Taking an annuity firm from paper to digital
Real company, fake name
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Introduction
Introduction
An annuity / finance institution reached out to our team to digitize their customer experience. Prior to this, their entire purchase journey was completed using offline forms and on calls. This caused long waiting times and lot of manual labor.
An annuity / finance institution reached out to our team to digitize their customer experience. Prior to this, their entire purchase journey was completed using offline forms and on calls. This caused long waiting times and lot of manual labor.
My role
To lead the design efforts of the project including research, creating a design system, creating flows, information architectures and interface design.
To lead the design efforts of the project including research, creating a design system, creating flows, information architectures and interface design.
Due to a NDA, this project has a lot of information omitted
Team
This was an intensive small team effort over 3 months with the following team:
This was an intensive small team effort over 3 months with the following team:
1 design
manager
1 design
manager
2 senior
designers
2 senior
designers
2 junior
designers
2 junior
designers
Design Process
Design Process
This was a 0-1 design project that required validation and go ahead from branding, users, legal and marketing teams and C-suite, so we followed a multi step approach to our design.
This was a 0-1 design project that required validation and go ahead from branding, users, legal and marketing teams and C-suite, so we followed a multi step approach to our design.
Outcome
Outcome
15+
Workshops completed
Workshops completed
18+
Forms digitised
Forms digitised
16
End-to-end processes converted from manual to automated
End-to-end processes converted from manual to automated
41
Sub process identified and worked on
Sub process identified and worked on
80+
Screens designed for various scenarios across portals
Screens designed for various scenarios across portals
12
Months worth of coffee consumed
Months worth of coffee consumed
Discovery workshops
Discovery workshops
To understand the domain and the company’s requirements, offerings, constraints and background we ran workshops.
Here we understood
our user personas: investors, advisers, office users
task prioritization for our personas
company specific terminology
technological and legal constraints since this was in the finance domain
company’s goals and preferences for the design
To understand the domain and the company’s requirements, offerings, constraints and background we ran workshops.
Here we understood
our user personas: investors, advisers, office users
task prioritization for our personas
company specific terminology
technological and legal constraints since this was in the finance domain
company’s goals and preferences for the design
The company had also contracted a branding studio that was responsible for defining the colour palette, icons and illustration style for the portals.
The company had also contracted a branding studio that was responsible for defining the colour palette, icons and illustration style for the portals.
Defining prioritized functional end to end processes
Defining prioritized functional end to end processes
Through the discovery workshops we identified 16 in scope functional end to end processes that were foundational for a good user experience on launch of their investor and advisor portals
Through the discovery workshops we identified 16 in scope functional end to end processes that were foundational for a good user experience on launch of their investor and advisor portals
Creating system diagrams for cross team understanding
Creating system diagrams for cross team understanding
Since we were collaborating with multiple companies for data processing across the portals, we workshopped system diagrams for clear understanding of how the data was moving through the front end and back end. (blurred for NDA)
Since we were collaborating with multiple companies for data processing across the portals, we workshopped system diagrams for clear understanding of how the data was moving through the front end and back end. (blurred for NDA)
The goal was to create a digital experience that provided seamless customer experience.
The goal was to create a digital experience that provided seamless customer experience.
Mapping out investor and adviser user journeys
Mapping out investor and adviser user journeys
Design System
Design System
We created a robust design system consisting of reusable components, guidelines for brand voice, visual design specs and interaction design to ensure consistency and cohesiveness in the visual and interactive aspects of the brand.
We also focused on being Australian Disability Discrimination Act compliant and focused on accessibility.
We created a robust design system consisting of reusable components, guidelines for brand voice, visual design specs and interaction design to ensure consistency and cohesiveness in the visual and interactive aspects of the brand.
We also focused on being Australian Disability Discrimination Act compliant and focused on accessibility.
What we delivered
A modern and personalized experience
A modern and personalized experience
We created a consistent, action oriented dashboard for investors and advisers which allows them to purchase policies, find the right info easily and track their investment portfolios.
The biggest challenge was building trust by making it easy for users to understand (especially since the primary users of annuities are retirees) complex forms and provide them all the information they needed and making the core processes accessible on mobile devices
We created a consistent, action oriented dashboard for investors and advisers which allows them to purchase policies, find the right info easily and track their investment portfolios.
The biggest challenge was building trust by making it easy for users to understand (especially since the primary users of annuities are retirees) complex forms and provide them all the information they needed and making the core processes accessible on mobile devices
Advisor & Investor Dashboards
Annuity purchase journeys (Investor and Adviser led)
The interviews, insights and other confidential information related to this project cannot be shared.
My learnings
My learnings
This was my first time working in the finance domain and I had to deal with a lot of back and forth with legal teams to ensure compliance with Australian laws.
Working with other teams contracted by the client to understand the complex data management and processing for security and compliance.
I also had to push back against stakeholders and define project process for the first time because conflicting feedback from different departments from the client side was causing delays in deliverables and repetitive work.
Team management and timeline defining with this project being the first time I led a team of junior designers.
This was my first time working in the finance domain and I had to deal with a lot of back and forth with legal teams to ensure compliance with Australian laws.
Working with other teams contracted by the client to understand the complex data management and processing for security and compliance.
I also had to push back against stakeholders and define project process for the first time because conflicting feedback from different departments from the client side was causing delays in deliverables and repetitive work.
Team management and timeline defining with this project being the first time I led a team of junior designers.
