Technology

Building better investor experiences before they go live

October 06, 2026

AI-based digital twin technology can help Vanguard understand how investors may respond to a user experience before that experience has even gone live. By testing ideas earlier in the process than they traditionally would—and at an exponentially more rapid rate—teams can address potential sources of confusion and friction for investors.

Digital twin technology uses investor personas and scenario-based simulations to provide early insight into what may work for investors, what may be unclear to them, and where they might need more support.

The idea of using digital twins at Vanguard first emerged at a hackathon during the firm’s 2025 unlimITed technology conference. Since then, a dedicated team has continued working on ways of using digital twins to fold investor insight into product decisions earlier.

Bringing investor insight into decisions sooner

Traditional investor research remains essential, but it can take time and may not fit into every product decision. Digital twins can supplement that research by helping teams test more ideas.

Using investor personas grounded in data, teams can explore proposed web journeys, content, features, and offers in minutes. The simulations can point to unclear language, difficult steps, unmet needs, and moments that might lead investors to seek help.

For example, in one early-use case, digital twin testing helped validate features that allow investors to find cost-basis details on vanguard.com more efficiently and with fewer steps. In another, a team simulated how investors navigate Vanguard’s digital forms experience, identifying unclear paths, unsuccessful interactions, and other friction points before changes were introduced. In both instances, the insights gained early on helped teams make informed design decisions and refine the experiences before launch, giving investors clearer information, fewer frustrating steps, and digital interactions that better reflect their needs.

Digital twin technology doesn’t replace conversations with investors or other forms of research. It adds another way to challenge assumptions and make better-informed decisions behind the scenes, for the benefit of the investor.

Read the transcript

Peter Borysov, Ph.D.: A digital twin is a safe way to predict client preferences and behaviors and predict them early. The digital twins can walk through any client interactions and tell us what's working, what's confusing, or what might cause client to pick up a phone and call Vanguard. We can uncover things that are potentially problematic before they go live.

Ryan Kiser: So, we took a sample of 500 client comments. With our digital twins, we were able to get through 91% of the things our client said, our digital twins also said. That's months of client feedback that we collected, simulated—in just a matter of minutes.

Peter Borysov, Ph.D.: Twins don't replace talking with our clients. Rather, they give us an early insight into what's working and what's not. So that we can eliminate bad ideas very early in the process, and we can double down on the really good ideas.

Jes Koepfler, Ph.D.: Digital twins don't replace human-centered design. They give us the reach to practice it at scale and at the speed the business demands. That work, the insights work, the messy human work—it matters more than ever. Those are the people we're building for and that is our commitment. That their experience is not a detail. It is the whole point.

Building with investors in mind

As the technology develops, Vanguard is working to make investor-centered experimentation more accessible across the enterprise. The aim is to give more teams timely insight that helps them design useful experiences and make decisions with greater confidence.

“Digital twin technology reflects a broader theme across Vanguard: using technology with purpose. The goal is not to use technology for technology’s sake. It’s to make investor experiences clearer, easier, and more useful,” explained Nitin Tandon, Vanguard’s global chief information officer.

You can stay up to date on all Vanguard tech initiatives by visiting our technology hub.