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Harrison Lai
Harrison Lai
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Distribution Approval

Distribution Approval is one of the features that the 401(k) plan sponsor uses to approve the employee distribution request. I helped drive and redesign the new experience of this feature.

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Overview


Role
Product Designer
Problem Space
For Slavic to process participant distribution requests, the 401(k) plan sponsor will need to review and sign the requests. However, the current process provides less flexibility and limited ways to communicate between Slavic and the plan sponsors, therefore, creates frustration and confusion and results in long processing times for our participants.
Solution
We created a table list view that give a clear view of all pending requests and enable the plan sponsor to sign off requests based on their availability. By providing customized form for each distribution types if gives a clear guidance on what information is needed and an additional flagging feature allows plan sponsor to communicate to us while researching additional information.
Outcome
Still underdevelopment
Prototype
Link?
Demo
Video
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Detail Case Study


Context

Background knowledge
What is distribution?
Distribution is the process when the employee wants to withdrawal money from their 401k account. It could be when they leave the company, any distributable event, loan, or hardship.
What is the process?
This process includes the participant, the plan sponsor, and us as 401k recordkeeper.
The participant will submit a request through our online portal, and then we need to send the request to the plan sponsor to validate the information and sign off the request. Once information is being verified, and we will process the request and send out the money.

Research Insight

Identify and define the problems and set the goals
Business Value
Data Insights
Stakeholders

40% of the customer calls are related to distribution, and distribution approval is also one of the top complaints we get from the plan sponsors.
If we can improve the approval process, we can provide a better experience for our plan sponsors and reduce the processing time. That then leads to improving efficiency and reducing customer calls.
Problems
User research
Examine solution

Systems with little to no flexibility are the root cause of inefficient workflow.
The plan sponsor needs to go through all of the requests only to sign off a part of it or even just one.
Not customized form causes more confusion
All fields are required in the form with no alternative, so the sponsor ends up filling incorrect information and creates more confusion.

Goal
Provide a solution that increases efficiency, ensures information accuracy, and provides better communication. Ultimately reduce the overall distribution processing time.

Solution

Brainstorm ideas and create solutions
User flow

Review requests → Sign and approved the reviewed request
Select request → provide information → sign off request
don't have information → research information
Partial information
no information
Graph
Brainstorming
Different solutions
Card design vs Table + detail design
card:
pros: view all information, better for review and prepoulate information or less edit
cons: need edit state and less flexibility to display
table: highlight then detail, detail could cover more scenario flexibility
Queues vs Status
queues: hide reviewed, easy to identify
Status: still can use fillter, more complicated filter
still provide more information but is actually not needed
Features
high fidelity
Table Screenshot
Filters (dropdown)
Remind pending days
Status

Detail Screenshot
Queue

History

Validation

Validate your solutions
User testing
task completion
Pre-test questionnaire → tasks → Post-test questionnaire
Insights
Too many information and actions
-first time user might need more time to complete a task
Not obvious with some indication, blue line and yellow too subtle
modal too many actions
Business review
add copy ssn feature and hidden uncover for security
table - vesing
Detail
enhance modal design
simpler and less action
hide certain things
detail indicating status (ready to sign queue)
history view
remove loan when doing other feature research and planning
Learn
Focus on MVP and add feature enhancement for future version
What would you do differently, what did you learn?
Distribution Approval is one of the features that the 401(k) plan sponsor uses to approve the employee distribution request. I helped drive and redesign the new experience of this feature.
Overview
Detail Case Study
Context
Research Insight
Solution
Validation
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