Thrivent
A Digital Transformation: A Journey Toward Personalization
Overview
Thrivent modernized its authenticated member experience to align with its polished public site, addressing inconsistent navigation, outdated functionality, and a lack of personalization.
Through competitor research, data-driven design, and iterative testing, the team built a seamless, scalable platform to enhance user engagement and meet evolving member expectations.
INDUSTRIES
Financial Services
Insurance
Investment Management
Financial Planning
ROLE
Senior UX/UI Designer
DISCIPLINES
UX / UI
Brand Identity
TIMELINE
December 2020 - August 2021
TOOLS
Figma
Figjam
A Century of Service Meets Modern Expectations
Thrivent, a midwestern financial services organization with over 100 years of history, has long been a trusted partner for its members. Offering banking, investments, insurance, and charitable giving opportunities, Thrivent has built its reputation on service and community.
But by the time I joined the team as a Senior UX/UI Designer, Thrivent faced a challenge: their authenticated member experience no longer reflected the polished, modern design of their public-facing site. Worse yet, it wasn’t meeting member expectations.
Confusing navigation, outdated functionality, and inconsistent design between the mobile app and desktop experience left users frustrated and disengaged. It was time for a rebuild, a chance to craft an experience as trustworthy as the brand itself.
The Problem: A Disjointed Experience
Imagine logging into a system that feels entirely disconnected from the polished site you just visited. That’s exactly what Thrivent members were facing.
Navigation between public and member-authenticated pages was inconsistent.
Key services lagged behind industry standards, creating friction for users.
The desktop experience and mobile app didn’t align, leading to confusion and inefficiency.
Members needed a personalized, user-friendly experience, one that was seamless across platforms and aligned with Thrivent’s rebrand.
Building the Future: Designing a Solution
The solution was clear: rebuild the authenticated experience from the ground up.
Our goal was twofold:
1. Align branding and functionality with the Thrivent mobile app.
2. Use data-driven design to address member pain points and deliver an intuitive, personalized experience.
With these objectives in mind, our cross-functional team set out to transform the platform.
Discovery: Learning From the Best
To create a best-in-class experience, we needed inspiration. But competitor research for authenticated experiences presented a unique challenge, these experiences weren’t publicly accessible.
Here’s how we tackled it:
I initiated outreach within Thrivent’s design team, identifying employees with accounts at competitor organizations. We asked them to capture screenshots of specific user flows and key screens.
To gather even more data, we leveraged Amazon Turk surveys, sourcing visuals of competitor flows from external users.
I organized the collected visuals into a digital whiteboard, enabling the team to annotate and highlight strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
This collaborative effort gave us a clear view of where we stood and where we could innovate.
Execution: Turning Insights Into Design
Wireframes With Purpose
Armed with Google Analytics data and user survey feedback, we identified critical pain points in member flows. Operating in an agile environment, our team divided responsibilities to rapidly iterate on wireframe concepts.
Each iteration addressed a core issue, from streamlining navigation to surfacing personalized content. Collaboration and feedback loops kept the process efficient and aligned.
Usability Testing
Testing was crucial to refining our designs.
A/B click tests and moderated sessions provided actionable feedback from real users.
I contributed to crafting test questions for my flows, ensuring we captured the insights needed to improve usability.
Though testing continued after my tenure, the early results validated our design direction.
The Results: A Work in Progress
When I transitioned out of Thrivent, the new authenticated experience was still under development. While final analytics and ROI weren’t available, I left with confidence. The team was poised to deliver a personalized, intuitive platform that would meet and exceed member expectations.
Lessons Learned: Staying Agile in Complex Projects
Redesigning an authenticated experience isn’t a linear process. There are starts, stops, and plenty of pivots along the way. Here’s what I took away:
Stay Agile: Large projects require flexibility. Prioritize effectively, adapt as needed, and dive in wherever your skills can add value.
Trust the Team: Collaboration is key. Share work frequently to maintain consistency and build on each other’s strengths.
Think Scalable: When something works well for one flow, explore how it can be scaled across others for a cohesive experience.
Ultimately, this project was more than a redesign, it was a transformation, setting the foundation for Thrivent to better serve its members for years to come.