Scott Williams, UXC

Overview

Portfolio Manager Experience (PME) was a new product built from the ground up to modernize how portfolio managers monitor, analyze, and act on client portfolios. The goal was to replace fragmented, manual workflows with a scalable, event-driven experience. I served as the Lead UX Designer and Strategist, responsible for defining the UX vision, experience model, and design system foundation.

Challenge

Portfolio managers were spending hours each day on:

• Manual drift analysis
• Rebalancing preparation
• Data reconciliation across systems
• Compliance and reporting checks

SEI needed a solution that could scale personalization while dramatically reducing operational overhead.

Approach

Event-Driven Experience

Through workflow research, we identified that portfolio managers wanted the system to surface where action was needed, not just display data. I helped define an event-driven interaction model that became the core of PME.

Agile & Cross-Functional Delivery

PME was built within a SAFe Agile framework, requiring iterative design and close collaboration across product, engineering, and sales:

• Participated in PI planning and backlog refinement
• Delivered UX in sprint-based increments and POC ceremonies
• Incorporated continuous user feedback into feature evolution
• Partnered closely with engineering for scalable implementation
• Aligned with sales to ensure market and client relevance

Component Design Library

Helped define and govern build of a new robust component design system, based on Atomic design principals, enabling:

• Faster design-to-development cycles
• Consistent interaction patterns across modules
• Scalable product expansion
• Reduced UX and engineering rework

Tools Include

Confluence, Axure RP, Adobe Creative Suite, Whiteboard Sessions

Whiteboard Sessions

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Screenshots

Results

Client adoption demonstrated significant operational impact:

• Rebalancing workflows reduced from 8–12 hours to ~1–1.5 hours
• Portfolio drift checks reduced from ~30 minutes to near-instant review
• Daily system updates automated instead of manual
• Improved confidence in compliance and monitoring accuracy

In 2022, this app won the "Best Portfolio Management System" award at the Goodacre UK Systems in the City Fintech Awards.

Impact

• Established the core UX strategy and interaction model for PME
• Enabled scalable product delivery through a component-driven design system
• Helped SEI shift toward workflow-centered, user-driven product design
• Created a foundation still used to evolve the product today

PME proved that combining workflow research, event-driven design, and a strong component system can transform complex enterprise products into efficient, scalable experiences that truly support expert users.