NMLS Navigation
Product Design: Information Architecture
Uncovering Navigation Challenges
I led the FINRA Product Design team in modernizing the CSBS NMLS platform, an ongoing multi-year project aimed at transitioning from the legacy system to a streamlined, modernized experience. Early research identified navigation as a major pain point, driving our focus on restructuring it to enhance user understanding and interaction with the system.
Partnering for Insight
A card-sorting exercise was conducted at a conference with industry professionals to uncover how users naturally categorized information. The results confirmed that the systems navigation was a major pain point and would be a factor in the overall success of the project, as participants struggled with the existing structure and identified inconsistencies in how content was organized. To validate these findings, we performed an audit of the legacy systems architecture, to pinpoint areas where the structure impacted or disrupted user workflows.
Research Method 1: Card Sort
Research Method 2: Precedent Study
Through precedent studies, we focused on platforms that successfully helped users complete tasks efficiently and transition smoothly between old and new systems. By analyzing how these products organized information, labeled key sections, and guided users through workflows, we were able to identify strategies to keep users focused on their work and minimize confusion. Our takeaways helped us to create a navigational framework designed to ensure users could quickly access critical tasks while adapting to the new system at a comfortable pace, making the modernization process feel seamless rather than disruptive.
What Frustrates you the most about NMLS?
Stakeholder Collaboration: Classic to Modern
With evidence from the card-sorting exercise and precedent study, we presented our findings to CSBS, reinforcing that navigation was the key area to focus on. This kicked off a deeper collaboration to refine how users of NMLS would move between the legacy and modernized systems, ensuring that the transition wouldn’t disrupt their workflows. Through working sessions with CSBS, we mapped out specific challenges users might encounter when navigating across the two systems, highlighting areas of opportunity and pieces they found to be the most important for their users.
Designing The Future Experience
To improve navigation, we addressed the specific needs of company and individual NMLS users. Both groups required a clear overview of their tasks, with company users needing efficient access to individual data. The centralized dashboard provided a solution, enabling users to track progress easily and access other users' information with fewer clicks. This change reduced navigation complexity and ensured a seamless transition between the legacy and modernized systems.
Classic to Modern: Iterative Approach
Given the user-based approach and multi-year timeline, we adopted an iterative strategy for company users. To address CSBS's concern about the difficulty of navigating both classic and modernized features, they requested a top navigation bar to help locate new features and the left navigation bar to serve as a secondary navigation option until most pages are modernized.
