Fast Account Switching
Improving the sign-in process for users with multiple accounts
CLIENT:
FINRA
AREA:
Login & Authentication
YEAR:
2024
ROLE:
Lead Product Designer
problem
FINRA is a regulatory organization that oversees firms and individuals in the financial securities industry. FINRA requires all firms, individuals, and entities in the broker-dealer market to register an online account with their respective FINRA program.
Individuals in the broker-dealer industry are required to obtain multiple FINRA programs depending on their program.
As seen below, there are many different login options for FINRA users to choose from, creating confusion for those less familiar with FINRA’s platforms. In addition, FINRA requires all accounts to change passwords every couple of months for security protocol. As a result, many FINRA users have voiced frustrations about the sign in process, relating to both recalling the correct User ID and inputting the password.
For example, this is a major point of frustration for FINRA compliance administrators because they manage multiple FINRA accounts for individuals at the firm and firm entities of a larger conglomerate.
my role
• Define user scenarios and edge cases with stakeholders on the business and product management teams
• Develop user flow logic for experience
• Create high-fidelity design for new login and account switching experience
• Conduct usability testing sessions with existing users
• Incorporate usability testing feedback into high-fidelity design
• Share and iterate on high-fidelity design with stakeholders (including business team, engineers, and product managers)
• Document design specs for the final design
challenges
1. Clear differentiation between the active account and other available accounts for seamless switching. We learned from user testing that an administrator at a firm will most likely have multiple accounts because their firm has various subsidiaries. For example, JP Morgan has subsidiaries JP Morgan Chase Bank, JP Morgan Chase Holdings, JP Morgan Securities, etc. So it was key that the user knew exactly which account they were in at all times. I provided 5 design explorations as options for the business and engineering team. After meeting with both teams, we settled on the following options for minimized clicks and practical feasibility:
• Name and Firm in the header navigation
• Identifiable account initials and color in the top right corner
• Name and Firm listed under the Account Settings hover
2. Setting an automatic session timeout to maintain security. Working with the product, legal, and privacy teams , I designed a user flow that automatically signed users out if they were idle for more than a certain amount of time and how that affected the other signed in accounts. After many discussions, we agreed on allowing users to switch accounts without entering their password depending on both the last login time and last authentication time.
solution
A streamlined login experience for effortless switching between multiple accounts.
Major features include:
• Multiple points to locate which account the user is in
• Time out session for security purposes
• Ability to save multiple accounts to the browser
results
Users save between 15 seconds to 5 minutes per login or account switched.
A direct reduction in login-related calls to the customer service agent center, thanks to an improved and more intuitive password management experience.
Feedback we received from our users:
”I was at the ***** conference. Nearly every person I spoke with thanked us for bringing this capability to light. They say it is a HUGE time saver and removes friction in their day.“
learnings
1. Account access challenges are a primary concern for users. Logging into accounts emerged as the most frequent issue reported by FINRA's call center agents. Mitigating problems directly related to log in will drastically increase participation across all FINRA platforms.
2. Users forget their password all the time. For security purposes, FINRA has rigid password requirements that must be changed every 6 months. Most FINRA users are only signing in a handful of times each year, so they are more likely to forget frequent password changes. To improve the experience, I recommend exploring new sign-in features that do not include a password (such as Google sign in, Face ID, and fingerprint recognition).
