CoreAdvance:

Designing a Unified Core Banking Platform

TL;DR
As Lead UX/Product Designer for CoreAdvance, I helped define the experience strategy for Fiserv’s next-generation core banking platform, unifying three legacy systems into a single modern solution. Through user research, advisory-panel collaboration, and scalable information architecture, we streamlined fragmented workflows into a cohesive platform supporting AI integration, real-time transactions, CRM, and document management. Early releases drove a 12% increase in product orders within 10 days, validating the value of a user-centered, iterative approach to enterprise modernization.

Overview

CoreAdvance is the newest offering in Fiserv’s Bank Solutions portfolio, an initiative to modernize and unify three of Fiserv’s most widely used core banking platforms into a single, next-generation system.

The goal was ambitious: replace fragmented workflows and legacy systems with a single, modern core platform delivering consistent experiences, real-time capabilities, and scalable innovation for financial institutions.

As Lead UX/Product Designer, I helped define the user experience vision, information architecture, and design strategy guiding the platform’s evolution.

Duration: Ongoing

My Role

Lead UX / Product Designer

I led UX direction across the initiative, responsible for:

  • Driving UX strategy and experience roadmap

  • Defining information architecture for the unified platform

  • Guiding and mentoring designers across workstreams

  • Facilitating research and client feedback loops

  • Partnering with product managers and engineering leadership

  • Creating early concepts, sketches, wireframes, and prototypes

  • Advocating for user-centered decision-making at organizational scale

The Challenge

Historically, banks using Fiserv cores relied on multiple disconnected tools outside their core platform to manage customers, documents, and workflows.

This fragmentation created:

  • Data silos across systems

  • Manual and redundant processes

  • Increased operational errors

  • Slow customer service workflows

  • Inconsistent user experiences

Problem Statement

To manage customers and accounts effectively, bank employees were forced to rely on disjointed tools and manual processes outside their core system, resulting in inefficiency, reduced productivity, and difficulty delivering timely, personalized service.

Vision

Fiserv’s strategy was to lead with a single core platform — combining the functionality of three legacy systems while introducing modern capabilities such as:

  • Real-time transactions

  • Embedded account opening

  • CRM workflows

  • Document management

  • AI-assisted interactions

The challenge was not just consolidation, but designing a cohesive experience from historically different products and mental models.

Research & Discovery

We began with extensive user research across banks using each of the three legacy cores.

Research Activities

  • On-site user interviews and observational studies

  • Workflow and task analysis

  • Comparative and competitive analysis

  • Persona creation based on roles and responsibilities

We uncovered deep insights into:

  • Daily workflows and “jobs to be done”

  • Pain points caused by switching systems

  • Opportunities to reduce cognitive and operational friction

Personas

Continuous Research Model

To maintain ongoing feedback, we established a Client Advisory Panel:

  • 78 members

  • 55 banks represented

  • Bi-monthly design reviews

This panel became a critical validation mechanism, allowing rapid iteration and strong client partnership throughout development.

Design Strategy

My guiding principle for CoreAdvance:

Unify workflows, not just features.

Rather than merging interfaces, we focused on:

  • Shared mental models

  • Consistent navigation patterns

  • Priority-based information architecture

  • Scalable design foundations

Key Experience Innovations

1. Task Tile (CRM Integration)

Users prioritized task visibility as a top need.

We introduced a Task Tile on the homepage for quick access to actionable work.

Iteration Insight:
Advisory Panel feedback revealed users needed deeper task visibility, including:

  • Task ID

  • Task type

  • Business name fields

In response, we redesigned the component into an expandable tile, allowing detailed interaction without leaving context.

Homepage with the task tile.

2. Documents Experience

Legacy workflows required faxing, printing, or mailing documents.

We introduced a Documents Tile enabling:

  • eSignature workflows

  • Secure document delivery

  • Integrated processing via DocuSign partnership

Future phases extend document actions directly into customer and account workflows.

Homepage with the documents tile.

Expanded, full page task tile

Creating a new task.

3. Embedded Account Opening

We are designing an integrated account opening experience targeting:

5-minute completion time
(previously ~40 minutes)

This initiative reduces friction for both employees and customers while modernizing onboarding workflows.

Lo-Fi Wireframes

Some of the current account opening screens

Collaboration & Delivery

The project operated in close partnership across disciplines:

  • Product management

  • Engineering leadership

  • Business analysts

  • Research teams

  • Client stakeholders

I facilitated alignment by:

  • Advocating for user-centered priorities

  • Translating research insights into actionable design direction

  • Guiding designers toward consistent patterns and scalable solutions

Impact (So Far)

Early results demonstrate strong market and client response:

  • 12% increase in CoreAdvance orders within 10 days following Advisory Panel demos

  • Highly positive client feedback on:

    • Modern look and feel

    • Integrated workflows

    • Iterative, feedback-driven design approach

Executives cited UX innovation and advisory collaboration as key drivers of adoption momentum.

What’s Next

CoreAdvance continues to evolve with upcoming initiatives:

  • In addition to executing an AI chatbot, we are introducing a cross-platform search with AI integration (cmd/ctrl+k). Users seem hesitant to use AI, so we are implementing an AI-only client panel to gain more detailed knowledge on current use of AI, to accelerate alignment, surface guardrails, and build client confidence.

  • Expanded Task and Document workflows

  • Administrative task management and user (employee) management flows

  • Continued platform-wide UX standardization

Leadership Reflection

As Lead Designer, this project required shifting from designing features to designing systems and alignment.

Key learnings included:

  • Large-scale transformation depends on continuous user partnership

  • Enterprise modernization requires redefining workflows, not interfaces

  • Design leadership means enabling teams and guiding decisions, not owning every screen

CoreAdvance establishes a long-term foundation for scalable innovation across Fiserv’s banking ecosystem.