Standard Life

When it comes to planning for retirement, many of us want to stick our heads in the sand. We helped Standard Life launch a new, digital-first advice service that’s changing that.

Are you saving enough for your retirement? What kind of lifestyle will your money buy? And do you know how tax-free lump sums actually work?

Many of us find questions like these scary. This fear stops us from taking steps to get ready for retirement – which can mean we end up less well off.

Standard Life wanted to flip the script.

A five-minute income estimate

The overall goal was to help people begin planning for retirement, and point them to advice if they needed it.

Through extensive user testing and iteration, we landed on a core 5-minute online journey. By answering a few simple questions, people can get an estimate of their retirement income, and discover what they should be watching out for.

From there, they can speak to an adviser – or step away. Either way, they end up with a much better picture of their future.

Lowering barriers to entry

The key to success was to make the overall process less intimidating. We stripped away options, questions and details, to create a journey that didn’t feel overwhelming.

Initially, we hoped to banish pensions jargon entirely. But the research showed us that people hunted for terms like ‘tax-free cash’, even if they didn’t understand them. Dropping the jargon would create even more confusion. Instead, we explained these terms in a simple, approachable way.

This was a highly collaborative project, working alongside UX designers, developers, product owners and financial advisers over multiple releases. The service is now live – try it out for yourself.