Dimensional
Overview
Intro
Dimensional Fund Advisors is a global investment firm that offers a systematic, evidence-based approach to investing. It focuses on applying academic research to real-world investing, emphasizing diversified, low-cost, and transparent strategies. Dimensional is known for its focus on long-term returns and risk management, catering primarily to institutional investors and financial advisors. As Dimensional’s first Digital Design Director, I introduced Human-Centered Design principles, established the design research program, and scaled the design team, driving innovation in financial services.
Objectives
- Facilitate Innovation in Financial Services
- Build the Digital Design Team and Research Program
- Implement a Human-Centered Design Approach
- Establish Operational and Tactical Best Practices
Key Initiatives
- Dimensional Insights
- Separately Managed Accounts (SMA)
- Dimensional.com Redesign Research Program
- Design System
Leadership
The strategic value of design, with its structured, iterative, and research-driven approach, is not always immediately evident to those outside the discipline. Recognizing this, we initiated a targeted project to assess the relative value of retail-friendly “blog” content and technical, academic research to Dimensional's public audiences (subsequently leading to the design of Dimensional Insights). Aligning closely with key decision-makers across various functions and geographies allowed me to not only showcase the transformative power of design but also to build confidence in our methodology. Through collaborative workshops, user research, and data-driven insights, I introduced new ways of working, fostering a culture of design thinking that bridged organizational silos and established design as a critical driver of business strategy. This foundational work was instrumental in priming the organization for larger-scale, high-impact initiatives (Dimensional SMAs), positioning design as a core enabler of our strategic vision.
Coaching (Management)
My coaching and management style brings new team members into our design values through structured onboarding that emphasizes collaboration and a user-first mindset. I cultivate a culture of open feedback, mentorship, and continuous learning with design critiques and targeted skill-building sessions like usability testing training, design thinking workshops, and interaction design deep dives. This approach keeps the team inspired, aligned, and prepared to create impactful experiences, proving its worth in challenging situations like remote onboarding and launching a large-scale research and design incubator during the early weeks of COVID-19—a first for our team.
John is an amplifier of good ideas and talented people. Having worked with John for almost two years, he continuously demonstrated his abilities as a design ambassador with a strong commitment to connecting contributors and stakeholders in the best way.
— Colin Laflin, Lead UX/Product Designer at Openvest; VP at JP Morgan Chase; formerly Senior Designer at Dimensional
The Work
Dimensional Insights
Dimensional Insights was designed to establish a unified global public platform that makes deeper research widely accessible, without referencing specific funds or portfolios. We achieved this by globalizing our publishing process, prioritizing seamless distribution, and reducing frictions while minimizing the need for professional affirmations.
To understand the value of retail-friendly blog content and technical, academic research for our public audiences, the digital team conducted 15 one-hour interviews with client-facing representatives from each Global Client Group channel.
The insights gained from these conversations allowed us to design solutions tailored to clients' specific needs, reflecting their expectations and the broader public discussion.
Our approach helped us de-risk assumptions about client needs, quantify the opportunity, and prioritize key benefits to focus efforts on V1. It facilitated internal alignment, created documentation to de-risk future efforts beyond product design, and informed a clear, defensible roadmap for building the experience. These outcomes gained trust across the broader organization, setting the stage to inform strategy for Dimensional SMAs.
Dimensional SMAs
To broaden Dimensional’s Separately Managed Account (SMA) offerings, Dimensional developed a strategy to create an SMA solution accessible at $1 million or less. I led the team in conducting user research and designing a seamless experience for financial advisors to onboard, customize, and monitor client accounts.
We approached the project with a 8-week time-boxed user research, and experience development and testing program with the aim of understanding the client mental model in order to develop a conceptual model and experience that aligns with user needs.
With the product definition and roadmap in place, we executed high-fidelity designs aligned with our evolving design system and played a key role in driving the go-to-market strategy and efforts.
Outcome
Within a year and a half of launch, the SMA Center surpassed $1 billion in assets under management. The platform has since integrated ETFs, evolving into a comprehensive Unified Managed Account (UMA) solution.