Financial Wellbeing platform
Financial Wellbeing platform
Platform:
Mobile app
Year:
2022
Tools:
Figma, Typeform, User Interview, Maze, Dovetail, Miro
Key responsibilities:
UX research & usability testing Defining feature IA
Product design and UX artefacts
Support feature roadmap
Project overview
Aviva Financial Wellbeing is a flagship feature alongside the pension services in the Aviva MyWorkplace app. It boosts engagement by offering simple, personalised guidance and handy tools to help users manage their money concerns. As the lead designer, I teamed up with Aviva to shape the MVP through discovery, iterative design, and testing, then wrapping it up with a high-fidelity design handoff and all the supporting UX artefacts.
Problems definition
Despite a rich array of financial tools and useful content (think budgeting tools and investment advice), users were lost in the shuffle because there was no mechanism in place to help them navigate to the relevant information. As a result, many users coming to the app didn't engage and return, leading to weak performance in active users over the years.
Product north star
Empower corporate partners to become champions of financial wellbeing by providing their employees with trusted, free financial guidance and tools, which can also leverage Aviva reputation to build lasting relationships and drive engagement across other financial products and services.
Approach & methodology
Phase 01 - Discovery
Research & Validation
Conducted 15 user interviews across diverse segments.
Distributed 2 surveys gathering 293 responses to validate initial assumptions around user pains, gains, and needs.
Insights
- Identified that 92% of users were in favour of a single, integrated app for tracking pensions, accessing guidance, and utilising budgeting tools.
- 64% of participants expressed a desire to improve their financial situation but don’t want to discuss financial difficulties at work.
- Less than 13% participant using a digital product for their financial worries.
- 67% of participants interest in investing but don’t know where to start.
MVP segmentation
Simplified user segmentation into two main groups for MVP:
- Focused group: Less financially confident users needing clear, actionable guidance.
- Secondary group: Confident users seeking in-depth insights and tips.
Example persona for focused group
Empathy-driven design in fintech
When it comes to financial services, the aspect of empathy should be emphasised more. Among our competitors, Emma stands out for its use of AI to create a more conversational user experience, yet there remains a need for users to feel emotionally supported.
Phase 02 - Execution
Understand the challenges
Continuous learning from users
Employed a “test, learn, iterate” approach with 4 rounds of moderated usability tests (6 participants each) and 10 additional interviews.
Information architect
- Redesigned the sitemap and topic hierarchy to ensure a non-siloed structure that allowed seamless switching between tasks.
Iterative design sprints
- Led focused design sprints that moved the mindset from a features-first to a user-first perspective.
- Using both low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes to validate user flows and interaction patterns.
- Involved stakeholders in early design thinking and ideation workshops to manage expectations, and to capture additional insights and requirements.
Key achievements
Early personalisation methods
Developed an onboarding flow and interaction mechanisms (including swipe-based “fun facts” and incremental action planning) that captured users’ financial situations, which then suggest relevant recommendations.
Validation-driven design process
Integrated extensive qualitative and quantitative research to validate design decisions and refine user journeys, with more than 500 responses within 8 sprints, which demonstrated a clear impact on usability and stakeholder satisfaction.
Cross-functional collaboration
Collaborated closely with both Aviva stakeholders from different departments to shift the focus toward centralised platform, laying the groundwork for future product enhancements.
Key learnings
Tone & messaging
Using the right balance in tone and jargon free language can deliver empathy without being patronising, especially for vulnerable users.
User empowerment
Guiding users through reflective financial statements and incremental steps helped them feel more in control.
Iterative over incremental
Continuous testing and refinement were essential to reducing friction and enhancing the overall user experience.
Conclusion
This project underscores the critical role of empathetic design in fintech, demonstrating how understanding user needs leads to more personalised and effective solutions. By integrating both quantitative and qualitative research strategies into design sprints, we've established a robust foundation with validated user stories, enabling Aviva to deliver greater value to its corporate clients.