Norfolk Southern ModernizationCreating an employee portal for a connected future
Business Problem & Objective
Business Problem: Norfolk Southern was a 200 year old company in need of a brand refresh to appeal to attract younger employees.
Objective: Start with a brand refresh to elevate the look and feel and then apply the updated style to a modernized employee portal where individuals can do everything from onboarding to learning about their benefits.
What We Did
Created a E2E Service Design & Website Modernization Discovery Readout synthesizing stakeholder interviews, competitive benchmarks, personas, and journeys to establish core themes.
Designed and iterated upon Homepage, top‑level pages for Business Banking, Investment Banking, Private Banking, Treasury, Brand Promise, Tombstone/Case Study cards, and the in‑page lead‑capture highlight.
Conducted a Content Audit & Analysis of 74 webpages to identify gaps, opportunities across journeys, messaging, content strategy, and SEO. Recommended a persona-driven experience with stronger storytelling, improved CTAS, richer formats, and targeted SEO optimizations.
Outlined a three-phase roadmap (Discover/E2E Service Design , Define & Design & Build) to guide planning and delivery of future Epics.
Outcomes
Provided thought leadership and industry-led POVs regarding Navigation, SEO, and feature recommendations.
Enablement for future phases with a roadmap approach driven by future-state focus areas: Navigation, Brand Promise, Validation via Tombstones, & Lead Capture.
Leveraged stakeholder interviews to uncover key themes for future-state vision:
Credibility and Sophistication are Key: The digital presence should validate the bank’s credibility and signal parity with top-tier firms.
Clear, Consistent Storytelling Across Channels: Messaging must align between in-person and digital touchpoints to reinforce trust and continuity.
Client-Centric Solutions and Trust Signals: Demonstrate how the bank’s solves complex problems with bespoke solutions.
Technology Forward, Easy Navigation: Position the bank as innovative yet stable, ensuring intuitive navigation, scannable content, and future-proof terminology.
Tailored Journeys & Integrated Offerings: Highlight integrated pathways between investment banking and private wealth to emphasize cross-sell advantages.