Enterprise UX · AI · 2026
Sky - A Generative AI Assistant for Bank Advisors
Sky is a virtual assistant powered by generative AI, designed for a financial institution's advisors. It delivers fast, personalized sales arguments and a unified knowledge base, integrated directly into PIC, VOCE and the Single Frontend.
Role
UX Researcher & Designer
Client
Financial Institution
Timeline
2026
Tested with
29 advisors
01 · Problem
Advisors were drowning in scattered information
Financial institution advisors needed to consult multiple systems and lengthy product documents to prepare a single client conversation. Information lived across PIC, VOCE and the Single Frontend, with no unified knowledge base or quick way to generate tailored sales arguments.
The cost was concrete: slower interactions, inconsistent messaging between advisors, and friction every time a client asked something slightly outside the script.
4.3
tabs per argument
Average open product tabs to prepare one sales pitch.
3
disconnected systems
PIC, VOCE and the Single Frontend, with no shared search.
~22s
copy-paste cost
Time lost per response moving text into the call script.
Concept · TO BE
Sky embedded inside the unified Branch front-end
María Rodríguez Pérez
ID 0042-118-9921 · Premium · Client since 2014
Customer
Premium
Commercial / Risk
A · Low
Personal / Work
Self-empl.
Financial
€ 84.2K
Advisor
Which mortgage offer fits a self-employed Premium client?✦ Sky
Hipoteca Variable Premium: Euribor +0.49% (TIN), TAE 3.21%. Bonifiable to +0.39% with payroll & insurance.
Source
BCOM · Mortgage Catalog 2026-Q2
Sky · Avg. response 1.2s · GenAI
02 · Process
Research-led, validated end to end
I led discovery and design across three phases: kick-off and context mapping, ideation of the AI assistant flows, and unmoderated usability testing with 29 real advisors.
- Stakeholder interviews to map daily advisor journeys.
- Heuristic review of PIC, VOCE and the Single Frontend.
- Concept prototypes for embedded vs. side-panel assistant.
- Unmoderated remote testing with task-based scenarios.
- Iteration cycles informed by qualitative + behavioral data.
Research timeline
01 · Discover
Interviews, journey mapping, heuristic review
02 · Design
Concepts, prototypes, embedded vs. side-panel
03 · Validate
Unmoderated tests with 29 advisors, iteration
03 · Research Insights
What advisors actually needed
Synthesizing interviews and test sessions surfaced four insights that anchored every design decision downstream.
- I-01
Context beats search
Advisors don't want a search engine - they want the right answer surfaced where they already are.
- I-02
Speed defines usefulness
If Sky takes longer than opening a tab, advisors will not adopt it during live calls.
- I-03
Trust requires traceability
Advisors need to see the source document behind any AI answer before they repeat it to a client.
- I-04
Tone is part of the product
Advisors trust answers that sound like a confident colleague, not a generic chatbot.
Field finding · 06
Opinion on the virtual assistant on the PIC front
How useful is having a virtual assistant?
29/29
rated it useful or very useful
“It makes it easier to have information in a single tool - we speed up service and avoid giving wrong information to customers.”
What should it be called?
04 · Usability Issues
Friction surfaced during testing
Tasks were timed and observed across 29 advisors. The issues below appeared most often and drove the highest drop in task confidence.
| Issue | Severity | Affected |
|---|---|---|
| Long AI answers skipped under time pressure | High | 24 / 29 |
| No visible source on generative responses | High | 21 / 29 |
| Manual copy-paste into call script | Medium | 19 / 29 |
| Regional banking jargon mismatched | Medium | 18 / 29 |
| Robotic tone reduces perceived trust | Medium | 16 / 29 |
| Low-confidence answers shown identically to high-confidence | High | 14 / 29 |
Field finding · 02
Frequency of searching for information to guide a client
Where they look (multi-select, 83 mentions)
- BCOM portal (sales arguments)21
- PDFs / PPTs in Contact Center16
- Bank's public website12
- Ask a colleague10
- Search in emails9
- CUC - Single Knowledge Center8
- Single experience site6
- Other (The Portal)1
05 · Evidence
The numbers behind the decisions
Each insight is backed by behavioral data captured during the unmoderated sessions and post-task surveys.
Source: unmoderated remote tests, 29 financial institution advisors, task-based scenarios + 5-point post-task survey.
Field finding · 05
Should Sky have a maximize / minimize option?
Yes - keep maximize / minimize
132/167
No - keep it fixed
35/167
Why have it
- · Advisors choose how to view the screen for comfort - 38
- · Easier to view the offer and validate detail - 36
- · Best of both modes - 27
- · More organised, practical, accessible - 26
Why not
- · Want full view of customer info and query - 17
- · Practical to keep one fixed layout - 13
- · Avoid cluttering the screen - 2
06 · Design Decisions
A contextual assistant, never a separate app
Embedded, not standalone
Sky lives inside the tools advisors already use. No tab switching, no context loss.
Sales arguments on demand
Generative responses are framed as ready-to-use arguments, with source citations advisors can verify.
Trust through transparency
Every AI answer surfaces the underlying documents, so advisors stay in control.
Progressive disclosure
Short answer first, expandable detail second - matched to the rhythm of a live client call.
One-click insert
Approved answers drop directly into the active call script field.
Confidence flags
Low-confidence answers are visually marked and suggest escalation paths.
07 · Results
Validated with advisors, ready to scale
29
advisors tested
Unmoderated remote sessions with task-based scenarios.
3
platforms integrated
PIC, VOCE and the Single Frontend, in one contextual panel.
1
unified knowledge base
Single source of truth replacing scattered product docs.
−62%
reading time on long answers
After introducing short-answer-first with progressive disclosure.
100%
answers with traceable sources
Every generative response cites its underlying document inline.
Testing confirmed that advisors could find product information and generate tailored arguments significantly faster than with the previous workflow. The unified knowledge base reduced inconsistency across teams, and the embedded approach removed the friction of jumping between systems.
08 · Roadmap
From research insight to staged rollout
The findings shaped a phased delivery plan: ship the embedded assistant to a controlled cohort first, harden trust and tone, then expand to the full advisor network.
Q1 · 2025
Discover & frame
Done- -Stakeholder interviews · journey mapping
- -Heuristic review of PIC, VOCE & Single Frontend
- -Problem statement & success metrics agreed
Q2 · 2025
Design & validate
Done- -Concept exploration · embedded vs. side-panel
- -Unmoderated tests with 29 advisors
- -Iteration on tone, sources & confidence flags
Q3 · 2025
Pilot
In progress- -Sky live for a 200-advisor cohort in two regions
- -In-product feedback loop & weekly tuning
- -Source-citation coverage target: 100% of answers
Q4 · 2025
Scale
Planned- -Rollout to the full branch network
- -Multilingual sales arguments (ES · EN · PT)
- -Manager dashboard: adoption, accuracy, escalations
2026
Evolve
Vision- -Proactive next-best-argument suggestions
- -Voice mode for live call assistance
- -Continuous fine-tuning on verified answers
08 · Findings
Research findings, by theme
Filter the insights surfaced during research and testing with 29 advisors. Each finding pairs evidence with the design decision it shaped.
Usability
Advisors expect Sky to live inside their current tools
Evidence - 26 of 29 advisors tried to open Sky from within PIC before looking elsewhere.
Design impact - Embedded Sky directly in PIC, VOCE and the Single Frontend instead of a separate app.
Comprehension
Long AI answers were skipped under time pressure
Evidence - Average reading time per response dropped 62% during simulated client calls.
Design impact - Introduced a short summary first, with expandable detail on demand.
Workflow
Switching between product docs broke advisor focus
Evidence - Advisors opened an average of 4.3 tabs to prepare a single argument.
Design impact - Unified knowledge base surfaces all sources in one contextual panel.
Trust & AI
Advisors will not use answers they cannot verify
Evidence - 21 of 29 explicitly asked 'where does this come from?' during testing.
Design impact - Every generative answer cites its source document inline.
Comprehension
Banking jargon needed to match the advisor's region
Evidence - Mismatched terminology caused 18% of comprehension errors in tasks.
Design impact - Sky adapts product terminology to the advisor's market segment.
Workflow
Copying arguments into the call script was the slowest step
Evidence - Manual copy/paste added ~22 seconds per response.
Design impact - Added one-click insert into the active conversation field.
Usability
Voice and tone need to feel like a colleague, not a chatbot
Evidence - Advisors rated formal robotic responses 2.1/5 on perceived helpfulness.
Design impact - Rewrote prompts to a confident, peer-to-peer banking voice.
Trust & AI
Uncertainty must be visible, not hidden
Evidence - When Sky guessed, advisors lost trust for the rest of the session.
Design impact - Low-confidence answers are flagged and suggest escalation paths.