The Challenge
At a glance, the concept of “sharing access” on my organization's site seemed straightforward—but a deeper look revealed a pattern of confusion for users. Specifically, members weren’t always sure what they were sharing, or with whom. Were they giving someone access to their products, or to their personal online account?
The term “account” was doing too much—used to mean both an individual financial product (like a retirement or investment account) and someone’s online user profile. This ambiguity wasn’t just a problem on our site—it showed up across the industry. But that didn’t mean we had to settle for it.
My Approach
I focused on eliminating the “account = product” confusion by choosing clearer, more purposeful language.
I started by mapping the different contexts in which “account” was used, surfacing places where it could easily be misunderstood. I then partnered with product to align on terminology that reflected what users were actually doing when they shared information. My goal was to help users confidently understand that they were delegating view-only access to specific products—not handing over control of their full personal online account.
Along the way, I balanced clarity with consistency. I explored where it made sense to reuse terms for familiarity, and where doing so would only add to the confusion. In those cases, I advocated for clarity over consistency, choosing terms that were unambiguous, even if they varied slightly from legacy wording elsewhere on the site.
Why It Matters
- Clear language builds user confidence and control
- Distinguishing “product access” from “online account” prevents frustration
- Thoughtful wording builds trust where industry language falls short
- Clarity over consistency improves understanding in sensitive moments
- - Supports a more accessible, transparent experience
The Result
This work laid a strong foundation for a clearer, more user-friendly experience around product sharing. By focusing on precise language and context-specific terminology, I helped my department think more critically about how access is communicated—and where small word choices can make a big impact. This work will continue to support clearer, more confident interactions with clients.