That’s the challenge NC State Graphic & Experience Design students tackled when they partnered with the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT) to reimagine one of life’s most consequential moments: transferring knowledge and wealth between generations.

In fall and spring studio courses, graduate students and undergraduate seniors dove into the messy, emotional reality of these conversations. They mapped out when families actually initiate these critical talks, studied how people currently navigate wealth transfer, and identified the gaps where things break down.

Then they did what designers do best: they leaped into the future.

Let’s imagine financial experiences in 2036…..

Fidelity InSight: Financial Planning At A Glance

_{Designers: JOANNE PARK, TERRY DICKENS}

Channel: A Fidelity-Certified AI Influencer

_{Designers: JULIE MONJANEL-TOWNSEND | SIQI JIANG | KADAMMA JACKSON}

Sibyl: Plan, Predict, Prosper

_{Designers: SERAPHINA BIENIEK, ABBY HARRIS, JESSICA ZHU}

Quanta: Swap, Answer, Execute

_{Designers: VY HOANG, NATALIE JOLLEY, JIMMY RAMIREZ JACO}

Rhea: Adaptive Guidance, Smarter Conversations

_{Designers: KIMAYA CHOUGULE, KAI HELMS, AISHA RAJA}

Designing for 2032

Students prototyped speculative solutions for a world five to eight years ahead—a world where AI agents don’t just crunch numbers but actively participate in deeply personal family conversations. Through a rigorous 10-week human-centered research process, they created multiple concept experiences that pushed FCAT’s thinking about what’s possible.

The driving questions were deceptively simple but profoundly complex:

• How might AI transcend what even the best human financial advisor can offer?
• How could an intelligent agent seamlessly support customers across different moments and platforms during critical wealth transfer periods?
• What would it take for this tool to truly serve customers—and keep them with Fidelity—during life’s most pivotal transitions?

This is design at the edge of tomorrow. Students didn’t just create pretty interfaces; they grappled with questions about trust, agency, family dynamics, and the evolving role of technology in our most human moments. The result? Portfolio-worthy work that tackles real-world complexity for a Fortune 500 company—and explores what it means to design responsibly for an AI-powered future.