There’s nothing more expensive than building something nobody needs. And in financial services—where complexity is high, trust is fragile, and teams often move fast—it’s dangerously easy to ship experiences that look polished, but don’t actually move the needle. That’s why purposeful prototyping isn’t just a UX best practice. It’s a strategic tool. Done right, prototyping …

If you’ve ever sat in a strategy meeting debating whether to go all-in on TikTok, launch another email flow, or test a new OOH concept, you’ve likely run into the same issue: too many options, not enough clarity. That’s where a solid persona strategy changes the game. A well-built persona is a strategic tool that …

“Data that says something ‘works’ is only valid under the exact circumstances in which it was tested. Which means you’ve optimized yourself into a pinhole view of what you think works.” I remember my partner, Shannon Stevens, saying this to a Client and it stopping them in their tracks. Shannon was completely right – in …

Let’s be honest: the way most financial brands handle digital applications still feels like it’s built for 2005. You know the drill—long forms, irrelevant fields, weird questions too early in the process, and the dreaded “submission error” screen that sends your potential customer straight to a competitor. Here’s the truth: Your onboarding experience isn’t a …

If your customer walks away from your marketing more confused than when they started, you don’t have a messaging problem—you have a trust problem. Financial services is already complex. If your communications, product flows, or onboarding experiences don’t simplify that reality, you’re not empowering people—you’re overwhelming them. And overwhelmed people don’t buy. They bail. Confidence …

When was the last time a financial product’s marketing actually helped you? Not just worked. Not just “converted” you to a customer. But made you feel understood, or more confident. If you’re drawing a blank, you’re not alone. Despite being one of the most trust-dependent industries on the planet, financial services often forget the most …

In an age where inboxes are overflowing and banner blindness is real, physical mail remains one of marketing’s most surprising secret weapons. Especially in financial services, where trust and clarity matter more than ever. Why? Because direct mail doesn’t just arrive. It lingers. According to JICMAIL data direct mail stays in the home for an average …

Stop guessing. Start leading. In a commoditized market, the most dangerous thing you can do is assume you already know what your audience needs. At Shiny, we see this constantly: financial brands making decisions based on stale assumptions, legacy data, or internal echo chambers. And it’s not because the teams aren’t smart — it’s because …

When you design direct mail on a screen, you only think you know what you’re getting.Fonts look bigger. Colors pop harder. White space feels luxurious. Then you print it, fold it, and hold it in your hand. And suddenly, the flaws jump out. At Shiny, we prototype our direct mail concepts the old-fashioned way throughout …

Here’s the truth about the process of creating digital experiences: you can’t see all the pitfalls in the design file. Worse, too often they’re found much later when real people use your site or app — and when fixing them is a lot more expensive. The truth is, great design can be filled with UX …