From Vision to Delivery: Merchant Services Responsive Dashboard

The Merchant Services Dashboard project was one of the fastest-moving and most collaborative initiatives I’ve had the opportunity to lead. The objective was to create a responsive, user-configurable dashboard that would provide bankers with a personalized workspace while leveraging the existing Merchant Services onboarding design system and component library. Reusing established components allowed us to focus our efforts on solving new user problems while maintaining consistency, accessibility, and alignment with Wells Fargo’s enterprise standards.

The Challenge

The project kicked off during the second week of November with an aggressive timeline. Leadership wanted interactive prototypes within two weeks for early user validation, followed by a polished, working prototype for an executive demonstration in mid-January. Success depended on rapid collaboration, continuous iteration, and close alignment across Design, Product, Engineering, and business stakeholders.

Discovery & Planning

Before designing solutions, we worked with Product Owners and stakeholders to understand business goals, user needs, and technical constraints. Together we:

• • • Aligned stakeholders on project goals, user needs, and success metrics
    • Audited the existing onboarding experience to identify reusable components and patterns
    • Mapped end-to-end user journeys to uncover pain points and opportunities
    • Defined MVP scope and a phased delivery roadmap aligned to tight milestones
    • Prioritized features based on user value, feasibility, and delivery timelines

Design Process

Working within an Agile environment, our cross-functional design team collaborated continuously to evolve the experience. Activities included:

• • • Created end-to-end journey maps and task flows to validate user paths
    • Rapid low-fidelity wireframes to explore multiple solution directions quickly
    • Interactive Figma prototypes to support design reviews and early validation
    • Iterative design cycles informed by stakeholder feedback and usability findings
    • Embedded usability testing insights directly into design refinements
    • Accessibility reviews to ensure WCAG compliance from the start
    • Continuous collaboration with Engineering to validate feasibility and implementation approach

User Testing & Iteration

Rather than waiting until the end of the project, we incorporated user feedback throughout development.

• • • Delivered the first interactive prototype within two weeks
    • Conducted three rounds of usability testing before the end of the year
    • Synthesized findings into rapid design iterations after each session
    • Validated updates with Product, Engineering, and stakeholders throughout each cycle

Engineering Partnership

One of the strengths of this project was the close partnership between Design and Engineering. Through frequent working sessions, design reviews, and shared problem-solving, we addressed questions early, refined interactions together, and minimized implementation risks. This collaborative approach enabled Engineering to build a fully functional prototype for leadership while maintaining fidelity to the design vision.

Outcome

By mid-January, we successfully delivered a live, interactive prototype that demonstrated a personalized dashboard experience built on our existing design system. Users were able to customize their workspace using familiar components while benefiting from a responsive experience across devices. The project was widely praised by leadership, business partners, Engineering, and end users—not only for the solution itself, but for the speed, collaboration, and quality with which it was delivered.

This project reinforced my belief that the best enterprise products are built through continuous collaboration, rapid iteration, and shared ownership across Product, Design, and Engineering. Even under an ambitious timeline, a strong design process and open communication enabled us to deliver an experience that exceeded expectations.