Redesigned how financial reports are created
Solving usability weaknesses for a leading financial research site.
Company
Bizminer
Project
Usability Enhancement
Role
Product Designer
Year
2022
Strong data but a weak experience
Bizminer is known for its high quality financial data and is widely used by professionals and university students. The problem is that the experience of using the site is clunky and frustrating. Users value the data but struggle to generate reports, making the product harder to adopt and less competitive.
What users and stakeholders told us
In interviews with the CEO, Senior VP of Product, and nine active users, the feedback was consistent. The site’s design is non intuitive and makes even simple tasks difficult.
“It still doesn’t feel right. It feels clunky.” Danny Burke, CEO
Six of nine interviewees complained about filtering
Three of seven organizations said they were considering leaving Bizminer
Interviews with key stakeholders, including Bizminer's CEO, Senior VP of Product, and nine active users, unveiled consistent feedback on the platform's non-intuitive design. Even with Bizminer's unmatched data quality, there's an apparent demand for an enhanced user experience. Our objectives aim to elevate this experience to match the data's quality.
"It still doesn't feel right…it feels clunky." Danny Burke - CEO
Six out of nine interviewees complained about the filtering process
Three out of the seven organizations I interviewed are actively considering replacing Bizminer
Interviews with key stakeholders, including Bizminer's CEO, Senior VP of Product, and nine active users, unveiled consistent feedback on the platform's non-intuitive design. Even with Bizminer's unmatched data quality, there's an apparent demand for an enhanced user experience. Our objectives aim to elevate this experience to match the data's quality.
"It still doesn't feel right…it feels clunky." Danny Burke - CEO
Six out of nine interviewees complained about the filtering process
Three out of the seven organizations I interviewed are actively considering replacing Bizminer
Three stages of the flow caused the most problems
Since the launch of Bizminer 2.0 the company has not been able to sell its flagship Analyze report. The Analyze flow works differently from the Research flow which confused users. The process was full of unnecessary back and forth and the call to action was unclear.
The biggest issues showed up in three stages of the workflow
Filtering
Uploading and customizing
Downloading
Stage 1: Filtering
The filtering experience was full of usability issues that slowed people down and created uncertainty.
The search box overlapped and blocked other content
There was no clear indicator when something was selected
The interface was sometimes unresponsive, causing delays
Stage 2 Uploading and customizing
Analyze required users to upload data before setting filters, unlike Research which began with filters. This unexpected difference caused friction.
Users wanted filtering to always come first
Redundant steps added frustration and wasted time
Stage 3: Downloading
Once reports were ready, the download step was confusing and poorly designed.
Users were redirected to an “About Bizminer” page instead of a direct download
The download button was small and hard to find
The button placement did not follow a clear hierarchy
From 13 steps down to 7
I reorganized and redesigned the workflow to mirror the simpler Research flow. This gave users a more predictable and intuitive path.
Start with filters first
Move into uploading and customization after filters
Add a review and upsell checkpoint before purchase
Make the download button clear and easy to find
Three design approaches tested
I tested three filtering patterns with users: accordion, wizard, and a hybrid of the two. Using a monadic testing approach I asked participants to rate comprehension, usability, and overall experience. The wizard style came out on top.
Users said the design made sense
Users said it was easy to use
Users described the flow as more enjoyable
Executive reactions to the redesign
When I pitched the new flow, leaders immediately saw its value.
“Spot on. You uncovered a lot of insights we had not considered. This is a great flow for our users.” Danny Burke, CEO
“You picked up really good insights. Moving uploads after filters is the right call.” Nolan Walker, SVP Product
What's next for Bizminer
The redesign was only the first step. To keep improving, the team plans to
Speed up data retrieval
Hold quarterly user feedback sessions
Introduce AI powered search and recommendations
Three stages of the flow caused the most problems
Since the launch of Bizminer 2.0 the company has not been able to sell its flagship Analyze report. The Analyze flow works differently from the Research flow which confused users. The process was full of unnecessary back and forth and the call to action was unclear.
The biggest issues showed up in three stages of the workflow
Filtering
Uploading and customizing
Downloading
Stage 1: Filtering
The filtering experience was full of usability issues that slowed people down and created uncertainty.
The search box overlapped and blocked other content
There was no clear indicator when something was selected
The interface was sometimes unresponsive, causing delays
Stage 2: Uploading and Customizing
Analyze required users to upload data before setting filters, unlike Research which began with filters. This unexpected difference caused friction.
Users wanted filtering to always come first
Redundant steps added frustration and wasted time
Stage 3: Downloading
Once reports were ready, the download step was confusing and poorly designed.
Users were redirected to an “About Bizminer” page instead of a direct download
The download button was small and hard to find
The button placement did not follow a clear hierarchy
From 13 steps down to 7
I reorganized and redesigned the workflow to mirror the simpler Research flow. This gave users a more predictable and intuitive path.
Start with filters first
Move into uploading and customization after filters
Add a review and upsell checkpoint before purchase
Make the download button clear and easy to find
Three design approaches tested
I tested three filtering patterns with users: accordion, wizard, and a hybrid of the two. Using a monadic testing approach I asked participants to rate comprehension, usability, and overall experience. The wizard style came out on top.
Users said the design made sense
Users said it was easy to use
Users described the flow as more enjoyable
Executive reactions to the redesign
When I pitched the new flow, leaders immediately saw its value.
“Spot on. You uncovered a lot of insights we had not considered. This is a great flow for our users.” Danny Burke, CEO
“You picked up really good insights. Moving uploads after filters is the right call.” Nolan Walker, SVP Product
What's next for Bizminer
The redesign was only the first step. To keep improving, the team plans to
Speed up data retrieval
Hold quarterly user feedback sessions
Introduce AI powered search and recommendations