Making PNC the Bank of Choice for Hispanic Small Business Owners
12-week research sprint for PNC Bank's SMB strategy
AT A GLANCE
ROLE
Lead UX Researcher
Mixed Methods Strategist
TEAM
4-person interdisciplinary team (research, service design, strategy, ops)
TIMELINE
Jan – Jun 2025 (6 weeks)
SKILLS
Prototyping
Product strategy
OVERVIEW
OUTCOME:
Delivered a go-to Marketing Playbook + roadmap that translates insights into action, including: community pop-ups, Spanish-speaking teller coverage, quick loan calculator, and financial literacy workshops, with success metrics defined.
Projected impact: ~$1.5M annual revenue and a shift to relationship-driven growth.
ROLES AND METHODS:
60+ discovery interviews with Hispanic/Latino SMB owners, chambers of commerce, and banking SMEs
Field visits / contextual inquiry in shops and food venues to capture real workflows and trust signal
JTBD mapping + 5Es journey (Entice → Enter → Engage → Extend) to locate friction and opportunity across the lifecycle
Competitive analysis (Banco Popular, Chase, BoA vs. PNC) to benchmark cultural fluency, onboarding, and tools
Tool walkthrough, think aloud, qualitative interviews for testing
Market sizing & pilot selection (Texas) based on overlap of demand and PNC distribution
CHALLENGE:
First-time Hispanic/Latino founders can’t find a bank that feels like a partner.
Why it matters:
Food & Beverage is a top 3 sector for first-time founders
Trust and cultural fluency are the biggest barriers
Lack of bilingual support limits access
Texas is a strong fit to pilot and test solutions: