Key financial insights are often buried in a long, scrolling feed, making it hard to get quick answers to important questions. This project set out to solve a simple problem: how can we make all of a user's financial data instantly accessible and easy to understand?

This conceptual project reimagines the CIBC mobile experience by introducing Smart Search, an AI-powered feature designed to transform the app from a passive record of transactions into a proactive, conversational financial guide.

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Valuable insights, such as spending comparisons and budget alerts, were lost in a long, chronological feed alongside low-priority notifications.

The app's search function was limited to articles, leaving users with no way to ask a direct question or find a specific insight from the past.

This disconnect between having valuable data and a user's ability to easily access it was the core problem to solve.

To inform the solution, inspiration was drawn from how leading technology companies like YouTube and Reddit are successfully integrating generative AI.

The key takeaway was that the best AI experiences are not just search bars; they are context-aware, guided, and action-oriented.

This research shaped the core design principles: the Smart Search must understand the user's context, guide them with smart suggestions, and empower them to take immediate action.

The solution was to introduce Smart Search, a new AI-powered hub that acts as a conversational layer on top of the existing "Insights" engine.

It transforms the experience from a passive feed into an interactive guide.

The real power of the feature, however, is in how it answers. The AI's response is a multi-layered interaction designed to provide insight and encourage action, closing the loop between awareness and a user's financial goals.

This project demonstrated that great design isn't always about creating new features, but about unlocking the value of what already exists.

By introducing an intelligent, conversational search layer, the CIBC app can evolve from a place where users passively receive information to a place where they can actively seek it out and take control of their financial journey.

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