Janie Sanchez
Hi there, I’m Janie, a design strategist turning complexity into clarity for people, teams, and futures.
Currently designing at Vanguard to help make financial goals feel actionable.
Wondering about the red underline? Ask me about it in computer class.
reach out: hello@janiesanchez.com
Welcome back, Julia
$78,403.00
Value as of:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Last login:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Dashboard
Balances
Holdings
Activity
Performance
Goals
Portfolio watch
Your full goals forecast
1 year
5 years
10 years
Lifetime
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
2055
2060
2065
2M
1.75M
1.25M
1M
600k
300k
0k
💰
Emergency fund reached
Growing at 3.7% interest
✏️
! Off track
Alex’s education target is off track
Align your contributions to meet this goal
⛰️
Retirement fund half-funded
Compound interest projected building up
⛰️
Retirement fund in use
Starting to withdraw funds at 6%
Display:
All goals
⛰️
Retirement
💰
Emergency fund
✏️
Alex’s education fund
The ChallengePeople aspire to lead their finances with confidence, but find financial planning and investing confusing and intimidating.
My RoleAs the product designer, I mapped discovery priorities to guide user towards Vanguard’s investing principles through bite-sized, confidence-building user actions.
As the UX lead on a multidisciplinary team, I shape our product proof-of-concept and launched a pilot on track to exceed $160–426M in annual client value.
march 2024
Understanding Industry + Social Trends
Resources for self-managed portfolios range in clunky → high-risk.
Rise of social trading
Nearly half of consumers (49%) rely on finfluencers for investment advice (BrokerChooser), yet 80% of forex content on TikTok is potentially misleading—undermining long-term financial goals.
Rise of betting markets
Speculative platforms like Polymarket ($9B volume, 314K traders, The Block) are drawing attention.
For every $1 spent on betting, households invest $2 less (KelloggInsight), signaling a shift toward riskier behaviors.
april 2024
Establishing our Competitive Advantage
Vanguard is uniquely positioned to lead with integrated, goal-based experiences.
Everything Vanguard knows about investing, documented:
Vanguards_guide_to_financial_wellness.pdf — 52 pages
Vanguard’s investing resources: dense + comprehensive,
Let’s make them personalized + actionable.
Vanguard experiences: Built on 50 years of trust
1975 | Vanguard launches the world’s 1st index fund, pioneering low-cost investing and diversification for everyday Americans 50 years ago.
2025 | Vanguard’s expertise and client trust run deep, founded in investor ownership built over millions of interactions.
Everything we know about holistic personal finance is well-documented and easily accessed, but it’s in 52-page PDF.
April–June 2024
Discovery strategy
- What gaps exist between how people should invest and how they actually do?
- How can we design systems that bridge that gap—intuitively, confidently, and at scale?
Investmentprinciples
Userbehavior
Participants drew their past and future savings and financial planning timelines, which revealed that financial decisions are often tied to pivotal life events.
User discovery methods
- 2 two-week diary studies (+ design missions)
- 24 user interviews
- Many feedback surveys
- 65 unmoderated tests
- 120+ days of quantitative engagement analysis
June–July 2024
User insights → features
Users’ financial mental models largely mirror Vanguard’s philosophy, but lack clarity around key areas. Our team ideated around specific synthesis areas.
“What if we sold our house? What would we do with the money? I haven't really seen a kind of a cascading scenario tool, and I would appreciate that.”
—Kristen, 29
Experience theme
Bite-sized”Help me withincremental steps”
Directional”Help me choosewhat to invest in”
Exploratory”What happens if I contribute $20 more monthly?”
Future-proof”How do I stay on track?”
→
August 2024
Defining our pilot audience: early accumulators
Users who are just getting started investing value a simpler way to build growth, making them an ideal fit for our early pilot.
DEcember 2024
Establishing our product vision
Early concept definition focuses on a full and comprehensive goal-planning and tracking experience.
“Help me understand the nitty gritty.Tell me everything about my retirement goal.”
Personal investors
Support
1
Log off
My dashboard
Portfolio
Transact
Products & services
Resources & education
Contribute to a 529
Welcome back, Julia
$78,403.00
Value as of:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Last login:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Dashboard
Balances
Holdings
Activity
Performance
Goals
Portfolio watch
All Goals
Your full goals forecast
You’re projected to have $12,500 monthly in retirement.
That’s about $1,200 more than you may need. That could mean earlier retirement or more travel.
2020
2030
2040
2050
2060
2065
2070
2M
1.75M
1.25M
1M
600k
300k
0k
⛰️
Retirement fund half funded
Compound interest projected building up
⛰️
Retirement fund in use
Starting to withdraw funds ($11,300/mo)
Retirement contributions
$403,554.00
Target: $1,750,000
Funding: $1,600 monthly
✓ on track
Accounts:
- Roth IRA (4021) — $73,000.00
- Employer 401k (6395) — $205,534.00
- Brokerage (2052) — $25,020.00
Edit goal
Retirement diversification
! off track
Less
diversified
Asset mix
! off track
Global stock exposure
✓ on track
Single-stock concentration
✓ on track
Review your mix of investments
Based on your targets, your investment allocation could be more optimized.
Review portfolio →
Your action plan
Set up your retirement goal
- Diversify your portfolio
Your portfolio does not reflect your current risk profile: 90% stocks, 10% bonds.
Review your mix of investments
Based on your targets, your investment allocation could be more optimized.
Review portfolio analysis →
- Contribute to your plan
There are some optimization actions you could take.
Set up automatic contributions
Set up your account to automatically make contributions and keep your goal on track.
Set up contributions →
4 more actions
Your activity
June 12, 2025
You hit a 12-month contribution streak! Nice work.
April 12, 2025
You increased your contributions by $250.
April 12, 2025
You made your first transfer.
8 more actions
Action list
Mitigate decision paralysis.
Numerical projection
Give a tangible ballpark of retirement cashflow.
Milestone projection
Make goals feel closer and more achievable.
Contribution status
List contribution and goal details.
Activity log
Celebrate momentum.
“Help me understand the full picture. Tell me about all my goals together.”
January–April 2025
Pilot + Learning
Yes!
We saw increased confidence and clarity in decision-making, validating our hypothesis around perceived value in scenario modeling and behavioral nudges.
But, let’s make it better.
Users continue to disengage with a goals experience if it feelstoo complex or time-intensive without a clear perceived benefit.
↑ Simple, default inputs
Early tests validated that users appreciate and will accept defaults, but they see the experience as more personalized, and thus more valuable, if the defaults are editable within the page.
Balancing relevance and customization against cognitive load and perceived effort continues to be a focus in iterations.
Ongoing concept testing has provided directional validation of 1-page customization improving perceived value.
↗ Editable inputs
Balancing relevance and customization against cognitive load and perceived effort continues to be a focus in iterations.
Ongoing concept testing has provided directional validation of 1-page customization improving perceived value.
Goal setup
35%
✓About you
Portfolio income
Other
Projected gap
You may have $1,700/mo in retirement at age 65*
↑ Goal setup usability and concepting enhancements
Our team has ideated various ways to enhance the goal-setting experience and scenario play while creating a goal. We’ll test these concepts to help us define the elements that best improve ease, comprehension, perceived value, and action readiness.
June–July 2025
Next: Enhancements + Scale
We’ll continue to improve the user flow, scale impact, and sharpen differentiation to best align the product evolution to long-term strategic goals.
Janie Sanchez
About
Hi there, I’m Janie, a design strategist turning complexity into clarity for people, teams, and futures.
Currently designing at Vanguard to help make financial goals feel actionable.
Wondering about the red underline? Ask me about it in computer class.
reach out: hello@janiesanchez.com
Hi there, I’m Janie, a design strategist turning complexity into clarity for people, teams, and futures.
Currently designing at Vanguard to help make financial goals feel actionable.
Wondering about the red underline? Ask me about it in computer class.
reach out: hello@janiesanchez.com
Welcome back, Julia
$78,403.00
Value as of:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Last login:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Dashboard
Balances
Holdings
Activity
Performance
Goals
Portfolio watch
Your full goals forecast
1 year
5 years
10 years
Lifetime
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
2055
2060
2065
2M
1.75M
1.25M
1M
600k
300k
0k
💰
Emergency fund reached
Growing at 3.7% interest
✏️
! Off track
Alex’s education target is off track
Align your contributions to meet this goal
⛰️
Retirement fund half-funded
Compound interest projected building up
⛰️
Retirement fund in use
Starting to withdraw funds at 6%
Display:
All goals
⛰️
Retirement
💰
Emergency fund
✏️
Alex’s education fund
The ChallengePeople aspire to lead their finances with confidence, but find financial planning and investing confusing and intimidating.
My RoleAs the product designer, I mapped discovery priorities to guide user towards Vanguard’s investing principles through bite-sized, confidence-building user actions.
As the UX lead on a multidisciplinary team, I shape our product proof-of-concept and launched a pilot on track to exceed $160–426M in annual client value.
march 2024
Understanding Industry + Social Trends
Resources for self-managed portfolios range in clunky → high-risk.
april 2024
Establishing our Competitive Advantage
Vanguard is uniquely positioned to lead with integrated, goal-based experiences.
Vanguard experiences: Built on 50 years of trust
1975 | Vanguard launches the world’s 1st index fund, pioneering low-cost investing and diversification for everyday Americans 50 years ago.
2025 | Vanguard’s expertise and client trust run deep, founded in investor ownership built over millions of interactions.
Everything we know about holistic personal finance is well-documented and easily accessed, but it’s in 52-page PDF.
Everything Vanguard knows about investing, documented:
Vanguards_guide_to_financial_wellness.pdf — 52 pages
Vanguard’s investing resources: dense + comprehensive,
Let’s make them personalized + actionable.
April–June 2024
Discovery strategy
- What gaps exist between how people should invest and how they actually do?
- How can we design systems that bridge that gap—intuitively, confidently, and at scale?
Methodologyinvestment principles
Userbehavior
Participants drew their past and future savings and financial planning timelines, which revealed that financial decisions are often tied to pivotal life events.
User discovery methods
- 2 two-week diary studies (+ design missions)
- 24 user interviews
- Many feedback surveys
- 65 unmoderated tests
- 120+ days of quantitative engagement analysis
June–July 2024
User insights → features
Users’ financial mental models largely mirror Vanguard’s philosophy, but lack clarity around key areas. Our team ideated around specific synthesis areas.
“What if we sold our house? What would we do with the money? I haven't really seen a kind of a cascading scenario tool, and I would appreciate that.”
—Kristen, 29
Key user needs
Bite-sized”Help me with incrementalsteps, not everything at once”
Informative + directional”Help me choosewhat to invest in”
Exploratory”What happens when Icontribute $20 more?”
Implementable + future-proof”How do I stay on track?”
→
August 2024
Defining our pilot audience: early accumulators
Users who are just getting started investing value a simpler way to build growth, making them an ideal fit for our early pilot.
DEcember 2024
Establishing our product vision
Early concept definition focuses on a full and comprehensive goal-planning and tracking experience.
“Help me understand the nitty gritty.
Tell me everything about my retirement goal.”
Personal investors
Support
1
Log off
My dashboard
Portfolio
Transact
Products & services
Resources & education
Welcome back, Julia
$78,403.00
Value as of:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Last login:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Dashboard
Balances
Holdings
Activity
Performance
Goals
Portfolio watch
All Goals
Your full goals forecast
You’re projected to have $12,500 monthly in retirement.
That’s about $1,200 more than you may need. That could mean earlier retirement or more travel.
2020
2030
2040
2050
2060
2065
2070
2M
1.75M
1.25M
1M
600k
300k
0k
⛰️
Retirement fund half funded
Compound interest projected building up
⛰️
Retirement fund in use
Starting to withdraw funds ($11,300/mo)
Retirement contributions
$403,554.00
Target: $1,750,000
Funding: $1,600 monthly
✓ on track
Accounts:
- Roth IRA (4021) — $73,000.00
- Employer 401k (6395) — $205,534.00
- Brokerage (2052) — $25,020.00
Edit goal
Retirement diversification
! off track
Less
diversified
Asset mix
! off track
Global stock exposure
✓ on track
Single-stock concentration
✓ on track
Review your mix of investments
Based on your targets, your investment allocation could be more optimized.
Review portfolio ->
Your action plan
Set up your retirement goal
- Diversify your portfolio
Your portfolio does not reflect your current risk profile: 90% stocks, 10% bonds.
Review your mix of investments
Based on your targets, your investment allocation could be more optimized.
Review portfolio analysis →
- Contribute to your plan
There are some optimization actions you could take.
Set up automatic contributions
Set up your account to automatically make contributions and keep your goal on track.
Set up contributions →
4 more actions
Your activity
June 12, 2025
You hit a 12-month contribution streak! Nice work.
April 12, 2025
You increased your contributions by $250.
April 12, 2025
You made your first transfer.
8 more actions
Action list
Mitigate decision paralysis.
Diversification status
Signals the need to rebalance portfolio.
Numerical projection
Give a tangible ballpark of retirement cashflow and milestone timeline.
Contribution status
List contribution and goal details.
Activity log
Celebrate momentum.
“Help me understand the full picture.
Tell me about all my goals together.”
January–April 2025
Pilot + Learning
Yes!
We saw increased confidence and clarity in decision-making, validating our hypothesis around perceived value in scenario modeling and behavioral nudges.
But, let’s make it better.
Users continue to disengage with a goals experience if it feelstoo complex or time-intensive without a clear perceived benefit.
↑ Simple, default inputs
Early tests validated that users appreciate and will accept defaults, but they see the experience as more personalized, and thus more valuable, if the defaults are editable within the page.
↗ Editable inputs
Balancing relevance and customization against cognitive load and perceived effort continues to be a focus in iterations.
Ongoing concept testing has provided directional validation of 1-page customization improving perceived value.
Goal setup
35%
✓About you
Portfolio income
Other
Projected gap
You may have $1,700/mo in retirement at age 65*
June–July 2025
Next: Enhancements + Scale
We’ll continue to improve the user flow, scale impact, and sharpen differentiation to best align the product evolution to long-term strategic goals.
Janie Sanchez
About
Hi there, I’m Janie, a design strategist turning complexity into clarity for people, teams, and futures.
Currently designing at Vanguard to help make financial goals feel actionable.
Wondering about the red underline? Ask me about it in computer class.
reach out: hello@janiesanchez.com
Hi there, I’m Janie, a design strategist turning complexity into clarity for people, teams, and futures.
Currently designing at Vanguard to help make financial goals feel actionable.
Wondering about the red underline? Ask me about it in computer class.
reach out: hello@janiesanchez.com
Personal investors
Support
1
Log off
My dashboard
Portfolio
Transact
Products & services
Resources & education
Contribute to a 529
Welcome back, Julia
$78,403.00
Value as of:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Last login:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Dashboard
Balances
Holdings
Activity
Performance
Goals
Portfolio watch
Your full goals forecast
1 year
5 years
10 years
Lifetime
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
2055
2060
2065
2M
1.75M
1.25M
1M
600k
300k
0k
💰
Emergency fund reached
Growing at 3.7% interest
✏️
! Off track
Alex’s education target is off track
Align your contributions to meet this goal
⛰️
Retirement fund half-funded
Compound interest projected building up
⛰️
Retirement fund in use
Starting to withdraw funds at 6%
Display:
All goals
⛰️
Retirement
💰
Emergency fund
✏️
Alex’s education fund
🏡
Mortgage payoff
The ChallengePeople aspire to lead their finances with confidence, but find financial planning and investing confusing and intimidating.
My RoleAs the product designer, I mapped discovery priorities to guide user towards Vanguard’s investing principles through bite-sized, confidence-building user actions.
As the UX lead on a multidisciplinary team, I shape our product proof-of-concept and launched a pilot on track to exceed $160–426M in annual client value.
march 2024
Understanding Industry + Social Trends
Resources for self-managed portfolios range in clunky → high-risk.
april 2024
Establishing our Competitive Advantage
Vanguard is uniquely positioned to lead with integrated, goal-based experiences.
Vanguard experiences: Built on 50 years of trust
1975 | Vanguard launches the world’s 1st index fund, pioneering low-cost investing and diversification for everyday Americans 50 years ago.
2025 | Vanguard’s expertise and client trust run deep, founded in investor ownership built over millions of interactions.
Everything we know about holistic personal finance is well-documented and easily accessed, but it’s in 52-page PDF.
Everything Vanguard knows about investing, documented:
Vanguards_guide_to_financial_wellness.pdf — 52 pages
Vanguard’s investing resources: dense + comprehensive,
Let’s make them personalized + actionable.
April–June 2024
Discovery strategy
- What gaps exist between how people should invest and how they actually do?
- How can we design systems that bridge that gap—intuitively, confidently, and at scale?
Methodologyinvestment principles
Userbehavior
Participants drew their past and future savings and financial planning timelines, which revealed that financial decisions are often tied to pivotal life events.
User discovery methods
- 2 two-week diary studies (+ design missions)
- 24 user interviews
- Many feedback surveys
- 65 unmoderated tests
- 120+ days of quantitative engagement analysis
June–July 2024
User insights → features
Users’ financial mental models largely mirror Vanguard’s philosophy, but lack clarity around key areas. Our team ideated around specific synthesis areas.
“What if we sold our house? What would we do with the money? I haven't really seen a kind of a cascading scenario tool, and I would appreciate that.”
—Kristen, 29
Experience theme
Bite-sized”Help me with incremental steps, not everything at once”
Informative + directional”Help me choosewhat to invest in”
Exploratory”What happens if I contribute $20 more monthly?”
Implementable + future-proof”How do I stay on track?”
→
August 2024
Defining our pilot audience: early accumulators
Users who are just getting started investing value a simpler way to build growth, making them an ideal fit for our early pilot.
DEcember 2024
Establishing our product vision
Early concept definition focuses on a full and comprehensive goal-planning and tracking experience.
“Help me understand the nitty gritty.
Tell me everything about my retirement goal.”
Personal investors
Support
1
Log off
My dashboard
Portfolio
Transact
Products & services
Resources & education
Contribute to a 529
Welcome back, Julia
$78,403.00
Value as of:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Last login:
June 30, 2025, 11:40 a.m., Eastern time
Dashboard
Balances
Holdings
Activity
Performance
Goals
Portfolio watch
All Goals
Your full goals forecast
You’re projected to have $12,500 monthly in retirement.
That’s about $1,200 more than you may need. That could mean earlier retirement or more travel.
2020
2030
2040
2050
2060
2065
2070
2M
1.75M
1.25M
1M
600k
300k
0k
⛰️
Retirement fund half funded
Compound interest projected building up
⛰️
Retirement fund in use
Starting to withdraw funds ($11,300/mo)
Retirement contributions
$403,554.00
Target: $1,750,000
Funding: $1,600 monthly
✓ on track
Accounts:
- Roth IRA (4021) — $73,000.00
- Employer 401k (6395) — $205,534.00
- Brokerage (2052) — $25,020.00
Edit goal
Retirement diversification
! off track
Less
diversified
Asset mix
! off track
Global stock exposure
✓ on track
Single-stock concentration
✓ on track
Review your mix of investments
Based on your targets, your investment allocation could be more optimized.
Review portfolio →
Your action plan
Set up your retirement goal
- Diversify your portfolio
Your portfolio does not reflect your current risk profile: 90% stocks, 10% bonds.
Review your mix of investments
Based on your targets, your investment allocation could be more optimized.
Review portfolio analysis →
- Contribute to your plan
There are some optimization actions you could take.
Set up automatic contributions
Set up your account to automatically make contributions and keep your goal on track.
Set up contributions →
4 more actions
Your activity
June 12, 2025
You hit a 12-month contribution streak! Nice work.
April 12, 2025
You increased your contributions by $250.
April 12, 2025
You made your first transfer.
8 more actions
Action list
Mitigate decision paralysis.
Diversification status
Signals the need to rebalance portfolio.
Numerical projection
Give a tangible ballpark of retirement cashflow
Milestone projection
Make goals feel closer and more achievable.
Contribution status
List contribution and goal details.
Activity log
Celebrate momentum.
“Help me understand the full picture.
Tell me about all my goals together.”
January–April 2025
Pilot + Learning
Yes!
We saw increased confidence and clarity in decision-making, validating our hypothesis around perceived value in scenario modeling and behavioral nudges.
But, let’s make it better.
Users continue to disengage with a goals experience if it feelstoo complex or time-intensive without a clear perceived benefit.
↑ Simple, default inputs
Early tests validated that users appreciate and will accept defaults, but they see the experience as more personalized, and thus more valuable, if the defaults are editable within the page.
↗ Editable inputs
Balancing relevance and customization against cognitive load and perceived effort continues to be a focus in iterations.
Ongoing concept testing has provided directional validation of 1-page customization improving perceived value.
Goal setup
35%
✓About you
Portfolio income
Other
Projected gap
You may have $1,700/mo in retirement at age 65*
June–July 2025
Next: Enhancements + Scale
We’ll continue to improve the user flow, scale impact, and sharpen differentiation to best align the product evolution to long-term strategic goals.