3 Design Fails that Are Costing You
///
Your client, customer or vendor portal is likely functional, secure and compliant. But if you’re say, maybe a wealth management firm or you’re an orthodontist or you work with a state platform, your portal could also be a budget buster.
Watch The Flatlandery Show E4 with more tips and takes on portal UX design.
I don’t mean hosting fees. I mean the thousands of dollars you spend annually on your Tier 2 support team fielding calls that could have been avoided with clearer information architecture or UX design. These are calls that usually start with, “I can’t find …” or “Did my upload actually work?”
Your digital product isn’t failing because it doesn’t work; it’s failing because its poor design forces your clients to call for help. That friction, even if it’s small, damages your brand trust, productivity goals and can quietly hemorrhage your operational budget.
The good news? You can fix the design and stop the bleed.
The 3 Design Flaws Fueling Your OpEx
The goal? To build a zero-confusion portal. If you agree, lets focus on neutralizing the three design flaws that act as magnets for high-cost support tickets.
1. The “Where is My Data?” Call
- Cause: Flawed information hierarchy
- Gut-Check: When a VP of Operations asks us to audit a portal, the first thing we notice is dashboard noise. The screen is rife with widgets, charts and links designed to show everything, yet the user can’t find the one thing he or she needs (e.g., their current standing or a pending transaction).
- Flatlander Fix: Implement the Primary Goal Rule. We work with your Ops team to define the one piece of information 90% of users seek. That data, be it a balance, status or a call-to-action, gets the highest prominence. (BTW, “highest prominence” doesn’t just mean the biggest button.) A clear, high-contrast focal point tells the user, “You’re secure, and here’s the answer.”
2. The “Did You Get My Document?” Call
- Cause: Broken trust signal
- Gut-check: Financial transactions and document uploads are inherently high-anxiety moments for clients. If your platform only displays a generic “Success” message, you leave room for doubt … and worry. That doubt immediately translates into a $35 support call just for validation.
- Flatlander Fix: Mandatory, branded confirmation. We design secure transaction pages that provide immediate, visual feedback. This means a distinct, branded success screen, a time-stamped confirmation code and clear microcopy or thumbnail assuring them the data is where they want it to be. This is an easy way to replace doubt with confidence.
3. The “Where Do I Go Next?” Call
- Cause: An internal mapping problem
- Gut-Check: Many portals are organized the way your internal IT team built them: by database fields or department names. No client wakes up thinking, “I need to access the Compliance Sub-menu.” They think, “I need to pay a bill.”
- Flatlander Fix: You can restructure your architecture based on client task flows. Group links using common client language (“Statements & Reports,” “Account Settings”) instead of internal jargon. This small navigational shift instantly reduces client paralysis and the need to call your office for directions.
More Ways to Convert OpEx into ROI
If you’re thinking of your digital presence merely as an expense, you’re missing out on using it as critical operational lever. For our partners, solving UX problems almost always guarantees an immediate return on investment.
If your current portal is frustrating your clients and costing you a chunk of your line-item budget annually in support staff time, it’s time to stop patching the problem and start solving the design.
This sound like you? We can help with an “OpEx reduction audit” for mid-market organizations, a streamlined eval that includes:
- A transparent, video-recorded analysis estimating the dollar cost poor UX is currently generating for you.
- A clear, high-level blueprint on how a professional design and branding overhaul will yield direct ROI by eliminating those costly, repetitive support calls in Year 1.
Let us help you take back your budget. Schedule a conversation about your OpEx reduction audit with us today.
