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Introducing Asynchronous Chat to the RBC Client App
Improving access to help, without the hold music.
16-week internship · UX Design · RBC Digital Team
The Problem
Additional Details
Team: 1 UX Designer and Shared UX Researcher
Timeline: 8 weeks
Tools: Figma, Mural, UserTesting.com, Jira
How can we help users resolve their issues faster?
Customers were frustrated with long wait times for support.
Existing self-serve help options in the app weren’t guiding users effectively to the support they needed. Many turned to calling the advice center even for minor queries, leading to overwhelming volumes and delayed service.
The Solution
Our team introduced asynchronous chat to the RBC app: a feature that allows users to connect with an advisor on their own time. The conversation continues even if the user closes the app or loses connection, letting them multitask and return when it's convenient.
This solution aimed to reduce dependency on the call center while empowering users with a more flexible support experience.
My Role
As a UX Design Intern, I was involved from start to finish:
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Conducted research and user testing
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Designed flows and UI for different scenarios
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Created and documented icons and components for the design system
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Built high-fidelity screens and prototypes
Design Process
From assumptions to action: a collaborative and iterative journey
Design Process for RBC Asynchronous Chat
Discover & Define
I kicked off the project by reviewing internal data from the advice center, identifying the top user-reported pain points. Through an assumption slam exercise, I mapped our hypotheses onto a certainty vs. risk grid, helping us prioritize which problems to solve first.
To validate and expand our understanding, I conducted competitive analysis, reviewing help experiences from major banks and service apps. Then, I tested the existing help menu with users, revealing confusion around navigation and frustration with slow response options.
I came away with clarity:
Users wanted access to real help—fast, and on their terms.
Assumption Mapping
Ideation
Armed with insights, I defined the “happy path”—a frictionless journey where users could discover chat, start a conversation, and receive support asynchronously.
I led ideation on chat features that would build trust and usability, including:
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Agent profile pictures
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Timestamped messages
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Conversation transcripts
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End-of-chat walkthroughs
I also explored multiple entry points—from the Help tab to contextual nudges during specific tasks—to ensure users could easily find and access the chat.
Happy Path Exploration
With my ideas aligned, I started sketching and wireframing. I focused on designing the full chat experience, including:
Design & Prototyping
I also created a set of custom icons for different services and designed chat UI components, which I later documented for the design system.
I translated wireframes into a clickable prototype using Figma to prepare for testing.
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Chat entry points
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First-time user onboarding (permissions, notifications)
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Wait-time scenarios and fallback options
Chat Entry Points
User Onboarding
I worked with the researcher to run usability tests with a prototype of the asynchronous chat. I helped craft the user test flows and analyzed user behavior and feedback.
Key learnings:
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Users appreciated the flexibility but needed clearer expectations around response times
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Onboarding needed to reassure users their issue wouldn’t get lost
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Visual cues (like agent profile and progress updates) improved trust
Testing & Iteration
I iterated on the flows, tweaked the microcopy, and refined the UI to better support user needs and business goals.
User Test Setup
Outcome & Learning
This project taught me how to design with empathy at scale—balancing business impact with user expectations, and learning how even small UI choices can shape trust.
While this was an internship project and I didn’t stay to see the final launch metrics, our feature was greenlit for development. The goal of reducing call center dependency while offering more user-centric support was well on its way.