Transforming Financial Services Through Customer-Centric Design.

Synchrony Financial needed to showcase their comprehensive suite of products and services to board members in a way that demonstrated their customer-first approach. As the largest provider of private label credit cards in the U.S., Synchrony serves customers at every stage of life—but communicating this breadth effectively to executives required a fresh perspective.

The Challenge

Board presentations typically follow rigid, linear formats that can lose audience engagement. We needed to create something different—an experience that would allow executives to explore Synchrony's services at their own pace while understanding the real-world impact on customers.

The key constraints were:

• Diverse executive audience with varying familiarity with products

• Need to showcase multiple business units cohesively

• Requirement for both high-level strategy and detailed service explanations

Research & Discovery

Data Foundation
Working with cross-functional analysts, I compiled extensive customer research to identify our primary user personas and understand their financial journeys with Synchrony.

Stakeholder Interviews
I conducted one-on-one interviews with vice presidents and team leaders across business units to understand:

• Individual team goals and priorities

• Desired messaging for their services

• Success metrics for the presentation

Key Insight
The research revealed a fundamental truth: customers don't interact with Synchrony as separate business units—they experience it as one integrated financial partner throughout their lives.

Strategic Approach

Persona Development
I refined four core personas representing Synchrony's customer base:

• Gen X male (existing customer)

• Gen X female (existing customer)

• Millennial female (prospective customer)

• Gen Z male (existing customer)

Concept: A Family's Financial Day
Rather than presenting services in isolation, I created a narrative following a multi-generational family through a single day. This approach naturally showcased how Synchrony's diverse offerings—from credit cards to savings accounts to home loans—integrate into real life.

Design Process

Story Mapping
I mapped each family member's daily interactions with financial services, identifying natural touchpoints where Synchrony could add value. This process required multiple iterations to ensure comprehensive coverage while maintaining narrative flow.

User Journey Visualization
Each persona's journey was carefully crafted to highlight specific Synchrony services organically. For example, the Gen X mother's morning routine included checking her Synchrony savings account balance, while the Gen Z son's evening showed him applying for his first credit card online.

Wireframing & Prototyping
Through rapid sketching and digital wireframing in Adobe XD, I explored various ways to present the interconnected stories. The challenge was keeping the interface simple while allowing executives to dive deeper into any service that interested them.

Interactive Prototype
Using ProtoPie, I created an interactive experience that let board members choose which family member to follow, pause for detailed service information, or jump between different parts of the day.

The Solution

The final "Experience Journeys" presentation became a time capsule—a single day that told the story of how Synchrony serves customers across generations and life stages. Key features included:

Narrative Structure
A cohesive family story that naturally incorporated Synchrony's diverse services without feeling forced or marketing-heavy.

Interactive Exploration
Board members could explore at their own pace, diving deep into services that aligned with their interests or responsibilities.

Cross-Integrated Content
Each story element connected to broader business strategies, showing how individual services contributed to Synchrony's overall mission.

Visual Storytelling
Custom illustrations and clear user flows made complex financial concepts accessible and engaging.

Impact & Results

Executive Reception
The board received the presentation exceptionally well, with members noting they could understand Synchrony's services and customer impact more clearly than in previous presentations.

Ongoing Use
The presentation became a benchmark for future board communications and has been adopted as a case study both within Synchrony and by other organizations exploring interactive content possibilities.

Cultural Shift
The project demonstrated the power of customer-centric storytelling in executive communications, influencing how teams across Synchrony present their work.

Transparency Achievement
Board members specifically praised how the format made data and services more transparent and comprehensible.

Key Learnings

Storytelling Over Features
Complex financial services become more understandable when presented through real-world customer scenarios rather than feature lists.

Executive Engagement
Interactive formats can significantly improve executive engagement, but the interaction must serve the story—not complicate it.

Cross-Team Collaboration
Success required deep collaboration with analysts, VPs, and executives to balance business goals with user needs.

Scalable Framework
The "day-in-the-life" approach proved scalable, providing a template for future presentations across the organization.