Overview
What is CD Laddering?
CD (Certificate of Deposit) laddering is a savings strategy that spreads your money across multiple CDs to maintain frequent access to cash while receiving high-yielding returns.
Problem
Despite launching the CD laddering page across both web and mobile platforms in Q1, users remained hesitant to open CD accounts. By the end of Q1, fewer than 1,000 digital CD accounts had been opened — significantly below expectations.
Solution
By designing and implementing an interactive CD Ladder Calculator, users would gain a clearer understanding of the financial benefits of CD laddering, leading to increased account openings.
Outcome
The launch of the interactive CD Ladder Calculator led:
4,000
accounts in Q3
300%+
surge in digital CD openings
$2M–$4M
in new deposits
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Duration
January 2024 - October 2024
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My Role
UX Product Designer
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Team
Justin Garcia - Product Designer
Richard Wright - Content Designer
Product Manager
UX Research Team
WCAG Accessibility Team
Development Team
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Tools
Figma
Jira
Adobe Analytics
Microsoft Teams
Let’s empathize with the user…
Research & Insights
The UX Research team conducted research on the existing CD laddering page to identify key barriers preventing users from opening CD accounts. Through a series of in-depth user interviews, we uncovered the following key insights:
Users want clear breakdown of how much they would make based on their specific investment amount
Users needed a simple, interactive way to compare potential returns across various term lengths, deposit amounts, and number of CDs
Users felt that the current laddering page effectively educated them on what CD laddering was
Competitive Analysis
We evaluated the CD laddering pages of four prominent financial institutions: Fidelity, Ally Bank, Discover, and Capital One. Our goal was to analyze their approaches to CD laddering, identify strengths and weaknesses, and uncover insights to enhance our user experience.
Key takeaways
All four institutions provide some form of
CD laddering tool or calculator, underscoring the importance of interactive resources in helping customers build and optimize CD laddersFidelity offers preset ladder models, while Ally allows users to tailor CD terms and deposits
Capital One and Discover prioritize simple, guided experiences for easy ladder setup
They all explain CD laddering benefits, with Discover highlighting flexibility and returns
Best Practices
The next step of the research was conducting a deep dive into the best practices for data visualization. We wanted to understand - what are some of the best practices on how we visualize earnings. This research is essential to ensure data is presented clearly, comprehensively, and effectively.
Different graph types:
Pie Chart – Shows proportions and distribution, making it ideal for visualizing parts of a whole
Bar Graph – Compares discrete categories or groups, highlighting differences in size or frequency
Line Graph – Illustrates trends and changes over time, emphasizing patterns and continuity
Define the problem…
Problem
Despite introducing the concept of CD laddering in Q1, users were still hesitant to open CD accounts. By the end of Q1, fewer than 1,000 digital CD accounts had been opened, indicating a gap in user comprehension of the benefits.
Solution Hypothesis
By designing and implementing an interactive CD Ladder Calculator, users would gain a clearer understanding of the financial benefits of CD laddering, leading to increased account openings.
Business goals
Increase CD Account Openings: Encourage more users to open CD accounts by providing a clear and interactive way to see potential earnings
Increase CD Investment: Drive higher investment in CDs by making the benefits of laddering more transparent and encouraging larger deposit amounts
Enhance Market Visibility: Strengthen US Bank’s competitive presence by offering a best-in-class CD laddering tool that outperforms competitors
Develop a Usable and Comprehensive Tool: Ensure the calculator is user-friendly, informative, and effectively directs users toward opening a CD account
CD Ladder Calculator - design requirements
Web responsive
Native app - IOS/Andriod
Follows U.S. Bank Shield design system
Accessibility compliant
Analytics & Rate integration - Zafin tool
ZIp code integration
Customer is able to save and print calculator
Let the ideas flow….
User Flow
Design Workshop
To ensure the CD Laddering concept was both easy to understand and engaging for users, our design team conducted a collaborative workshop aimed at exploring creative, intuitive ways to design a user-friendly CD Ladder Calculator that clearly communicates the benefits of laddering.
Design Prototypes & Stakeholder Review
Following our initial exploration, we developed two comprehensive prototypes and presented them to a cross-functional stakeholder group, including executive leadership, product managers, developers, and the accessibility team.
Each prototype addressed a distinct user education goal:
U.S. Bank vs. Other Banks: This design visualized why users should choose U.S. Bank for CD laddering, using side-by-side comparisons to highlight higher returns.
CD Ladder vs. Single CD: This version demonstrated the financial advantages of a CD ladder over a traditional single-term CD, helping users understand long-term value and flexibility.
Key design decision
Use of U.S. Bank Shield Components: To maintain consistency and accelerate development, we leveraged existing components from the U.S. Bank design system. Since a bar graph component was already available, it became the foundation for visualizing CD ladder returns.
System-Aligned Input Fields: All form elements, including zip code, deposit amount, and term selectors, followed U.S. Bank’s design system to ensure brand alignment and usability.
Mobile-First Approach: From the outset, we prioritized mobile accessibility by designing simplified versions of the calculator tailored to smaller screens. During this phase, we also discovered that the line graph did not meet accessibility standards, prompting us to focus on more accessible alternatives like bar graphs.
Dynamic Earnings Feedback: To guide decision-making, we added a clear, data-driven statement to immediately reflect the user’s potential gain:
“You would have earned $1,738 more using a CD Ladder.” This real-time feedback helped users understand the financial benefit of laddering vs. a single CD—turning abstract strategy into concrete value.
Stakeholder Feedback & Iteration
During our design review, several key pieces of feedback shaped the final product:
Removed Competitor Comparison: Stakeholders raised concerns that comparing U.S. Bank's APY rates to competitors could mislead users if U.S. Bank didn’t offer the best rate at the time. To maintain transparency and trust, we removed direct competitor comparisons and focused the tool solely on illustrating the benefits of laddering.
Zip Code Field Removed: Due to technical constraints, the development team indicated that including zip code input could not be supported within the calculator's functionality. We decided to move the zip code input to the top of the cd calculator.
APY Disclaimer Requirement: To ensure legal compliance, we added an APY disclosure content with a superscript link above the calculator. This links users to the most up-to-date rate information and clarifies that rates are subject to change.
New Business Requirement – Number of CDs: The business line required that users explicitly enter the number of CDs they'd like to include in their ladder. This addition helps personalize results and aligns with backend CD product rules.
Putting it to the test…
Based on the feedback we received from stakeholders, we created a refined CD Calculator prototype that aligned with business goals, technical feasibility, and legal requirements; to evaluate how well users understood the concept of CD laddering and whether the calculator improved confidence in decision-making.
Key insights from user testing:
The calculator was seen as a valuable tool
User flow was easy to understand.
Real-time feedback built trust
Single CD comparison wasn’t effective and rather focus toward highlighting ladder performance
Going back to the drawing board
Since users didn’t find the single CD vs. ladder comparison compelling enough, we experimented with other ways to communicate the benefits of CD laddering by visualizing performance across different term lengths, showing both the total interest earned and how the investment grows over time.
Next Steps
To ensure the tool’s success, we focused on three areas:
Design Iterations
We refined the experience through continuous iteration, proactively addressing new challenges and enhancing usability and functionality.
Usability Testing
Ongoing testing provided critical feedback for iteration and kept the design aligned with stakeholder goals and user needs.
Development
Close collaboration with engineering ensured a smooth handoff, early alignment on constraints, and a tool that’s both feasible and user-focused.
Challenge We Faced
Challenge
U.S. Bank’s CD rates were less competitive compared to other banks, making it harder to convince users of the value.
Design Solution
To offset this, we introduced a customization feature in the calculator that let users tailor deposit amounts and term lengths for each CD in the ladder. This flexibility gave users more control, highlighted the strategy’s long-term benefits, and positioned U.S. Bank as more user-centric despite despite lower rates.
Impact
After introducing the interactive CD Ladder Calculator in Q3, digital CD account openings saw a sharp increase, rising to over 4,000 by the end of the quarter. This 300%+ growth indicated that giving users a clear, personalized way to visualize potential returns helped bridge the comprehension gap and drive engagement.
Reflection & Takeaways
Designing U.S. Bank’s first CD Laddering experience was both a challenge and an opportunity to simplify a complex financial concept through clear, user-centered design. Grounded in research, testing, and stakeholder collaboration, we transformed an underutilized product into a more approachable and engaging tool.
The project demanded adaptability as we navigated shifting business needs, compliance constraints, and technical limitations. These challenges strengthened my ability to balance priorities, manage ambiguity, and iterate quickly without compromising design integrity.
Ultimately, this case study reinforced the value of designing for clarity, collaborating across teams, and staying flexible in the face of change; all critical to creating solutions that are both usable and impactful.