FABRIC
Concept-testing a new member support system for a FinTech startup for small business owners during organizational change
Change Management
Concept Testing
A Series A fintech platform serving self-employed professionals and small businesses needed to transition from an email-based support system to an in-app messaging center powered by Zendesk. Member growth had outpaced their customer service model, and leadership needed a change management strategy to minimize churn risk during the rollout.
The Challenge
Core Questions
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My Approach
I conducted 10 remote 60-minute sessions combining structured interviews with concept testing. The first half explored current support habits, Member Relationship Manager (MRM) relationships, and pain points. Then I tested a clickable Figma prototype showing three levels of support escalation, asking participants to rate likelihood of adoption at each level using a 5-point scale.
I closed each session with three real-world pressure test scenarios — like discovering a tax return mistake right before the filing deadline — to validate whether the escalation framework matched how users would naturally navigate the system.
Key Insight: The Trust Gap
High-utilization members posed the greatest churn risk — not because of the product change itself, but because of a gap in trust. Both the old and new systems felt like a "black box" where customers never knew who would respond to their request.
"I want to ask a question and know Dan's answering, but if he has no recognition of previous conversations... If I have to re-explain myself, that's gonna piss me off."
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Key Findings
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Impact and Milestones
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Behind-the-Scenes
Stakeholder interviews surfaced tension between cross-functional teams. Mid-project, the company announced layoffs impacting the design org.
Rather than funneling findings only to the hiring director, I published insights and updates to a shared Slack channel accessible to all stakeholders — including the CEO.
In a politically charged environment, keeping the research neutral and accessible was the only way to preserve its value and encourage teams to act on the insights.
Let's Work Together
Available for full-time and fractional contract engagements. If your team is struggling to navigate complexity, let's talk.