JP Morgan Invest (JPMI), the brokerage subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase, engaged IDEO to design a retirement planning service experience targeting the self-directed, but less experienced, investor.

The competition JPMI faced was a marketplace filled with well-established and heavily branded players promoting commoditized investment products. To rise above this crowded market, the solution shifted the focus away from the investment product offerings to the delivery of those products and the creation of the best, most consistent experience for customer engagement across multiple delivery channels. Understanding key usage scenarios first enables a more focused and successful design of a product or service's features or functionality.

IDEO conducted conversations with stakeholders and performed qualitative field research that covered a strategic range of individuals. The resulting research and synthesis revealed that consumers of financial services in general, especially retirement planning, need information presented to them in context. That is, the right amount delivered at the right time and in the right manner, to accommodate their evolving needs and goals regardless of their knowledge of the subject.

These insights helped establish key brand attributes that the team translated into design principles. New service concepts emerged from the application of these principles to the customer's experience with the 401(k) enrollment, investment, and rollover processes through the online environment and print media. Rather than focusing on isolated product innovations, the design team effectively connected key "halo" moments, consistently expressed through a variety of customer touchpoints, and created a a more effective future vision of a branded service offering.