First Time Set-Up
Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
- 1 Lead Product Manager
- 1 Lead Product Designer
- 2 Engineering Leads
Platforms
- iOS Mobile App
- Desktop/Mobile Web
Only 17% of Goldman Sachs PWM clients who started registration on mobile web completed the process. For ultra-high net worth clients, a clunky browser-based onboarding wasn't just a UX problem — it was a first impression problem. We redesigned First Time Setup as a native iOS experience, turning a leaky funnel into a warm welcome.
Problem Statement
How might we capture ultra-high net worth clients at their most receptive moment — first contact with the GS digital ecosystem — and convert them into long-term mobile app users rather than losing them to a browser experience that undersells the brand?
Impact
1.5Trillion
AUM
80,000+
Users
Program Objective
Improve mobile app adoption
With our flagship program from 2025–2026 of updating PWM's client-facing digital services to the One GS design system, our goal is to find innovative ways to promote mobile app adoption.
Current
32%
Active* iOS PWM Digital Users
Target State
50%
Active* iOS PWM Digital Users
Current
17%
Complete FTS on Mobile Web
Project Objective
Convert mobile web registrants into long-term app users.
Bring the full First Time Setup journey into iOS to capture users who start self-registration on mobile web.
Background
Goldman Sachs PWM manages $1.5 trillion in assets and serves approximately 80,000 active users annually across two primary digital surfaces: Goldman.com and the GS PWM iOS App.
Last year, the firm made a significant investment in modernizing both client web and mobile experiences with the new One GS brand. But modernization alone doesn't drive adoption. Clients must enter and anchor themselves within the right touchpoint. Mobile adoption, in particular, was critical.
Yet when examining how clients were entering the ecosystem, the team found something surprising: the majority of mobile traffic was flowing through the browser — not the app. Registration was happening in the wrong place.
Evaluation & Opportunity
If registration is the first impression between a client and our digital ecosystems, it should:
Meet me where I am
Feel Welcoming
Feel Premium
But the existing experience was falling short. Registration was only available via mobile web — squandering a critical introductory moment and a significant conversion opportunity. The challenge: how might we bring a tailored, premium experience directly into the app?
We pushed for a native iOS registration experience rather than a deep-link redirect approach — because redirecting a first-time UHNW client mid-registration to the App Store feels like handing them a flyer at the door of a private club. The experience needed to match the brand promise from the very first tap.
Research & Insights
I studied how leading fintech platforms — Rocket Money, Origin, and others — handled mobile registration. The pattern was consistent: the best products didn't ask users to download the app after setup. They made the app download part of setup, treating it as a natural step in the journey rather than an upsell.
This reframed how we thought about our own problem. We weren't just building a registration flow — we were designing a conversion experience. Every screen needed to earn the next tap.
Key patterns I observed across competitive platforms:
Registration is app-first, not browser-first (no mobile web compatibility)
Mobile web is used as a conversion funnel into the app
Registration emails include strong app marketing and deep links
App download is positioned as part of setup—not an afterthought
The industry standard is clear:
Own the mobile moment immediately.
Strategy
Bring registration home
We modernized the full desktop registration flow and rebuilt it for iOS — credential creation, security setup, biometrics, and trusted device registration — all native, all on-brand, all designed for a user who expects the experience to feel as premium as the service.
Native setup flow covers:
Username & password creation
Security questions setup
Trusted Device registration
Biometric / PIN setup
Make every touchpoint count
Modernizing the flow was step one. Step two was identifying every moment before, during, and after registration where we could reinforce the value of the app — from redesigned confirmation emails with deep links, to warm welcome screens that orient new users before they take their first action. Onboarding doesn't end at account creation; it ends when the user feels at home.
App marketing touchpoints:
Redesigned registration emails with app deep links
Desktop splash pages promoting the mobile experience
Warm welcome screens within the native flow
Refreshed App Store content
Deliverables
Modernized native iOS setup flow
Improved, intentional app marketing touchpoints across the registration journey
Look and feel aligned with the One GS design system
Refreshed App Store content
Outcomes
This project is currently in development. Check back for launch metrics.
