Product Overview

The Optimizer analyzes 401k portfolios and recommends rebalancing strategies using the proprietary "HCM BuyLine" algorithm. This tool helps individual investors make informed decisions during market volatility.

Business Context

The product transitioned from a B2B model serving financial advisors to a B2B-to-B2C platform, enabling individual investors to directly access sophisticated portfolio management tools.

The Challenge

Two critical pain points emerged during user research:

• Manual company plan submission created unnecessary friction
• Required quarterly rebalancing was unclear and confusing to users

User Research

Through discovery sessions, I identified key user misconceptions. Many users believed that connecting their account meant the system would automatically rebalance their portfolio. In reality, users still needed to manually execute the recommended changes.

Design Solutions

Based on research findings, I implemented several iterative improvements:

• Streamlined Navigation: Simplified the information architecture to reduce cognitive load
• Direct Institution Links: Added quick links to popular financial institutions for faster rebalancing
• Vocabulary Standardization: Simplified language and created a consistent taxonomy across the product
• Dashboard Redesign: Prioritized critical information and surfaced key actions
• Enhanced Risk Controls: Improved risk tolerance settings for better personalization

Guided Retirement Product

The product continued to evolve with additional features including marketing dashboards and administrative tools, creating a more comprehensive retirement planning platform.