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Rami Omran
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All workCanada Life · Oct 2018 – Mar 2021

Design LeaderOct 2018 – Mar 2021Ontario

Canada Life

The problem
Plan members were not contributing and saving for their retirement and other financial goals. We talked to them to understand why.
My role
Design Leader, 2018 to 2021. I led the Group Customer design team for Wealth Management and directed the ground-up redesign of the group retirement apps through the move to one Canada Life brand.

Headline results

  • $43Mrevenue uplift, up 90%
  • 75%rise in customer satisfaction
  • WMA2020 Web/Mobile Award for outstanding achievement

Context

Starting from zero.

Great-West Life ran workplace retirement plans for employers across Canada: over 24,000 plans. The product was the Group Retirement Services application, GRS, on mobile and web.

I joined in October 2018 to lead the design team for Group Customer, the digital labs of Wealth Management, and to bring design thinking into how the company works. We restarted the retirement apps from zero while three companies became one Canada Life, legally on January 1, 2020.

  • 24K+group retirement and savings plans
  • 20%market share in group capital accumulation plans
  • 47%of Canadians know how much to save for retirement
  • 70%of Canadians worry they aren't saving enough

Research

Empathy through research.

We talked to plan members to understand why they are not contributing and saving for their retirement and other financial goals, to businesses (plan sponsors) and consultants (sales) to understand their challenges, and we researched members' and sponsors' journeys with our digital products.

In design thinking workshops with design, business, marketing and tech teams, we formed research themes from the research insights.

The research wall: clusters of sticky notes in marker loops, the notes drawn blank. In red marker: Hands ON, Hands Off, IPQ, Awareness and Rogue. In blue marker: Confidence & control, functional, Won’t learn, and one cluster marked X. Written beside Hands Off: Fund Risk and Return; Investment Mgt. Fee; Unit value of fund; Invest. performance on fund; Historical performance 1-3-10; Funds percentage in plan. The team’s note, in blue marker with a question mark and a two-headed arrow: Hands-On members want the functionality and info to be confident and in-control.

Hands-On members want the functionality and info to be confident and in-control

?

Hands ON

Hands Off

  • Fund Risk and Return
  • Investment Mgt. Fee
  • Unit value of fund
  • Invest. performance on fund
  • Historical performance 1-3-10
  • Funds percentage in plan

Confidence & control

functional

IPQ

Awareness

Rogue

Won’t learn

X

The research wall: its clusters, the team’s note and the list beside Hands Off

The questions

Problem statements from the themes.

We defined problem statements from the research themes: personalized content and info, the hands-off member and the right resource, personalized investment info and guidance, and contextual information at the transactional level.

Four problem statements, written on index cards.

  1. Problem statement

    How might we assure that we are offering personalized content & info?

  2. Problem statement

    How might we identify the Hands-off member and motivate them and align to the right resource?

  3. Problem statement

    How might we provide personalized investment info and guidance?

  4. Problem statement

    How might we offer contextual information/data and guidance at the “transactional” level?

The four problem statements, on their cards

Ideas

Ideas, a vote, then two posters.

Design, business, marketing and tech teams brainstormed solutions under each problem statement and voted on the ideas. We visualized two on concept posters, Goal Based, Data Customization and Guardrails, and voted on the final ideas.

The idea board: four columns, each under a problem statement on a yellow index card, with sticky notes in yellow, mint and pink beneath, some of them blank. Under How might we assure that we are offering personalized content & info? Benchmarking!; Questionnaire; Hands off, Hands on, exp1, exp2; Language preference; Ability to share (limited) amount of account info (advisor, FA, spouse, etc) to help decide. Under How might we identify the Hands-off member and motivate them and align to the right resource? Show them; Show loss/ what they are missing out on; Rewards/ recognition; Habit Identity A.I.; Engagement Challenge!; E-mail Reminders; Push notification of deposits; Prompt members with articles + advice based on their prior activity; All risks made clear. Under How might we provide personalized investment info and guidance? Alerts!; All risks disclosed; Intelligent Alerts! use AI; Intelligent Warnings use AI; Pop up/Chat feature - if they look like they are searching for something; Visual fund Performance; Fund/personal R.O.R; Learn WHY? when drop in R.O.R; T.D.F visual and info; Allow members to contact online investment coach through Chat; IPQ Risk visualization & briefing. Under How might we offer contextual information/data and guidance at the “transactional” level? Recurring Risk Assessment; Warnings!; Intelligent guidance and access to info; Feed back to Give & Get; Market info; News section; Clear risks and disclosure explained.

  1. Problem statement

    How might we assure that we are offering personalized content & info?

    • Benchmarking!

    • Questionnaire

    • Hands offHands onexp1exp2

    • Language preference

    • Ability to share (limited) amount of account info (advisor, FA, spouse, etc) to help decide

  2. Problem statement

    How might we identify the Hands-off member and motivate them and align to the right resource?

    • Show them

    • Show loss/ what they are missing out on

    • Rewards/ recognition

    • Habit Identity A.I.

    • Engagement Challenge!

    • E-mail Reminders

    • Push notification of deposits

    • Prompt members with articles + advice based on their prior activity

    • All risks made clear

  3. Problem statement

    How might we provide personalized investment info and guidance?

    • Alerts!

    • All risks disclosed

    • Intelligent Alerts! use AI

    • Intelligent Warnings use AI

    • Pop up/Chat feature - if they look like they are searching for something

    • Visual fund Performance

    • Fund/personal R.O.R

    • Learn WHY? when drop in R.O.R

    • T.D.F visual and info

    • Allow members to contact online investment coach through Chat

    • IPQ Risk visualization & briefing

  4. Problem statement

    How might we offer contextual information/data and guidance at the “transactional” level?

    • Recurring Risk Assessment

    • Warnings!

    • Intelligent guidance and access to info

    • Feed back to Give & Get

    • Market info

    • News section

    • Clear risks and disclosure explained

The idea board under the four problem statements

Two concept posters, the workshop template filled in by hand. Poster one. What is the concept called: Goal Based, Data Customization. Who is it for: Some one Registered for GRS. What problem does it solve: Selecting investments personalized to Personal Goals. What is the big idea: Taking Action. How it works: four boxes, first time log-in, Sponsor Triggered, Plan Review and Before doing Transaction, each with an arrow onto Investments. Then personalized Goals: your goals?, two ticked lines; Financial knowledge? yes, ticked, or No; Risk Tolerance, a ticked line; Retirement, ticked; goal Based; eg goals: RESP. An arrow to fund 1 20%, fund 2 40% and fund 3 40%, a pie, fund MIX, and Add Guardrails (2). Below, Accept fund selection, and No, select Manual. Poster two. What is the concept called: Guardrails. Who is it for: Active Investors (incl. Default). What problem does it solve: Increase Confidence. What is the big idea: Take action. customized guardrails to personalized Goals! How it works, under Portfolio, struck through, Guard RAILs: Short-Term Goal, Add Guardrail. My portfolio, four fund rows with percentages, an arrow to Alert if drops 10%. Automatic: if drops 10%, move to D.I.A, and *Pre communication to stop, 1 day, 2 day or 3 day: how much they have to stop the action.

Concept Poster

What is the concept called?

Goal Based, Data Customization

Who is it for?

Some one Registered for GRS

What problem does it solve?

Selecting investments personalized to Personal Goals.

What is the big idea?

Taking Action

Illustrate how it works

  • first time log-in
  • Sponsor Triggered
  • Plan Review
  • Before doing Transaction

Investments

personalized Goals

your goals?

Financial knowledge?

yesNo

Risk Tolerance

Retirement

goal Based

eg goals: RESP,

  • fund 120%
  • fund 240%
  • fund 340%

fund MIX

Add Guardrails (2)
Accept fund selectionNo, select Manual

Concept Poster

What is the concept called?

Guardrails

Who is it for?

Active Investors (incl. Default)

What problem does it solve?

Increase Confidence

What is the big idea?

Take action.

customized guardrails to personalized Goals!

Illustrate how it works

Portfolio Guard RAILs

Short-Term GoalAdd Guardrail

My portfolio

  • fnd1%
  • fnd2%
  • %
  • %

Alertif drops10%

Automatic

if drops10%move to D.I.A

*Pre communication to stop

  • 1 day
  • 2 day
  • 3 day

how much they have to stop the action

Two concept posters: Goal Based, Data Customization and Guardrails

What made the cut

Defining the MVP.

We prioritized features with design, business and tech teams based on value and what we could build, and defined the MVP of the product launch.

Wireframes

Tell a retirement story.

Can we make retirement tangible? Can we help the user visualize the future? Can we tell a retirement story? The design team produced rapid prototypes and tested with the users weekly, applying the design sprint process.

We gathered feedback from customers and sponsors and updated the designs within the design sprint.

Eleven grey frames of one Great-West Life prototype, in order, each inside the Group Retirement Services shell: a sidebar with Account View, Plans, Contributions, Statements, Investment details and Profile info, the sponsor Pearson Specter Litt and Sign Out, under Good morning Rachel. 1: a picture of a family, We'll help you plan your future, Start Now. 2: a picture of a family of five, Let's plan your retirement, Let's go. 3: I plan to retire at age 65, and my retirement savings will last me 22 years, with Average life expectancey and Plan my financials. 4: Monthly or Annually, my current monthly income $3000, a targeted monthly income of 80% on a 50% to 150% slider, today's value $2500 and a retirement years value of $5200 based on 3% inflation, What is inflation?, and My sources of retirement income. 5: View goal and Adjust, a chart by age, 20 to 85, with $2,329,928.00 and $1,329,928.00 at 65 and $5200/month at 75, and a legend whose third row repeats the second. 6: the same chart without the line, the tabs or the legend, with $1,329,928.00 and $5200. 7: let's calculate your income need in the time of retirement, four sliders, I plane to retire at age 65, monthly necessities $2000, fun $1000, others $1000, today's value $5000 and a retirement time value of $8200, and My retirement savings. 8: let's calculate your savings for retirement, plans with GWL $2000, guaranteed income from other employment $2000, other potential sources $2000, Old Age Security at the maximum amount, CPP or QPP at the CPP average, Previous Screen and My retirement outcome. 9: you made it, I am 65, it's year 2043; a shortfall of $1000 of retirement monthly income and an extra $300 to meet the goal; total investment $2,000,000.00 and retirement income $10,000.00 a month; a two-line chart from today to age 65, year 2043; sliders for monthly contribution $200, retirement monthly expenses $8200 and retirement age 65; Save my goal, Not now and Previous Screen. 10: the same outcome under Start over?, with Yes, I need to rethink this; No, Just change few things; and Previous Screen. 11: the outcome of frame 9 relaid, without Previous Screen.

The Great-West Life prototype, its screens in order

What shipped

A personalized retirement story told through an interactive journey.

From Expenses on, the estimated monthly retirement income sits beside the monthly goal. The picture changes with the steps: a beach bar, stilt huts, a camper van, a city by the water. Results show two bars, and a planning-only consent above Save my goal.

The Canada Life retirement income goal planner as six screens, for the plan member Rachel. Get started: a beach bar picture, Let’s set a retirement income goal, and a Get started button. Age: I plan to retire at age, a slider from 58 to 71 at 65. Expenses: will you need more or less money in retirement, a minus and plus stepper reading $0,000; beside it, an estimated monthly retirement income of $500 and a monthly retirement income goal of $5,000, based on 2% inflation. Savings: group retirement savings with us, $100,000, then other registered retirement savings at $0, with a maximum of $9,999,999; $500 and $5,000 beside it. Income: expected income from CPP or QPP, None selected, with Help with custom amount; $500 and $5,000 beside it. Results: Congratulations, estimates show you’re on track to reach your, then Change my info, the planning-only consent and a grey Save my goal button; the Summary shows $4,219 estimated against the $4,000 goal. Every step shows its place among Age, Expenses, Savings, Income and Results.

Get started
Age
Expenses
Savings
Income
Results
The planner, screen by screen, from Get started to Results

The Canada Life planner results in GRS Access, for the plan member Rachel, the Overview page dimmed behind the planner. Every step is marked done. Save more to reduce your shortfall: consider increasing your monthly contributions. Change my info is open with three sliders: Retirement Investment, monthly contributions, at $400 on a range of $0 to $1,000,000; Retirement age 65 on a range of 20 to 120; and Retirement Goal $3,500 on a range of $0 to $20,000. Agree and then save, with the checkbox I understand this tool is for planning only and no changes will be made to my plans, then Back and a grey Save my goal. The Summary, on the Monthly tab with amounts after estimated taxes: two bars at age 65 in 2045, an estimated retirement monthly income of $4,219 and a retirement monthly income goal of $4,000, a monthly shortfall of $166/month, and How did we arrive at these estimates?

Results with a shortfall, Change my info open

Design system

Previously Great-West Life, now Canada Life.

I facilitated Canada Life's rebranding and the merger of three major brands under the Canada Life umbrella. The prototype carries the Great-West Life name; the planner is in Canada Life red and teal.

The Canada Life planner's look. First, Great-West Life and Canada Life join into the Canada Life wordmark. Then the same retirement-age slider twice. In the Great-West Life prototype it is grey, with the value 65 under the knob and no range. In the Canada Life planner it is teal, with 65 in a bubble above the knob, 58 and 71 at the ends, and the helper line Move the slider to the desired value or use the arrow keys. Last, four colours from the planner's screens: #BA0C2F on the buttons; #007E7F on the stepper, the slider and the estimate bar; #4CC0AD on the goal bar; and #525146 for text.

  • Great-West Life
  • Canada Life

canadalife: one Canada Life

The prototype

The planner

The planner’s colours

  • #BA0C2F

    Buttons

  • #007E7F

    The stepper, the slider and the estimate bar

  • #4CC0AD

    The goal bar

  • #525146

    Text

Great-West Life and Canada Life under one wordmark, the same slider in the prototype and in the planner, and the planner’s colours

Outcome

What my design direction delivered.

I directed design for B2B and B2C SaaS platforms, growing customer satisfaction and revenue through intuitive, client-focused experiences. I scaled a team of designers and researchers, mentoring talent to innovate and win an award for outstanding craft.

  • $43Mrevenue uplift, up 90%
  • 75%rise in customer satisfaction
  • WMA2020 Web/Mobile Award for outstanding achievement
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