content that clicks
Turning scattered provider content into a strategic, engaging destination for Ally Lending.
designed at.
Ally Financial Lending
focus.
B2B, B2C
role.
Designer, Content Author
Ally Lending needed a centralized destination to house their B2B content—targeting Healthcare (HC) and Home Improvement (HI) provider prospects. While the primary goal was to support providers in exploring industry insights and evaluating Ally as a financing partner, some of the HI content leaned more toward B2C messaging, adding complexity to the strategy
objectives
Create a single destination for B2B provider focused and B2C consumer focused article
Help prospects explore relevant industry insights and trends
Support engagement without requiring users to immediately complete a lead form
Drive consideration through helpful content as part o the buyer journey
Ensure clarity and relevance in content presentation, even when messaging leaned B2C
design constraints
Limited to ADOBE EXPERIENCE MANAGER (AEM) COMPONENTS
Needed to accommodate FREQUENT CONTENT UPDATES
Required EASY BROWSING across multiple verticals
Styling had to align with built
IN-PROGRESS DESIGN SYSTEM UPDATES
Designed for the
"KNOWN-UNKNOWN" -- content formats expected to evolve over time
research + discovery
We began with stakeholder interviews to uncover marketing goals, content priorities, and key challenges. A content audit of 25+ existing articles helped identify structural gaps and inconsistencies in editorial tone. To guide the user experience, we explored common behaviors of B2B buyers—particularly those in the early stages of their decision-making journey. Design critiques and collaborative whiteboarding sessions helped us explore layout directions and define how filtering could enhance content discoverability.
the team
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION
To deliver a content experience that was both flexible and scalable, we worked collaboratively in an agile environment, drawing on expertise from across product, design, and content teams. I partnered with a Product Owner to manage priorities and timelines through sprint planning and stand-ups, and worked with Content Strategy to define the tone and voice of the on-page copy. An Information Architect helped establish the overall structure and navigation flow, while I collaborated with a fellow UX designer during the early concepting phase. Our Creative Services team added visual depth to the experience by developing custom iconography and hero imagery that aligned with Ally’s evolving brand guidelines.
MY ROLE, MY CONTRIBUTION
role.
Design • Content Author
I led the design of the overall Knowledge Hub experience, shaping how provider prospects would discover and interact with content. As the content author, I was also responsible for building the actual pages in AEM, participating in UAT, and handling the final publishing process to bring the experience live.
my tasks and responsibilities.
Lead Designer & Content Author
I led the design of the overall Knowledge Hub experience, shaping how provider prospects would discover and interact with content. As the content author, I was also responsible for building the actual pages in AEM, participating in UAT, and handling the final publishing process to bring the experience live.
Led Design Meetings & Feedback Loops
From kickoff to launch, I facilitated design syncs, working sessions, and critique reviews. I created space for cross-functional input while keeping the team aligned on priorities, scope, and timelines—ensuring the experience evolved collaboratively but with clear direction.
Partnered with Content Strategy
I worked closely with the content strategy team to align page structure with voice and tone. While they owned the editorial vision, I helped shape how content would appear visually and contextually across the interface.
Built the Experience in Adobe Experience Manager
I was hands-on in the build phase, translating designs directly into AEM using its component library. This allowed for efficient design-to-dev execution and ensured fidelity between design intent and final implementation.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
I collaborated closely with the Product Owner, Information Architect, Content Strategist, and Creative Services to ensure that our goals were unified and that the final product felt cohesive, on-brand, and technically feasible.
Tested Layouts Across Verticals & Devices
To ensure a seamless user experience, I tested how layouts performed across both HC and HI verticals and on multiple device types. I optimized spacing, readability, and interaction flows to accommodate varying content lengths and user behaviors.
process
Multiple design concepts were explored—including a one-page experience with filters and a multi-page structure organized by verticals. Our final approach combined featured content at the top, followed by clearly separated verticals (HI and HC), each with its own visual section and card-based article layout.
stakeholder interviews
content evaluation
industry research
discover
define
persona & scenario development
sketching
white boarding sessions
ideate
wireframing
layout exploration
working sessions
early team feedback
prototype
interactive prototype
design critiques
AEM component testing
usability testing
UAT testing
test
pages published
guideline creation
launch support
implement
VISUALS
ALLY FINANCIAL'S MEDIA AND RECOGNITION PPAGE
In 2022, trending Healthcare and Home Improvement insights are housed on Ally’s Media and Recognition page. Between the two verticals, there were 25 articles with plans for the Marketing team to add 6 new artifacts each month throughout 2022.
WHITE BOARD SESSION
Sketches from white boarding session with Reboot Squad (Product Owner, Content Strategy, Information Architect, and UX Design) exploring various page layouts.
DESIGN EXPLORATION
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Card exploration. Exploration of the article card layout. The team looked at imagery placement, the use of color bands to indicate medium/vertical type, and what additional details to display--reading time was heavy discussed.
Single vs Multi-Page Experience.The team explored two design options. A 3-page experience that featured a landing page and 2-industry vertical pages. The inlet showcases the single page design, featuring a filter to narrow content by industry.
Single vs Multi-Page Experience.The team explored two design options. A 3-page experience that featured a landing page and 2-industry vertical pages. The inlet showcases the single page design, featuring a filter to narrow content by industry.
PAIN POINTS + LESSONS LEARNED
fragmented content experience
Articles were scattered across multiple locations, making it difficult for prospects to explore relevant information.
Consolidated all B2B articles into a single, structured Knowledge Hub with clear vertical filters (HI and HC).
limited component flexibility
AEM’s components had layout constraints that didn’t fully support our intended design.
Used current components creatively to mimic custom layouts and preserve the intended look and feel while staying within tech limitations.
unbalanced tile heights
Article titles varied in length, which caused cards to display unevenly—breaking visual rhythm and making scanning difficult.
Collaborated with content writers to define character count guidelines and introduced built-in padding to maintain consistent tile height regardless of title length.
evolving design guidelines
Ally’s styling system was in flux; at the time of design, only one update (white background usage) was confirmed, while larger changes (like switching from iconography to photography) were still being discussed.
Worked closely with Creative Services to align with known updates, and made design decisions that would remain flexible if guidelines changed later.
audience alignment challenge
Some content, especially around home improvement and buying, leaned more toward B2C language, which wasn’t ideal for the provider-focused B2B audience.
Flagged and collaborated with content writers to refine tone and focus, ensuring the Knowledge Hub maintained relevance for provider prospects.
user acceptance testing, LAUNCH AND EVALUATION
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) focused on ensuring the Knowledge Hub delivered a smooth, intuitive experience for provider prospects. Key areas of evaluation included:
SCOPE AND FOCUS AREAS
ENGAGEMENT
How did users interact with the content and overall experience
PERFORMANCE
What do engagement metrics tell us about content performance?
EASE OF USE
Were users able to easily navigate the site and discover content across both verticals?
KEY FINDINGS
ARTICLE ENGAGEMENT
was strong, with notable clicks on featured content and lead form activity
PAGE SESSIONS
showed prospects were exploring multiple articles per visit, indicating content relevance
NAVIGATION FEEDBACK
confirmed that users could easily locate and browse articles across verticals
TEAM FEEDBACK + INSIGHTS
The clean separation between HC and HI content made it easier for users to find information relevant to their industry
Featured content placement successfully drew attention to high-priority articles and boosted visibility
A clear need for future scalability was identified—including filtering and pagination—to accommodate upcoming verticals and new content formats like infographics, white papers, and eBooks
"The split between HC and HI makes it easy for our prospects to find what matters to them--I like that it's clear and intuitive."
MARKETING TEAM MEMBER
"Having that featured content front and center really draws people in--we're seeing strong engagement with the articles we want to spotlight."
MARKETING TEAM MEMBER
"This strikes a nuc balance between structure and flexibility--it give Marketing room to grow without losing consistency."
PRODUCT OWNER, Sprint Review
“It’s a really smart use of the AEM components. You’d never guess we were working within so many constraints.”
UX DESIGNER, Feedback from design critique
next steps
With the initial launch complete, we identified several opportunities to evolve the experience as content needs and brand guidelines continued to grow. The following next steps were proposed to ensure the Knowledge Hub could scale effectively and remain aligned with Ally’s evolving content and design strategy.
key next steps.
Add Additional Verticals
Support new content for Auto, Retail Services, and create a dedicated section for Cosmetics
Content Expansion
Prepare layouts and metadata strategies for new content types—eBooks, infographics, white papers, case studies, and industry reports
Enhance Functionality
Implement pagination and filtering tools as content volume grows:
Marketing has plans to release 3 new articles for each vertical monthly through the end of Q4. Additionally, infographics, case studies, white papers / industry reports, and eBooks will also be made available.
Design System Sync
Stay in step with updates from the Community Hub and storefront design systems to future-proof the Knowledge Hub experience
Visual Refresh
As Ally rolls out updated styling guidelines (e.g., potential switch from iconography to photography), re-evaluate design choices to ensure alignment
POST PROJECT IMPACT
Since the completion of this project, Ally Lending has undergone major shifts—including the decision to exit provider financing and transition the business to Synchrony. Despite that, the foundational work of the Knowledge Hub has continued to influence Ally’s broader content experience.
Elements of the original Knowledge Hub design can now be seen in the evolution of Ally’s blog (formerly the Community Hub), including:
-
A featured content section placed prominently at the top—mirroring the layout from the Knowledge Hub
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A new filtering feature to help users sort content by topic, a functionality we had scoped for future implementation
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The integration of B2C Home Improvement content into the main blog experience, folding in the work originally designed to support prospective buyers