Project overview
During my time at Fundrise, we launched an initiative to create a subscription service tailored to investors we identified as "power users." We noticed a growing trend of requests to directly invest in specific funds, highlighting a gap in our offerings. These experienced investors sought greater control and customization in their portfolios, and the existing plans did not meet their expectations.
I set out to empower investors to build their own plan with the goals of enhancing their confidence in portfolio selection and driving higher investment activity. The result was a custom plan builder that enabled investors to browse funds open for investment, select ones that align with their goals, and allocate percentages to each fund.
Role
Product Designer
Company
Fundrise
Platform
iOS, Android, Web
Problem space
What role do investment plans play at Fundrise?
At Fundrise, the primary way to invest is by choosing one of four investment plans, each designed to align with specific investment goals. These plans automatically distribute an investor's investment across a variety of funds.
How did we identify the opportunity space?
When investors reach $5,000, they unlock the ability to bypass their investment plan and invest directly into funds. We saw a trend of more investors seeking greater flexibility and autonomy around their investment plan, frequently asking for ways to set up their own plans for auto-investing and dividend reinvestment.
User research
Through stakeholder interviews and close collaboration with our UX researcher, we gained more insight into our user: the active investor.
We surveyed 555 Fundrise investors, and the results suggested that the number of active investors seeking greater control over their investments was higher than we initially anticipated.
77%
of investors felt it was important to have control over what they are investing in
59%
of investors said they like to dig into the details of their investments
We also found that, while investors were interested in more control, they still needed a certain level of guidance to make easy and informed decisions.
62%
rated their expertise in alternative assets as beginner or novice
45%
of investors said that choosing investments can be a headache
User stories
As an experienced investor who actively researches investment opportunities, I want to strategically allocate my resources to maximize my returns.
As an active investor who manually invests in funds each month, I want a more convenient way to invest in my personally selected funds.
Competitive analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis focusing on investment apps with similar portfolio/plan-building tools and leveraged insights to inform my designs.
Insight #1: Real-time progress visual that updates as you build
The responsive visual helps users see the changes they're making to their portfolio in real-time as they build.
Insight #2: Let me do the math for you
Real-time calculations inform users of their total percentage as they build. In some cases, the tool even indicates exactly how much to remove or add to reach 100%.
Insight #3: Easy browsing of investments with the ability to drill down further
High-level identifiers help users browse investments. Users can then click to delve deeper and learn more about the investments they're interested in.
User flow mapping
I facilitated collaborative work sessions with my product and engineering partners to generate ideas and narrow in on potential directions. I then presented key decision points and led discussions with stakeholders, ensuring we have alignment while driving the project forward.
A user journey map I built to focus our efforts on key tasks and anticipate potential questions that may arise as an investor navigates the flow.
Prototyping & testing
After a couple rounds of wire-framing and feedback discussions with stakeholders, I conducted 2 rounds of unmoderated usability testing with 20 users in order to obtain practical, real-time feedback to improve the design.
Mobile Usability Testing Fixes
1
Reduced the overhead associated with decision-making and information processing by simplifying the content and minimizing the copy
2
Added an optional slider for adjusting the percentage, making it easier to make smaller adjustments
3
Updated the copy to clarify that "Add Funds" refers to selecting funds, not adding money to the plan
4
Repositioned the visual plan bar to be closer to the "Continue" CTA and grouped it with the total percentage
5
Expanded the "Continue" CTA to full width for improved clarity and visibility
Web Usability Testing Fixes
1
Updated the heading size and copy to helped users more quickly understand where to begin building
2
Added +/- buttons for adjusting the percentage, making it easier to make more accurate adjustments and combined selecting and allocating into one action
Larger web post-testing updates
I observed that users felt overwhelmed and expressed confusion as to where to start after when landing on web plan builder page. They also often overlooking the plan's total percentage.
Through discussions with stakeholders, we decided to:
Enhance the plan preview by introducing a pie chart. This visualization helps investors better understand the composition of their plan, making it easier to see how each fund contributes to the overall allocation.
Combine the fund selection and allocation steps. This made it even more clear for users where to start building and made the building process feel less overwhelming.
Mobile solution
Web solution
Outcome & Learnings
Post launch findings
The custom plan feature was released to existing investors and has been adopted by about 18% of the Fundrise investor. We are continuing to monitor and improve the flow, and we hope to introduce it to the sign-up flow in the near future.
Project learnings
Stakeholder discussions: Fine-tuning my toolbox. I found that presenting high-level decision points, exploring multiple designs, and leading discussions to gather feedback effectively drove the project forward and kept stakeholders aligned. I developed and leveraged this “toolbox” of frameworks to push the project forward.
Collaborating with engineering: Sharing the "why". Given the project's complexity and technical constraints, I worked closely with engineering from the start to validate directions and interactions. Through these discussions, I learned the importance of sharing not just the outcome, but how and why we arrived at it. I wanted my engineer partners to be bought into what we were building together.