminating unnecessary steps in daily processes and make the experience seamless for representatives and consultants on both sides. Although mostly digital, we also didn’t want to forget the importance of human interaction.

The first thing we did as a team was meet with the client so they could give us a brief overview of the challenges they were facing and the goals they wanted the project to accomplish. While meeting with them, I wrote down every problem I heard they had. After the meeting, they gave us a stack of documents and a brief walk-through of their currently existing portal. Again, I wrote down every issue I found, color coded them, and narrowed them down to six main issues that guided us through the rest of the project.

Pain Points
– It’s not easy to sort through or keep track of documents
– The experience isn’t as data rich as desired
– Sorting through portfolios is confusing
– The process is slow, difficult, and there isn’t enough transparency
– They wanted a more personalized experience
– There is a lack of human interaction