CASE STUDY
JAPANESE INVESTOR WEBSITES
Reimagining Japanese
Investors Trust: An Evolution That Cut Costs 40% While Driving Growth
Duration
14 weeks
T. Rowe Price was undergoing a global overhaul of their web experiences, including transitioning the APAC region (Japan, China, and Australia) websites to their global AEM platform with T. Rowe's design system. I led a diverse team in redesigning three Japanese microsites and a larger APAC website.
The primary goals were to ensure a consistent experience, transition to the global platform, and reduce costs by eliminating reliance on local partners.
Team Size
6
Roles
Product Design Lead, Product Designer
PROJECT SUMMARY
Type
1 → N
Tools
Figma, Miro
increase in
CSAT
RESULTS
40%
12.5%
increase in key
task success
PROJECT PROCESSDESIGN THINKING
The team conducted targeted interviews across APAC markets, focusing on the unique needs of each region. We used a translator and conducted user interviews through Zoom.
Internal content managers shared their daily struggles with the fragmented system, highlighting inefficiencies in publishing and updates. Local market teams in Japan provided insights into market-specific requirements and cultural considerations.
1.2 Create Hypotheses
The team hypothesized that moving the Japanese investor websites to the global AEM platform would create significant cost savings through vendor consolidation.
They believed a unified design system could maintain brand consistency while still accommodating local market needs.
Another key hypothesis suggested that centralizing content management would improve efficiency without compromising local relevance.
01
Discover: Research
and gather insights
1.1 User Research & Interviews
1.3 Market Analysis & Trends
Our research revealed the growing importance of T. Rowe Price’s digital presence in APAC's investment sector.
Each market showed distinct digital consumption patterns, particularly in Japan's mobile-first approach. Regulatory requirements varied significantly across markets, requiring flexible implementation strategies.
1.4 Stakeholder Mapping
Global digital teams emerged as primary stakeholders, driving the overall transformation strategy. Local market teams were identified as crucial partners in maintaining regional effectiveness. Regional compliance teams needed early involvement to ensure regulatory alignment.
Current vendors and technology partners required careful consideration in the transition planning.
1.5 Competitive Analysis
The team analyzed how other global investment firms managed their APAC digital presence. We analyzed competitors' approaches to balancing global consistency with local market needs.
02
Define: Focus on specific problem areas
2.1 Synthesize Findings & Insights
Analysis of the discovery data revealed operational inefficiencies stemming from the fragmented digital ecosystem across APAC markets. The reliance on multiple local vendors was identified as a key cost driver, contributing to inconsistent brand experiences and complex content management processes.
The synthesis highlighted a critical need for balance between global standardization and local Japanese market relevance. Teams across APAC expressed a strong desire for more efficient content management tools while maintaining their ability to serve market-specific needs.
2.2 Create User Personas
Personas included several types of Japanese individual investors who wanted to find fund information, which they would then go to an intermediary advisor to purchase. (Japanese regulations). We found that investors would use T. Rowe Price’s site to learn about funds, and then once owned, they would use the site to get market updates.
We had 4 key personas.
2.3 Define Problem Statements
The current multi-vendor approach increases operational costs by 40% compared to T. Rowe’s global benchmarks, while creating unnecessary complexity in content management and brand consistency.
Local market teams spend excessive time coordinating between global and local systems, leading to delayed market responses and increased risk of brand inconsistency. The lack of a unified platform hinders efficient content deployment and creates unnecessary redundancies.
2.4 Set Project Objectives
The primary objective of the project was to transform T. Rowe Price's Japanese individual investor websites to achieve a 40% reduction in operational costs while driving market growth.
This would be accomplished through three key focus areas: cost reduction through streamlined processes and automation, growth enhancement via improved digital channels and expanded product offerings, and operational modernization through updated systems and technology.
03
Develop: Create
potential solutions
3.1 Ideate & Brainstorm Solutions
The team organized a cross-functional brainstorming workshop, combining global digital experts with local market representatives. These sessions explored various approaches to platform migration, focusing on maintaining business continuity while transitioning to the global AEM system.
3.2 Create Concepts & Sketches
Initial concepts focused on adapting T. Rowe's global design system for APAC markets, with special consideration for Japanese typography and content structures. Sketches explored different approaches to content modularity that would allow for market-specific customization within the global framework.
The team developed layout concepts that could accommodate varying content lengths across languages while maintaining visual consistency. Navigation patterns were sketched to balance global standards with local user expectations, particularly for the Japanese microsites.
3.3 Build Prototypes & Wireframes
High-fidelity wireframes were developed for key user journeys across the APAC websites, for both web and mobile, with particular attention to content management workflows. Interactive prototypes demonstrated how the new unified system would handle multi-language content deployment and regional variations.
3.4 Design Multiple Variations
Using T. Rowe’s global design system, we created both web and mobile design mockups for the primary Japanese investment website and fund microsites. The designs were focused on updating content and using the global design system components when applicable.
The team created multiple design variations for key page templates, testing different approaches to handling local market customizations. These variations explored different methods for implementing the global design system while maintaining flexibility for local market needs.
04
Deliver: Select and implement final solution
4.1 Test & Validate Solutions
The team conducted extensive usability testing of the Japanese websites, with particular focus on content workflow efficiency. Local teams in Japan participated in validation sessions.
4.2 Refine Final Designs
Based on validation results, the team refined the websites to better support local market nuances. Specific improvements included enhanced Japanese character support and streamlined approval workflows for rapid market updates.
The global design system implementation was fine-tuned to better accommodate regional variations while maintaining brand consistency. Refinements focused on optimizing page load times and improving the efficiency of multi-language content deployment.
ContactMe
bbulman@gmail.com
(847) 951-8938