Case Study 3

Transforming Nest Pensions' Digital Experience: A Scalable UX Approach

Role: UX Designer

Client: Nest Pensions (UK)

Period: March 2022 - December 2022

Overview

Nest Pensions, a leading UK pension provider, embarked on a digital transformation initiative to modernize its customer portals and improve the user experience for a broad demographic. This project required balancing usability, accessibility, and business needs while maintaining design consistency across multiple digital platforms.

Challenges & Goals

Key Challenges:

Diverse User Base: The digital experience needed to be intuitive for users ranging from tech-savvy millennials to older individuals less familiar with online services.
Consistency Across Platforms: Ensuring a seamless experience across desktop, mobile, and internal business tools.
Complex Collaboration: Working with multiple teams, including business analysts, developers, and stakeholders, across a large-scale project.
Balancing Stakeholder Priorities: Aligning business objectives with user needs without compromising usability.

Project Goals:

Enhance the accessibility and usability of the Nest Pensions platform.
Establish a scalable and consistent design approach.
Streamline the collaboration process between UX teams and business analysts.

My Role & Responsibilities

As a UX Designer, my contributions included:

Requirement Gathering: Collaborated with business analysts to define and document functional and non-functional requirements.
UI/UX Design & Prototyping: Designed high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, ensuring responsive layouts and visual consistency.
Stakeholder Collaboration: Worked closely with Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Agile Release Train (ART) teams to refine user flows and incorporate feedback.
Design Handover & Implementation: Developed comprehensive design guidelines and facilitated a smooth transition to development teams.

[Insert a timeline infographic illustrating phases of design and implementation]

Approach & Methodology

Design & Prototyping
- Created interactive prototypes in Figma, prioritizing accessibility and consistency.
- Ensured designs adhered to brand guidelines and user needs.
Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Facilitated workshops and feedback sessions to align business objectives with UX goals.
- Conducted playbacks with stakeholders to validate designs, ensuring alignment before development and gathering early feedback to refine iterations effectively.
- Regularly participated in Agile ceremonies to ensure seamless collaboration with developers and analysts.

Key Deliverables

High-Fidelity Prototypes: Created and refined wireframes and user flows for desktop and mobile experiences.
End-to-End User Journeys: Developed UI kits and component libraries to ensure design consistency.
Accessibility Enhancements: Implemented WCAG 2.1 AA standards to ensure inclusivity.

Impact & Results

The improved platform provided a more seamless and intuitive experience for users, enhancing navigation and accessibility.
The design system introduced a more scalable and maintainable approach for future iterations.
Stronger collaboration between UX and business teams led to a more aligned and efficient product development process.

Personal Achievement

My involvement in this project strengthened my ability to navigate large-scale digital transformations. By bridging the gap between business objectives and user needs, I ensured that the design remained both user-centric and scalable. The project reinforced the importance of collaboration, iterative refinement, and accessibility in enterprise UX design.

Reflections & Learnings

Inclusive Design is Essential: Designing for diverse demographics requires deep collaboration and iteration.
Collaboration Accelerates Innovation: Engaging cross-functional teams early results in more effective solutions.
Scalability Matters: Establishing a unified design system ensures long-term consistency and efficiency.

This project exemplified the power of user-centered design, strategic collaboration, and scalable UX solutions in large enterprise settings