The Context

    This comprehensive platform represents a paradigm shift in how super funds engage with their members, bringing together retirement planning, income strategies, and financial advice into one integrated digital ecosystem.

    The Problem

    Australia's superannuation industry faced a significant engagement crisis.

    Low member engagement:

    Only 23% of super fund members actively engaged with their retirement planning.

    Complex user journeys:

    Members struggled to navigate between disconnected systems for planning, advice, and income solutions.

    One-size-fits-all approach:

    Existing platforms failed to cater to diverse member needs and life stages.

    Team

  • Project manager
  • System architect
  • Business analyst
  • Subject matter experts
  • UX / UI Designer (Myself)
  • Developers

Design Process

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Scope and Constraints

  • Project Scope

    Phase 1 (MVP):

    Member dashboard and portfolio overview

    Retirement planning calculator

    Income projection tools

    Basic personalization features

  • Constraints

    Technical

    Integration with legacy super fund systems

    Regulatory compliance requirements (SIS Act, Design & Distribution Obligations)

    Stakeholder alignment across multiple super fund clients

    Accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.1 AA)

    Mainly focus Desktop application with responsive design

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Discovery & Research Phase


User Research Activities

  • Conducted 24 in-depth interviews with super fund members.
  • Analyzed existing user behavior data from 5 partner super funds.
  • Performed competitive analysis of 12 retirement planning platforms.

Key Research Insights

  • 78% of members found existing retirement calculators too complex.
  • Members wanted "scenario planning" capabilities for different retirement lifestyles.
  • Trust indicators essential for financial decision-making.
Design process

User Research

Primary Users

Super Fund Members (Ages 35-65)

  • Pre-retirees seeking retirement planning guidance.
  • Members approaching transition to retirement.
  • Retirees managing income strategies.

Secondary Users

Super Fund Administrators

  • Fund managers requiring member engagement insights.
  • Customer service representatives supporting members.
  • Compliance teams ensuring regulatory adherence.

User Persona

Through extensive research, I developed three core personas:

  • "Planning Paula" - 45-year-old professional seeking retirement clarity.
  • "Transition Tom" - 58-year-old approaching retirement needing income strategy.
  • "Active Alice" - 67-year-old retiree managing her pension draw-down.
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Information Architecture & Journey Mapping

Activities Completed

Developed comprehensive user journey maps for 3 core personas.

Created detailed information architecture spanning 45+ page templates.

Mapped cross-channel touchpoints and interaction patterns.

Designed service blueprints connecting member-facing and back-office processes.


Key Deliverables

Member journey maps with pain points and opportunity identification.

Cross-platform experience flow diagrams.

Stakeholder alignment workshops resulting in unanimous approval.

Design process

Design and Prototyping Phase I

Initial low fidelity prototyping




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Design and Prototyping Phase II

Wireframing & Prototyping

Created 150+ wireframes using Figma.

Developed interactive prototypes for 8 core user flows.

Built responsive design system with 45 components.

Established comprehensive UI pattern library.


Design System Development

Created modular component library ensuring consistency across super funds.

Developed accessibility-first design patterns.

Built design tokens for seamless developer handoff.

Design process

    Outcomes and Lessons

    User Experience

    Members reported feeling "more confident" about retirement planning.

    Simplified complex financial concepts into digestible, actionable insights.

    Created seamless multi-channel experience across web and mobile.

    Established new benchmark for retirement platform usability in Australian market.

    Design System Impact.

    Accelerated future feature development by 40%.

    Enabled consistent experience across multiple super fund brands.

    Reduced design debt and improved development efficiency.

    Financial UX

    Discovered that transparency in calculations and clear data sources significantly increased user confidence.

    Implemented progressive disclosure techniques to build trust gradually.

    Learned that "show your work" approach resonates strongly with financial services users.