NMLS Resource Center Redesign

50% reduction in navigation time by redesigning the Resource Center for NMLS, the official nationwide licensing system

SUMMER + EXTENDED FALL SEMESTER / MAY - DEC 2025

Role: UX Design Intern

Team: Technical L&D Team, Products and Solutions BU

Tools

Miro

Google Workspaces

ServiceNow

Skills

Product Design

UX Research

User Interviews

Journey Mapping

OVERVIEW
—

Context

CSBS is the nationwide organization of banking regulators from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What is NMLS?

The Nationwide Multistate Licensing System is the system of record for financial services licensing or registration in 67 state and territorial agencies, including the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Problem

Small companies, often called "mom and pop shops", face unique challenges in navigating NMLS licensing compared to larger institutions. Without dedicated staff, they often rely heavily on the call center for support.

In 2023, the call center received 320,000 calls from MLOs struggling to complete their licenses, with an average cost of $9.70 per call. The scope of this project was to shed light on their overall experience (especially in relation to larger companies), identify specific problems and areas for improvement, and offer potential recommendations to enhance on-demand self-service support.

Timeline (for Summer Internship)

Onboarding

Week 2

Self-walkthrough

Hypothesis Map

Week 3

Formal Interview Guide

for Call Center Interviews

Week 4

Call Center

Interviews

Week 5

Call Center

Interviews Analysis

Week 6

ServiceNow Quant.

Data Analysis

Week 7

Refine

Hypothesis Map

Week 8

User Interviews

Week 9

User Interviews

Analysis

Week 10

Finalize User Journey Maps

+ handoff

Scoping

The NMLS Resource Center is the official gateway to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (NMLS) and provides users with resources, guidance, news, and updates.

NMLS Resource Center (Before Redesign)

To keep the effort focused and impactful, we prioritized the redesign around six core NMLS workflows. The goal was to simplify navigation and reduce dependency on support calls. These high-priority workflows included:

👤 Account Creation

Initial setup process for registering a company on the NMLS platform.

📑 MU1 Filing

Primary form for companies to apply for licenses.

✍ MU2 Attestation

Form required for persons identified as a Control Person or Qualifying Individual (QI).

📊 Financial Statements

Electronically submit financial statements to satisfy state agency requirements.

💲 Form Payments

Submitting the required fees associated with NMLS filings and license applications.

⚙️ Account Management

Managing updates like amendments and Advance Change Notices (ACN).

Why This Project Matters

Reduce call center reliance
and costs

Having specific user pain points could improve small company users' experience and reduce call center reliance and costs.

Gain a better understanding of
the user group's experiences

Currently, small companies are underrepresented because most input comes from conferences dominated by large firms.

Suggest recommendations to improve self-service support

Real data helped identify improvements for the new NMLS Resource Center, released in September 2025.

EMPATHIZE
—

Research Goals

GOAL 1

Map the journey

Document the end-to-end NMLS licensing journey of 6 core workflows for small-company users.

GOAL 2

Locate friction

Identify high error touchpoints, especially where users turn to the Resource Center or call support

GOAL 3

Assess RC perception

Evaluate findability, completeness, and trust in the current Resource Center vs. users’ expectations

Methods

6
call center interviews

3
end-user interviews

900
ServiceNow ticket analysis

Call Center Interviews

We created a journey map from self-evaluation to guide 6 interviews with call-center agents.

I began with a hypothesis journey map from a self-guided system review, then led six remote, semi-structured 1:1 interviews (60–90 minutes) with call center agents who understood the licensing process and its pitfalls inside out.

Led call-centre agent interviews using a custom Excel guide outlining key steps across six core workflows

User Interviews

Then, we led three remote, semi-structured 1:1 interviews (60–90 minutes) with end-users. This helped us directly empathize with the unique experiences of small company users.

Interviewing end users to assess RC perception and understand user journey

ServiceNow Analytics

To quantify findings, I extracted ServiceNow call-center tickets, analyzing a random sample of 900 to size pain points against themes.

Extracting tickets from ServiceNow (last 1 month)

Analyzing against affinity themes to quantify pain points

DEFINE
—

Affinity Mapping and Synthesis

Using Miro, I organized all research insights under six key workflow categories. From there, I extracted user pain points and identified over 25 issues that directly informed six journey maps.

Affinity mapping to extract user behaviors and pain points

Key Insights

User Journey Maps

I synthesized research findings into six detailed journey maps, each structured around user actions, emotional journey, quantified pain points, and verbatim quotes. The color-coded data rows highlight issue severity, making it easy for stakeholders to identify where users struggle most.

A snapshot of the six journey maps created

IDEATE
—

Design Goals

Reduce Visual Clutter

How might we create a clearer, more focused homepage that helps users find what they need?

Simplify Navigation

How might we help users locate licensing checklists and key resources faster?

Improve Search

How might we help users find specific information without feeling overwhelmed?

Clarify Language

How might we make NMLS terminology accessible to first-time small business users?

Keep Content Current

How might we ensure users always have access to accurate, up-to-date information?

Ideation and Feature Selection

Insights synthesized from user research drove feature prioritization and design recommendations.

How might we create a clearer, more focused homepage that helps users find what they need?

Task-Based Information Architecture

Removed competing content sections like NMLS News, Agency News, and Popular Links.
Persistent sidebar navigation.
Reduced cognitive load and resources organized by user type and task.

How might we help users locate licensing checklists and key resources faster?

Elevated Checklist Visibility & Persistent Navigation

Checklists moved from buried links to primary placement on homepage.
Breadcrumb wayfinding allows users to see their location and navigate back easily.
Multiple access points.

How might we help users find specific information without feeling overwhelmed?

Global Persistent Search

Persistent, prominent search bar accessible from every page.
Contextual search within sections allows users to search within their current area for more relevant results.

How might we make NMLS terminology accessible to first-time small business users?

Integrated Glossary Access

NMLS Glossary surfaced on homepage as well as internal sections, previously buried deep in documentation.
Glossary sits alongside related policy content, so users can reference terms while completing tasks.

How might we ensure users always have access to accurate, up-to-date information?

Dynamic Content Management

Replaced static PDFs with XML-based content.
Content editors can push changes instantly without regenerating and re-uploading entire documents.
Broken links, duplicates, and outdated pages are gone.

PROTOTYPE
—

New NMLS Resource Center

The Resource Center implements solutions addressing each pain point identified during research.

The redesigned NMLS Resource Center launched on September 20, 2025, directly addressing key pain points from our research: confusing navigation, information overload, and content that previously catered only to large companies.

REFLECTION
—

Impact

Visibility

Synthesized and presented user research to VPs and Product Managers, bridging the gap between user insights and strategic product decisions.

Validation

Socialized the redesigned Resource Center with call center teams (the same users who informed our research) resulting in strong positive reception.

UX perception

Helped establish UX credibility within the business unit, showcasing how research-driven design leads to measurable product improvements.

Impact Stats

50%
reduction in navigation time across 10 common searches

~ 600 K
industry users impacted (state and federal Resource Center)

6
journey maps delivered, covering the most critical licensing workflows

Reflection

I completed my internship in August 2025 and was extended through the Fall semester. Working at the intersection of financial regulation and UX has taught me more than I can easily summarize, but here are the key takeaways:

Empathy is key: Conducting user interviews revealed just how much is at stake in this industry. Every piece of instructional text, every button placement carries weight that can cost people their livelihoods. Designing with user empathy has never felt more essential.

Data drives buy in, but stories create connection: Senior stakeholders need the numbers, user counts, error rates, conversion metrics. But user stories are what make those numbers resonate. Learning to weave both qualitative and quantitative methods into my journey maps has been one of the most rewarding parts of this work.

Pivot often: Real-world projects are rarely linear. We started with a vague goal of improving self-service for small company users, paused, and shifted to understanding their pain points. That detour uncovered insights that shaped key decisions and informed tree testing for the new NMLS Resource Center information architecture.

Small discoveries snowball: This research also helped us improve support for call center agents. A deep dive into ServiceNow call center data revealed untapped potential for UX improvements we hadn't anticipated.

NMLS Resource Center Redesign

50% reduction in navigation time by redesigning the Resource Center for NMLS, the official nationwide licensing system

SUMMER + EXTENDED FALL SEMESTER / MAY - DEC 2025

Role: UX Design Intern

Team: Technical L&D Team, Products and Solutions BU

Tools

Skills

OVERVIEW—

Context

Context

CSBS is the nationwide organization of banking regulators from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

CSBS is the nationwide organization of banking regulators from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What is NMLS?

The Nationwide Multistate Licensing System is the system of record for financial services licensing or registration in 67 state and territorial agencies, including the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Problem

Problem

Small companies, often called "mom and pop shops", face unique challenges in navigating NMLS licensing compared to larger institutions. Without dedicated staff, they often rely heavily on the call center for support.

Small companies, often called "mom and pop shops", face unique challenges in navigating NMLS licensing compared to larger institutions. Without dedicated staff, they often rely heavily on the call center for support.

Timeline (for Summer Internship)

Timeline (for Summer Internship)

Scoping

Scoping

The NMLS Resource Center is the official gateway to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (NMLS) and provides users with resources, guidance, news, and updates.

The NMLS Resource Center is the official gateway to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (NMLS) and provides users with resources, guidance, news, and updates.

NMLS Resource Center (Before Redesign)

To keep the effort focused and impactful, we prioritized the redesign around six core NMLS workflows. The goal was to simplify navigation and reduce dependency on support calls. These high-priority workflows included:

To keep the effort focused and impactful, we prioritized the redesign around six core NMLS workflows. The goal was to simplify navigation and reduce dependency on support calls. These high-priority workflows included:

👤 Account Creation

Initial setup process for registering a company on the NMLS platform.

📑 MU1 Filing

Primary form for companies to apply for licenses.

✍ MU2 Attestation

Form required for persons identified as a Control Person or Qualifying Individual (QI).

📊 Financial Statements

Electronically submit financial statements to satisfy state agency requirements.

💲 Form Payments

Submitting the required fees associated with NMLS filings and license applications.

⚙️ Account Management

Managing updates like amendments and Advance Change Notices (ACN).

Why This Project Matters

Why This Project Matters

Reduce call center reliance and costs

Gain a better understanding ofthe user group's experiences

Suggest recommendations to improve self-service support

EMPATHIZE—

Research Goals

GOAL 1

Map the journey

Document the end-to-end NMLS licensing journey of 6 core workflows for small-company users.

GOAL 2

Locate friction

Identify high error touchpoints, especially where users turn to the Resource Center or call support

GOAL 3

Assess RC perception

Evaluate findability, completeness, and trust in the current Resource Center vs. users’ expectations

Methods

6call center interviews

3end-user interviews

900ServiceNow ticket analysis

Call Center Interviews

We created a journey map from self-evaluation to guide 6 interviews with call-center agents.

We created a journey map from self-evaluation to guide 6 interviews with call-center agents.

I began with a hypothesis journey map from a self-guided system review, then led six remote, semi-structured 1:1 interviews (60–90 minutes) with call center agents who understood the licensing process and its pitfalls inside out.

I began with a hypothesis journey map from a self-guided system review, then led six remote, semi-structured 1:1 interviews (60–90 minutes) with call center agents who understood the licensing process and its pitfalls inside out.

Led call-centre agent interviews using a custom Excel guide outlining key steps across six core workflows

User Interviews

Then, we led three remote, semi-structured 1:1 interviews (60–90 minutes) with end-users. This helped us directly empathize with the unique experiences of small company users.

Then, we led three remote, semi-structured 1:1 interviews (60–90 minutes) with end-users. This helped us directly empathize with the unique experiences of small company users.

Interviewing end users to assess RC perception and understand user journey

ServiceNow Analytics

To quantify findings, I extracted ServiceNow call-center tickets, analyzing a random sample of 900 to size pain points against themes.

To quantify findings, I extracted ServiceNow call-center tickets, analyzing a random sample of 900 to size pain points against themes.

Extracting tickets from ServiceNow (last 1 month)

Analyzing against affinity themes to quantify pain points

DEFINE—

Affinity Mapping and Synthesis

Using Miro, I organized all research insights under six key workflow categories. From there, I extracted user pain points and identified over 25 issues that directly informed six journey maps.

Using Miro, I organized all research insights under six key workflow categories. From there, I extracted user pain points and identified over 25 issues that directly informed six journey maps.

Affinity mapping to extract user behaviors and pain points

Key Insights

OVERVIEW
—

Reduce call center reliance
and costs

Gain a better understanding of
the user group's experiences

EMPATHIZE
—

6
call center interviews

3
end-user interviews

900
ServiceNow ticket analysis

DEFINE
—

IDEATE
—

PROTOTYPE
—

REFLECTION
—

50%
reduction in navigation time across 10 common searches

~ 600 K
industry users impacted (state and federal Resource Center)

6
journey maps delivered, covering the most critical licensing workflows