Finance, Insurance & Fintech
Case Study: UX Design Strategy for HSBC Capital Markets
HSBC Capital Markets
Client Overview
HSBC Capital Markets, part of HSBC's Global Banking and Markets division, offers comprehensive services to help clients raise capital, manage financial risks, and execute transactions across global markets.
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Customer Base
Serves clients across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas.
Global Reach
HSBC operates in over 60 countries.
Employees
HSBC employs over 200,000 professionals worldwide, with a significant portion in capital markets-related roles.
Revenue
In 2024, HSBC ranked 14th globally in investment banking fees, with a market share of 1.5%. It generated over $2 billion in debt capital markets revenue in 2023.
Profit Before Tax
Not publicly disclosed.
Products & Solutions
Equity Capital Markets (ECM): Assists clients with IPOs, secondary placements, rights issues, and convertible bonds. Debt Capital Markets (DCM): Facilitates international and domestic bond markets, including structured debt solutions, high-yield bonds, and investment-grade debt.
Market Presence
HSBC is refocusing its capital markets operations to Asia and the Middle East, where it generates the majority of its revenues. In 2025, HSBC plans to wind down its ECM and M&A advisory operations in the UK, Europe, and the Americas to focus on regions with higher growth potential.
Technology
HSBC leverages more than 50 proprietary platforms for trading, analysis, and financial reporting across equity, debt, and derivatives markets.
Industry Recognition
HSBC executed over $50 billion in ECM and DCM deals in 2023 alone.
The Challenge
HSBC needed to develop a robust UX design strategy to overhaul its Executive CRM Software Application and make it multi-channel. The goal was to create a platform that would seamlessly work across large screens, laptops, tablets, mobile devices, and even the iWatch, all while adhering to HSBC's strict guidelines and compliance standards.
Previous Approach
The business had received various proposals from well-known design agencies but sought something innovative that aligned with HSBC's corporate guidelines. They needed a solution that could be delivered across multiple channels while ensuring full compliance and integration with HSBC's technology infrastructure.
Impact of the Challenge
The Solution
To address this, I led the design of a multi-channel UX strategy that spanned across Desktop, Tablet, Mobile, and iWatch, replacing the existing CRM platform. The key components of the solution included:
- Multi-Channel UX Strategy: Ensured that the CRM solution would be fully responsive and optimised across all platforms, delivering a consistent experience.
- GUI & Feature Functionality Redesign: Proposed a completely new GUI for the CRM, alongside new feature functionalities designed to improve sales executive workflows across different devices.
- Compliance & Standards: The design strategy adhered strictly to HSBC's internal guidelines, ensuring compliance while introducing innovative new features to enhance the user experience.
Key Deliverables
UX & UI Deliverables:
- Multi-platform UX Design for Desktop, Tablet, Mobile, and iWatch
- Business Requirements & Logic Documentation
- Information Architecture Redesign
- High-Fidelity Wireframes & Prototypes
- GUI & Design System Implementation
Development Contributions:
- UX Experience Design & UCD
- Product Design Leadership
- UI Interface Design & Architecture
- Usability & Accessibility Enhancements
- Interaction Design Implementation
The Results & Impact
- Successfully delivered a comprehensive multi-channel UX strategy that included innovative and cohesive design solutions across Desktop, Tablet, Mobile, and iWatch platforms.
- The proposed design was selected over others due to its innovative approach and alignment with HSBC's business requirements, ensuring that the CRM platform could scale and adapt seamlessly across channels.
- Delivered a user-friendly and intuitive design, which empowered HSBC's sales executives and business teams to efficiently interact with the CRM system, enhancing productivity and user satisfaction.
- The strategy and design were delivered on time, minimising the risk of costly delays.