Messages
Creating a secure yet powerful way for in-app communication
2 months
July 2026
Addepar's Client Portal had no compliant way for advisors and clients to talk directly — most firms relied on insecure personal email, text, or phone. I led design end-to-end, supported by another designer, partnering with a PM, and three engineers to scope and ship a secure messaging MVP under a hard client deadline.
initial pROBLEM
Firms needed a way to communicate to their clients in a secure and referential way, while giving clients a centralized place to view their data.
research
We ran research across 8 firms in the target market, split into two tracks: communication patterns (4 firms) and permission-model needs (4 firms). Overall the sentiment was neutral yet curious, as most relied on other communication channels.
timeline
One strategic enterprise client needed proof on an aggressive timeline — roughly two quarters from scoping to MVP launch.
solution
My solution hinges on:
A universal, transient modal reachable from anywhere in the product and capable of allowing multitasking with their existing workflows
Segmenting conversations through a robust and scalable fitlering system
A balance of broad portfolio access with granular controls per user and role
Integrating with notifications to provide a secure yet alert user experience
future state
For the end client, the intersection between an AI agent and their advisor team is where I'm taking this feature. One place for clients to ask their questions, invoke a LLM, and still give full visibility to their advisors.
Messages
Creating a secure yet powerful way for in-app communication
2 months
July 2026
Addepar's Client Portal had no compliant way for advisors and clients to talk directly — most firms relied on insecure personal email, text, or phone. I led design end-to-end, supported by another designer, partnering with a PM, and three engineers to scope and ship a secure messaging MVP under a hard client deadline.
initial pROBLEM
Firms needed a way to communicate to their clients in a secure and referential way, while giving clients a centralized place to view their data.
research
We ran research across 8 firms in the target market, split into two tracks: communication patterns (4 firms) and permission-model needs (4 firms). Overall the sentiment was neutral yet curious, as most relied on other communication channels.
pROBLEM reframe
Addepar isn’t connoting the performant and premium feel financial advisors are used to.
How do we balance performance and premium while still maintaining the ease of use Addepar is known for?
timeline
One strategic enterprise client needed proof on an aggressive timeline — roughly two quarters from scoping to MVP launch.
solution
A universal, transient modal reachable from anywhere in the product and capable of allowing multitasking with their existing workflows
Segmenting conversations through a robust and scalable fitlering system
A balance of broad portfolio access with granular controls per user and role
Integrating with notifications to provide a secure yet alert user experience
Messages
Creating a secure yet powerful way for in-app communication
2 months
July 2026
Addepar's Client Portal had no compliant way for advisors and clients to talk directly — most firms relied on insecure personal email, text, or phone. I led design end-to-end, supported by another designer, partnering with a PM, and three engineers to scope and ship a secure messaging MVP under a hard client deadline.
initial pROBLEM
Firms needed a way to communicate to their clients in a secure and referential way, while giving clients a centralized place to view their data.
research
We ran research across 8 firms in the target market, split into two tracks: communication patterns (4 firms) and permission-model needs (4 firms). Overall the sentiment was neutral yet curious, as most relied on other communication channels.
timeline
One strategic enterprise client needed proof on an aggressive timeline — roughly two quarters from scoping to MVP launch.
solution
My concept hinges:
A universal, transient modal reachable from anywhere in the product and capable of allowing multitasking with their existing workflows
Segmenting conversations through a robust and scalable fitlering system
A balance of broad portfolio access with granular controls per user and role
Integrating with notifications to provide a secure yet alert user experience