PTSB

Fintech

Research is not guesswork—it’s decision-making grounded in evidence.

At PTSB, I joined as a Product Designer contractor, embedded within the team to strengthen ongoing initiatives with a strong focus on accessibility and inclusive design.

I was brought in to elevate the quality of decision-making by introducing structured research practices and ensuring that solutions worked for a diverse customer base—including users with varying levels of digital literacy and accessibility needs.

Project
Overview

This project focused on improving how customers navigate disputes related to unrecognized transactions. The existing experience was fragmented, difficult to understand, and heavily reliant on customer support—resulting in frustration, increased call center volume, and operational inefficiencies.

The objective was to:

Simplify access to critical information
Reduce friction in the dispute process
Empower users to complete tasks independently
Align the experience with accessibility and regulatory standards

Approach

My role was to lead the discovery and translate insights into actionable design direction.

I began by mapping the end-to-end “to-be” journey, identifying breakdowns across user understanding, system flow, and internal processes.

From there, I implemented a multi-layered research approach:

Benchmarking Analysis

Evaluated industry standards and competitor flows to identify best practices and gaps

Quantitative Research

Analysed behavioural data to understand drop-offs, call drivers, and user patterns

Qualitative Research

Conducted user-focused analysis to uncover pain points, mental models, and expectations

Usability & A/B Testing

Validated design directions and iterated based on real user interaction and feedback

Key Insights

The research revealed a critical disconnect—not only for customers, but also internally.
The dispute process lacked clarity, consistency, and shared understanding across teams.

This resulted in:

Users feeling unsupported and confused
Inconsistent guidance across channels
Over-reliance on manual support systems

Design Strategy

Based on these insights, I defined a three-part strategic framework:

1

EDUCATE

Provide clear, accessible information upfront to help users understand the process before taking action. This included restructuring content and introducing a dedicated, supportive webpage.

2

GUIDE

Simplify the journey by breaking it into manageable steps, ensuring users can follow the process with confidence and clarity.

3

ENABLE

Design a structured online form that guides users through submission, reducing errors and ensuring all required information is captured efficiently.

Design Execution

I translated research insights into an optimized user flow and a set of wireframes focused on clarity, accessibility, and ease of use.

The proposed solution:

Reduces cognitive load through progressive disclosure
Aligns with accessibility best practices
Anticipates user needs at each stage of the journey
Balances business requirements with user expectations

This work demonstrates how research-driven insights can directly inform scalable, user-centered design solutions.

BiancaPhoto_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited.png

Additional Context

This case study focuses on a B2C experience.
While I also contribute to B2B projects, this work is presented with consideration for privacy and regulatory constraints.

PTSB

Fintech

At PTSB, I joined as a Product Designer contractor, embedded within the team to strengthen ongoing initiatives with a strong focus on accessibility and inclusive design.

I was brought in to elevate the quality of decision-making by introducing structured research practices and ensuring that solutions worked for a diverse customer base—including users with varying levels of digital literacy and accessibility needs.

Project Overview

This project focused on improving how customers navigate disputes related to unrecognized transactions. The existing experience was fragmented, difficult to understand, and heavily reliant on customer support—resulting in frustration, increased call center volume, and operational inefficiencies.

The objective was to:

Simplify access to critical information

Reduce friction in the dispute process

Empower users to complete tasks independently

Align the experience with accessibility and regulatory standards

Approach​

My role was to lead the discovery and translate insights into actionable design direction.

I began by mapping the end-to-end “to-be” journey, identifying breakdowns across user understanding, system flow, and internal processes.

​

From there, I implemented a multi-layered research approach:

​

Benchmarking Analysis

Evaluated industry standards and competitor flows to identify best practices and gaps

Quantitative Research

Analysed behavioural data to understand drop-offs, call drivers, and user patterns

Qualitative Research

Conducted user-focused analysis to uncover pain points, mental models, and expectations

Usability & A/B Testing

Validated design directions and iterated based on real user interaction and feedback​​

Key Insights

The research revealed a critical disconnect—not only for customers, but also internally. The dispute process lacked clarity, consistency, and shared understanding across teams.

​

This resulted in:

Users feeling unsupported and confused

Inconsistent guidance across channels

Over-reliance on manual support systems

Design Strategy

Based on these insights, I defined a three-part strategic framework:

Provide clear, accessible information upfront to help users understand the process before taking action. This included restructuring content and introducing a dedicated, supportive webpage.

Simplify the journey by breaking it into manageable steps, ensuring users can follow the process with confidence and clarity.

​

​

​

Design a structured online form that guides users through submission, reducing errors and ensuring all required information is captured efficiently.

​

​​

Design Execution

I translated research insights into an optimized user flow and a set of wireframes focused on clarity, accessibility, and ease of use.

​

The proposed solution:

​

Reduces cognitive load through progressive disclosure

Aligns with accessibility best practices

Anticipates user needs at each stage of the journey

Balances business requirements with user expectations

​

This work demonstrates how research-driven insights can directly inform scalable, user-centered design solutions.

Outcome

The outcome of this project is a comprehensive, research-backed recommendation aimed at improving both user experience and operational efficiency.

​

Reduced dependency on call center support (projected)

Improved clarity and accessibility of the dispute process

Established a more consistent and scalable user journey​

The final report is available via the CMS-based platform (link provided on the page).

​

You can view the final report on the website built using a CMS by clicking LINK.

Additional Context

This case study focuses on a B2C experience. While I also contribute to B2B projects, this work is presented with consideration for privacy and regulatory constraints.

Project
Overview

Approach

Validated design directions and iterated based on real user interaction and feedback

The research revealed a critical disconnect—not only for customers, but also internally.
The dispute process lacked clarity, consistency, and shared understanding across teams.

Established a more consistent and scalable user journey

This case study focuses on a B2C experience.
While I also contribute to B2B projects, this work is presented with consideration for privacy and regulatory constraints.