AustralianSuper is Australia’s largest super fund, and the 18th largest pension fund in the world. They manage over $341 billion of retirement savings on behalf of over 3.4 million members; safeguarding the retirement future for over 1 out of every 10 Australians.

Project Overview

Redesign of the mobile app for AustralianSuper, the country's largest superannuation fund, to simplify complex financial information and improve user engagement.

The Challenge

As Design Lead at AKQA Millipede I was primarily responsible for refining the existing UI and UX of the v1 mobile app, such as the redesign of the member home screen, and revamped transaction histories. However we had the opportunity to design and develop wholly new features, such as introducing a streamlined and informative onboarding journey, and the introduction of a voluntary contributions tool. While these enhancements were significant according to both user testing insights and a significant increase in both AppStore reviews and unique user signups, they underscored a pressing need to progress from v1 to a more comprehensive v2 app.

My Role

As the UI Lead and Product Owner (UI) , I was responsible for:

• Key stakeholder management and presentation & pitching

• UI & UX review lead

• UI & UX design lead
  Overseeing the design team and ensuring UI design consistency

• Conducting user research and usability testing

• Collaborating with stakeholders to define product requirements

• Scheduling the product backlog and prioritising features

• Roadmap planning and budgeting

• Liaising between design, development, and business teams

Self-Initiated Review

Recognizing that AustralianSuper needed to modernize their mobile app to meet the evolving needs of their 3.4 million members, I initiated an internal review of the existing app. We had inherited the v1 app from the original developers, and whilst functional, it was outdated, difficult to navigate, failed to provide members with easy access to crucial financial information and was increasingly difficult to maintain as a software product.

As a result, I initiated a comprehensive internal review, to assess the iOS and Android app's performance across various aspects including UX patterns, user feedback, UI considerations (such as component consistency, affordance and scalability), navigation, typography, color usage, imagery and brand experience. With the results of my team’s in-depth analysis, we produced a report that clearly laid out insights into the current app’s strengths and weaknesses. 

A Future Concept

From these insights, our next step was to reimagine the app concept, as a companion piece to the review. Our goal was to create an initial proof-of-concept that demonstrated to AustralianSuper that increased investment in the app would address specific user issues, improve overall usability, increase engagement, improve scalability and reduce the burden on customer support and grow the value of member superannuation accounts. This proactive approach allowed us to present a compelling case for why AKQA Millipede should take a larger role in shaping the future of the AustralianSuper app.

Our efforts paid off.

The client was impressed with our initiative and the quality of our proposed solutions. As a result, AKQA Millipede was awarded the project to develop the v2 app. This new version would be a powerful tool, better serving AustralianSuper's massive member base by providing an intuitive interface, improved navigation, and easier access to critical financial information. Through this project, we not only expanded our responsibilities but also added significant value to the AustralianSuper account, showcasing our ability to transform complex financial tools into user-friendly digital experiences.

The Process

Our approach combined rigorous user research with agile development methodologies:

Discovery & Research

• Deep UX/UI assessment of v1 mobile app

• Conducted interviews with Australian Super members and staff

• Analyzed user behavior data from the v1 app

• Reviewed competitor apps and industry best practices

Design & Prototyping

• Created user personas and journey maps

• Developed low and high-fidelity wireframes

• Built interactive prototypes for user testing

Testing & Iteration

• Conducted usability testing with target user groups

• Iterated designs based on user feedback and stakeholder input

• Performed A/B testing on key features

Development & Launch

• Worked closely with developers to ensure design integrity

• Conducted regular sprint reviews and backlog refinement

• Oversaw beta testing and phased rollout

Key Features

• Personalized dashboard with at-a-glance account overview

• Simplified investment options and easy fund switching

• Secure document upload and management

• Interactive retirement planning tools

• Push notifications for important account updates

"AustralianSuper made it very easy for me to move to them as a Super provider. Its website and app are modern, easy to use and have a very good design. This leads to an excellent user experience. I can see my Super contributions and amount over the years. My investments are clearly and cleanly called out, and I can go into those to change my investment options. I can see my returns, and change settings such as insurance cover, beneficiaries and more. It's the best Super app that I've used, and my Super has low fees and solid returns."

Joe Waller, Finder

$1,000,000 in the first month of release

Australian’s are able to grow their super by making extra payments, and even small amounts add up over time. We designed, tested and integrated a voluntary contributions facility into the app. The feature saw quick adoption with users and the voluntary contribution of more than $1million in the first month exceeded our expectations.