CASE STUDY · MORGAN STANLEY
AI Teammate
Voice-First Client Assistant & Advisor Configuration Portal
A voice-first client assistant and advisor configuration portal for service, testing, publishing, and escalation — enabling hands-free access to client data in professional settings.
ROLE
Principal UX Designer
USERS
Financial Advisors, advisor support teams, NLP configuration managers
PLATFORM
Mobile, tablet, and desktop portal
FOCUS
Voice interaction design, AI configuration, multi-modal sync, escalation workflows, privacy controls
TOOLS
Figma, audio prototyping, user research, conversation flow design
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE
Some details, screens, and workflows are recreated or generalized to protect confidential information while preserving the design challenge, process, and decision-making approach.
Situation
Business context
Financial Advisors needed a hands-free way to access client information and capture notes while on the move or in client-facing meetings — without visibly checking their devices.
User context
Advisors in client-facing scenarios couldn't pause to type. They needed voice-first access to portfolio data, notes, scheduling, and action items — with the professionalism and security that financial services demands.
System context
Existing advisor tools were entirely screen-dependent, creating friction in mobile and meeting contexts where hands-free, voice-first interaction is essential for maintaining professionalism.
Design Challenge
Design a voice-first experience that is professional, secure, and seamlessly integrated with the advisor's desktop portal — with a configuration system that lets advisors personalize the AI without requiring technical expertise.
Screen dependency
Advisors couldn't access critical client data during meetings without visibly checking their devices, breaking the flow of professional client conversations.
Privacy and security
Voice interactions in financial services must handle sensitive client data with appropriate privacy controls — especially in shared or semi-public meeting environments.
AI configuration complexity
Different advisors have different practice needs, client types, and communication styles. The AI must be configurable and testable without requiring technical expertise.
My Role
What I led
Voice interaction design and the configuration dashboard for the AI's personality, response logic, data access rules, and escalation behavior.
What I designed
Voice conversation flows, visual pulse feedback system, the advisor-facing configuration portal, and the testing and publishing pipeline for AI behavior changes.
Who I partnered with
NLP engineers, voice interaction researchers, compliance teams, advisor focus groups, and the engineering team building the voice platform.
Making the Workflow Visible
Prototyped conversation flows using high-fidelity audio mockups to test intent recognition, response tone, error recovery, and the boundary between voice automation and human escalation in professional settings.
Exploring the Experience
Conversation flow mapping
Designed the branching logic for voice intents, confirmations, disambiguation, and error recovery scenarios.
Visual feedback system
Created the pulse and state feedback indicators showing listening, processing, responding, and ready states.
Privacy control models
Explored push-to-talk, wake-word, and environment-aware activation models for different professional settings.
Configuration portal
Designed the advisor-facing dashboard for customizing AI personality, data access rules, and response behavior.
Testing & publishing pipeline
Built the flow for advisors to test their AI configurations in a sandbox, iterate, and publish to production.
Escalation patterns
Defined the rules and UI for when and how the AI should hand off to a human specialist or supervisor.
The Solution
A multi-modal system where voice commands on mobile sync instantly with the advisor's desktop workstation — backed by a configuration portal that gives advisors control over AI personality, behavior, and escalation rules.
Voice interface
Natural language interaction with visual pulse feedback, confidence indicators, and clear state communication.
Configuration dashboard
Advisor-facing portal for customizing AI personality, data access permissions, response patterns, and behavior rules.
Testing environment
Safe sandbox where advisors can test voice interactions and AI behavior before publishing changes to production.
Multi-modal sync
Real-time synchronization between voice commands on mobile and the advisor's desktop workstation and CRM.
Escalation manager
Rules engine for defining when and how the AI should hand off to a human specialist, with supervisor notification.
Analytics & feedback
Usage patterns, success rates, common intents, and advisor feedback for continuous improvement of the voice experience.
Key Design Decisions
Push-to-talk + wake-word hybrid
Visual pulse feedback
Advisor-controlled configuration
Staged publishing pipeline
Impact
USER IMPACT
Advisors gained hands-free access to client data during meetings, improving their responsiveness and professionalism in client-facing scenarios.
BUSINESS IMPACT
Improved advisor meeting productivity by enabling real-time information retrieval and note capture without breaking the flow of client conversations.
OPERATIONAL IMPACT
Reduced the friction of note-taking and action item capture during client conversations, ensuring follow-ups were captured in the moment.
PRODUCT IMPACT
Established the voice UX framework, configuration portal pattern, and testing pipeline used as the foundation for future AI assistant products.
Reflection
What I learned
Voice in fintech isn't just about convenience — it's about making high-stakes information accessible at the speed of thought, in contexts where screens create friction or break professional rapport.
What I would improve
I would invest more in contextual awareness — the AI should adapt its behavior, response length, and interaction style based on whether the advisor is in a meeting, commuting, or at their desk.
How this shaped my approach
This project taught me that voice UX design is fundamentally interaction design for invisible interfaces. Every state must be communicated, every error must be recoverable, and trust must be earned through transparency — not assumed.
NEXT STORY
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT DASHBOARD & FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE COMMAND CENTER
MyPractice
Designing a centralized dashboard that helps Financial Advisors and support teams monitor practice health, track performance, review money movement, and stay aligned with business goals.
View Story