Senior Design LeadDec 2022 – Jun 2025Remote
Protective Life
- The problem
- Protective's annuities were hard to explain and harder to act on: advisors changed allocations one contract at a time, fund lists ran to 121 options, and lifetime income started on a paper form.
- My role
- Senior Design Lead, 2022 to 2025. I led design for the advisor and client tools, phone first, built the advisor toolkit they share, and led a team of 13.
Headline results
- 75%
- 65%+
- 35%
Context
Advisors were translating, not advising.
Protective sells annuities through advisors, to clients mostly 55 and over. Its products carry riders, benefit bases and fund rules that can cancel a guarantee; best-interest rules asked advisors to justify each recommendation. So an advisor like Dana spent a review with Walter, her 73-year-old client, translating our screens.
The brief we started with: help advisors look up a contract faster.
- $432BUS annuity sales in 2024, a third record year
- 73the new age for required minimum distributions
- 76%of Americans 65 and older own a smartphone
Research
The unit of work was wrong.
Over six weeks we spoke with 33 people, 14 of them advisors, sat in on four client reviews and read 212 service call notes.
I reframed the work around four moments of money: acting on a whole book, explaining one contract, choosing investments and taking income.
Research themes: six columns, each with how many of 14 advisors described the problem unprompted, a second source, two quotes by role and the design decision it produced. T1, One contract at a time: 12 of 14 advisors; 4 of 5 assistants. Moving clients to a new model meant one request per contract. “When a model changes, I file the same form forty times.” Independent advisor. “I keep a spreadsheet of who is in which model, because the portal can’t tell me.” Advisor’s assistant. Design decision: Reallocate a whole block of contracts from the book of business. T2, Explaining the contract live: 11 of 14 advisors; 7 of 8 clients. In reviews, advisors hunted for the right number and then translated it. “My client doesn’t know what a benefit base is. Half my team doesn’t either.” Bank advisor. “Why are there two values? Which one is mine?” Client, 74. Design decision: One contract summary: three values in plain labels, explained on demand. T3, Lost in the fund list: 10 of 14 advisors; 6 of 8 clients. Picking funds meant scrolling a list of 121 and adding up percentages by hand. “A hundred and twenty funds, and I’m looking for three.” RIA advisor. “Conservative, I understand. Category 1 means nothing to me.” Client, 68. Design decision: Give the fund table controls: jump links, subtotals, search, and plain category names. T4, Rules and results arrive late: 9 of 14 advisors; 3 of 3 service reps. Rules surfaced as rejected requests; results surfaced as phone calls. “I find out the benefit didn’t allow it when the rejection comes back.” Advisor’s assistant. “I submit, then I call to ask if it went through.” Independent advisor. Design decision: Check every rule before submit, and show every contract’s status after. T5, Income starts on paper: 8 of 14 advisors; 5 of 8 clients. Starting lifetime income meant a quote by phone and a signed paper form. “Starting his income took a form, a notary and three weeks.” Independent advisor. “I wanted to see what I’d get before I signed anything.” Client, 71. Design decision: Quote income options side by side, then elect online. T6, The RMD deadline lives in someone’s head: 7 of 14 advisors; 44 of 212 call notes. Nobody could see how much of this year’s required distribution was left, or when it was due. “Every December I chase RMDs from memory.” Independent advisor. “I didn’t know if my income counted toward the RMD.” Client, 73. Design decision: One dial per year: the RMD met so far, what is left, and the deadline.
Counts are advisors of 14 who described the problem unprompted, plus a second source. Quotes are attributed by role.
- Advisor side
- Client side
The reframe: from a faster contract lookup to acting on the book and showing clients every decision in their own words. We started with: Advisors need a faster way to look up a contract. The research said: Advisors need to act on their book the way they manage it, and clients need to see every decision about their money (investing, income, withdrawals) in their own words before they commit. Why we reframed: 12 of 14 advisors changed allocations one contract at a time. 10 of 14 got lost in the fund list. Starting income and taking RMDs lived on paper and in memory.
We started with
Advisors need a faster way to look up a contract.
The research said
Advisors need to act on their book the way they manage it, and clients need to see every decision about their money (investing, income, withdrawals) in their own words before they commit.
Why we reframed
- 12 of 14 advisors changed allocations one contract at a time.
- 10 of 14 got lost in the fund list.
- Starting income and taking RMDs lived on paper and in memory.
Priorities
One criterion, one hard line.
Nine people from design, product, engineering, service and compliance voted on the ideas. Compliance cut co-browsing: advisors can't operate a client's session.
We scored every feature by how many of the 14 advisors described its problem, and held the line at nine; AI fell short and waited for release 2. I led the team of 13 that built it, compliance included.
Feature prioritization: fifteen features scored by how many of 14 advisors described the problem; seven at 9 or more make the MVP; seven follow in release 2, income and withdrawals in October 2024 and AI in December; one in release 3. The road from research to measurement: research and themes, toolkit foundations, concepts and two test rounds, the MVP launch, release 2 with income, withdrawals and AI, then release 3 and measurement. The delivery team of 13: product and architecture, design and research (me among them), engineering and AI, and a part-time compliance officer, who reviewed our design frames in two-week sprints.
Criterion
How many of the 14 advisors described the problem this feature solves. 9 or more makes the MVP.
Scores of 6 to 8 went into release 2: income and withdrawals in October 2024 with Protective’s product update, AI in December 2024.
MVP
- F1Block reallocation from the book of businessscore 12 of 14
- F2Contract summary: key values first, detail in drawersscore 11 of 14
- F3Fund table controls: jump links, subtotals, searchscore 10 of 14
- F4Plain group names and a fund wizardscore 10 of 14
- F5Rule checks before submitscore 9 of 14
- F6Per-contract status and activity logscore 9 of 14
- F7Saved views per productscore 9 of 14
MVP line: 9 of 14
Release 2
- F8Income quote: options side by side, now or laterscore 8 of 14
- F9Online lifetime income electionscore 8 of 14
- F10RMD dial with the deadlinescore 7 of 14
- F11Withdrawal preview: charge, tax and netscore 7 of 14
- F12Missing beneficiary flagscore 6 of 14
- F13Apply a performance-center portfolioscore 6 of 14
- F14AI help desk, summaries and guardrail alertsscore 7 of 14
Release 3
- F15Schedule a future reallocationscore 5 of 14
Road to MVP and beyond
Research and themes
33 people, 6 themes
Toolkit foundations
Tokens, table, controls; WCAG 2.1 AA for people 55+
Concepts and two test rounds
6 advisors and 4 clients per round
MVP launchMVP
F1 to F7; the 13-person delivery team starts
Release 2: income, withdrawals, AI
F8 to F13 live in October; F14 (AI) in December
Release 3 and measurement
F15 · 35% growth in engagement
The delivery team: 13 people
Product and architecture2 people
Lead product manager
Annuity domain; owned the roadmap
Systems analyst
Mapped mainframe data to REST APIs
Design and research4 people
Senior Design Lead (me)
Led design; the advisor toolkit
Lead interaction and UI designer
Layouts and the design system
UX researcher
Tests with people 55 and over
UX writer
Regulatory text into plain words
Engineering and AI6 people
AI engineer
Vector database and model gateway
Front-end developers, 2 people
React and Tailwind; accessibility, charts
Back-end engineers, 2 people
Secure APIs over the legacy cores
QA automation engineer
Accessibility and data checks
Compliance, part-time1 person
Compliance officer
Reviewed our frames every two weeks
The compliance officer reviewed our design frames in two-week sprints, so FINRA and SEC questions were settled before build, not after.
Act on the book
Rules appear before the mistake, status after the click.
Dana now reallocates a whole block at once. I put the rule before the button, so a request that breaks it stops before it is sent, and gave every contract its own status after Confirm, which ends the call to ask whether it went through.
- <5 minto reallocate a block, down from 18–25 minutes
Block reallocation as shipped, at phone width: Dana Reyes, an independent advisor, moves a block of Protective Aspirations contracts on October 7, 2024. On her phone, S1 turns the table into cards with a benefit chip and a Different benefit type flag, puts the rule in an alert at the top, and keeps 8 of 12 selected and the held Reallocate in a bottom bar; S5 states the trade in one sentence, 6 contracts to AM Funds Conservative, with each half editable; S6 shows 4 of 6 complete on one bar and a View contract link on the failed row. Numbered notes under each screen explain the design.
Phone
Dana’s block on October 7, 2024, at phone width: the rule before anything is submitted, one last check, then a status for every contract.
Dana’s block on October 7, 2024, on her phone: the rule before anything is submitted, then a status for every contract.
Explain the contract
The guarantee holds still while the market moves.
About three in ten clients understood their guarantee. I gave each of Walter's questions its own card, with the working one tap behind an i, and put the guarantee and the market on one axis in dollars, so a falling market never reads as a falling guarantee.
- 75%of clients understand their guarantee, up from about 30%
Walter Greene’s client dashboard on December 2, 2024, after the AI release. On the phone, the first screen answers three questions in three cards: an AI summary of the Q3 2024 statement (grew $2,226.37 this quarter, up 1.7% after fees; paid $840.30 in fees, SecurePay $455.00 and contract $385.30; your guarantee is on track, rolling up 7% on December 6); Your investments on white, a contract value of $130,512.64 and a surrender value of $122,286.76, each with an i that opens a drawer; and Your guarantee on a purple tint with a shield, a benefit base of $130,000.00 that rolls up 7% to $139,100.00 on 12/06/2024, when his lifetime income of $8,346.00 a year begins. An Ask about your contract button is docked in the thumb zone. Beside it, the surrender value drawer over the dimmed page: contract value $130,512.64, less a surrender charge of $8,225.88, is a surrender value of $122,286.76; the charge is 7% of $117,512.64, the part above his free $13,000.00, and falls to 0% over seven years; the prospectus language is folded under its own row, with the source, Prospectus, May 1, 2024, Charges and Deductions. Then the dual-timeline chart, read closely: one axis in dollars from issue on December 6, 2023 to December 2, 2024, the benefit base flat at $130,000.00 and dashed up 7% to $139,100.00 on December 6, 2024, the contract value moving between $126,870.00 in April 2024 and $131,240.00 in March 2024, read out on April 30, 2024, with five statements on how it reads: the guarantee does not dip; April shows why it matters; what is scheduled looks scheduled; one scale, never two; never colour alone. Six numbered notes explain the first screen and the drawer.
Phone first
Walter's first screen, values as of 12/02/24, and the drawer one tap behind an i
The first screen
- 1
A summary, not a statementThree lines from the quarterly statement: growth, fees and the guarantee.
- 2
Values first, detail on demandContract and surrender value only; each i opens the working in a drawer.
- 3
The guarantee in its own cardTinted and labelled, so it never reads as money in the account.
- 4
Ask, in the thumb zoneThe help desk opens from every screen.
One tap deeper: the surrender value drawer
- 5
The working, not a definitionThe two numbers behind the value, in the order they subtract.
- 6
Legal text one tap deeperThe prospectus wording is there, folded, with its section named.
The chart, read closely
One axis in dollars, two tracks
Your guarantee and the market, December 2023 to today
- Benefit base (sets your income)
- Contract value
- The guarantee does not dip.The benefit base holds at $130,000.00 while the contract value moves with the market.
- April shows why it matters.The contract value fell to $126,870.00; the income base did not move.
- What is scheduled looks scheduled.The 7% roll-up on the December 6 anniversary is dashed until it is credited.
- One scale, never two.Both lines are dollars, so they share one axis; no second scale to misread.
- Never colour alone.Each line is labelled in the legend and named in the tooltip.
Choose investments
121 funds became a table you can steer.
I gave advisors controls on the fund table: jump links with subtotals, search, and each group's limit on its own row. Clients got the same rules as a three-step wizard. A move that would end the income guarantee stops, and says why.
Three of four test clients could not say what Category 1 meant; renamed Conservative, Moderate and Aggressive, all four could.
- 60%fewer drop-offs while picking funds
The fund table before and after, for advisors. Advisors and clients pick funds from a list of 121, and once lifetime income starts SecurePay limits each fund group: Conservative at least 35%, Moderate at most 65%, Aggressive at most 25%. Walter Greene’s allocation, 30% conservative and 70% moderate, breaks two limits. Before: the legacy Change investments screen asks for the percentage in each fund, which must total 100%, above one flat table of fourteen funds with 107 more below: a future allocation box, the investment option, fund number, asset class, current balance and distribution allocation. Walter’s 30 in PIMCO Total Return and 70 in American Funds Growth-Income 4 sit in the list with nothing to say they break a rule; the only check comes after Submit. For advisors: the Benefit Election page for contract AF7501173, Funds Reallocation. The method comes first, Allocation Portfolio or Sub-Account Allocation, with Sub-Account Allocation chosen. Jump links carry live subtotals, Conservative Funds 30% and Moderate Funds 70% in red and Aggressive Funds 0%, beside Total allocations 100%. A guardrail box reads: Guardrail: 2 limits to fix before you can continue. Conservative Funds must be at least 35% (now 30%). Moderate Funds can be at most 65% (now 70%). Outside these limits SecurePay ends the lifetime income benefit. Why this rule? Then a search field, and the table in a bounded scroll area: the Conservative Funds row states minimum allocation 35% in red and maximum 100%, and each fund shows its new percentage beside a factsheet, its number, asset class, current balance and current allocation; PIMCO Total Return holds 30% and 39,002.07 dollars today. Next stays disabled.
Advisors and clients pick funds from a list of 121. Once lifetime income starts, SecurePay limits each fund group. Walter’s allocation, 30% conservative and 70% moderate, breaks two limits.
BeforeOne flat list; rules and totals nowhere on screen
- B1
One flat list121 funds in one table, in product order, with no groups.
- B2
Rules nowhere on screenGroup limits were in the prospectus, not the page.
- B3
Totals on submitThe only check was the 100% rule, after Submit.
After, for advisorsWalter’s allocation loaded; the guardrail names the two limits before Next
- 1
Method before the tableAnyone happy with a model portfolio skips the table: one dropdown instead.
- 2
Jump links with live subtotalsEach group’s link is a shortcut, a running sum and a status in one.
- 3
Total beside the linksThe 100% rule is always in view, not only at the end.
- 4
Search the 121 fundsBy name or fund number; advisors often know the number.
- 5
Rules on the group rowMinimum and maximum sit where the percentages are typed.
- 6
A bounded scroll areaThe list scrolls inside its frame, so the header, totals and buttons stay put.
- 7
Now beside nextCurrent balance and share sit next to the new percentage.
- 8
Guardrail before NextA box, not a red line: which limits, the numbers now, what happens outside them, and a link to why.
Take income
Income without a notary, and a deadline you can see.
Lifetime income took a phone call, a paper form and often a notary. Walter now compares his options side by side, starting now or later, and elects online.
For his RMD I replaced sentences of totals with two dials that move together, so what is still due and any charge show before he commits.
- 65%+of owners manage their account online, up from about 35%
Withdrawals and RMD: two dials show the RMD floor and the penalty-free ceiling moving with one amount, with the charge in dollars. The one-time withdrawal page for AF7501173, owner and annuitant Walter Greene, who asks for $14,000.00 on 12/10/2024, $1,000.00 more than the penalty-free amount: callout 1, the ceiling, available withdrawal amount (penalty-free), 0% left of $13,000.00; callout 2, the floor, Required Minimum Distribution 2024, 100% met of $4,900.00; callout 3, the consequence, withdrawal fees of $70.00, the only new element in the over-limit state. How the two dials read. RMD 2024: $4,900.00 of $4,900.00 met; the floor counts up. Penalty-free: $8,100.00 of $13,000.00 left, 62%; the ceiling counts down. The RMD is a floor: IRS rule, at least $4,900.00 this year ($129,850.00 divided by 26.5), due Dec 31, 2024; the dial fills as money comes out. The penalty-free amount is a ceiling: contract rule, up to $13,000.00 a contract year without a surrender charge; the dial empties as money comes out. One amount moves both: at $4,900.00 the floor is met and $8,100.00 stays free; above $13,000.00, the charge appears in dollars.
The dual gauge
Walter asks for $14,000.00, $1,000.00 more than the penalty-free amount
- 1
Ceiling. Penalty-free amount this contract year; over it, the fee appears in dollars.
- 2
Floor. The year's RMD; the same amount fills it from the other side.
- 3
Consequence. The fee is the only new element in the over-limit state.
How the two dials read
floor: counts up
$0$4,900.00
One amount$4,900.00
ceiling: counts down
$0$13,000.00
The RMD is a floor.
IRS rule: at least $4,900.00 this year ($129,850.00 ÷ 26.5), due Dec 31, 2024. The dial fills as money comes out.
One amount moves both.
At $4,900.00 the floor is met and $8,100.00 stays free; above $13,000.00, the charge appears in dollars.
The penalty-free amount is a ceiling.
Contract rule: up to $13,000.00 a contract year without a surrender charge. The dial empties as money comes out.
“I didn’t know if my income counted toward the RMD.”
AI assistance
AI explains; people decide.
In December 2024 we shipped three AI features: a help desk that cites the prospectus in every sentence, a three-line statement summary, and guardrails on every fund move. Compliance first said no; citations got us to yes.
I kept AI to explaining: it does not recommend funds, choose an income option or submit anything.
- 35%of simple service calls now handled online
AI assistance, December 2024: the help desk, which answers only from the prospectus and this contract's values, with a citation on every sentence. The help desk works in six steps: the question, typed or asked from a value or a rule on the page; retrieve, prospectus sections from a vector index of the May 1, 2024 prospectus; contract values, this contract's numbers from the policy API, dated; draft, the model answers only from those passages and values; check, every sentence must carry a source, or the answer is withheld; show and log, the answer, sources and a person to ask, logged for review. On Walter's phone the help desk opens as a sheet over his dashboard. He asks: what is my surrender charge if I take out $10,000 today? The answer, labelled AI answer with values as of 12/02/24, leads with $0.00: $10,000.00 is within your free withdrawal amount of $13,000.00 for this contract year (source 1). Above $13,000.00 the charge is 7% of the extra; it falls to 0% over seven years (source 2). Before you decide: your lifetime income starts on December 6, so a withdrawal before then lowers your benefit base (source 3). Sources, prospectus of May 1, 2024: Charges and Deductions, Free Withdrawal Amount; Charges for Early Withdrawals; SecurePay, the Benefit Base. Helpful thumbs and an Ask Dana button follow.
Help desk
Retrieval over one product's prospectus and one contract's values, with a citation on every sentence
Question
Typed, or asked from a value or a rule on the page.
Retrieve
Prospectus sections from a vector index of the May 1, 2024 prospectus.
Contract values
This contract's numbers from the policy API, dated.
Draft
The model answers only from those passages and values.
Check
Every sentence must carry a source, or the answer is withheld.
Show and log
Answer, sources and a person to ask; logged for review.
The question, in the client's wordsTyped, or asked from a value on the page.
Answer first, then the why$0.00 leads; the rule and the one thing to know follow.
Every sentence citedNumbered sources open the prospectus section, not a search result.
A person, one tap awayAsk Dana sits beside the answer.
Design system
One toolkit, four product lines, three screen sizes.
I built the advisor toolkit; its selectable table runs, in five states, from Dana's book of business to every contract's status. The toolkit targets WCAG 2.1 AA for people 55 and over: 16-pixel text, 4.5:1 contrast and a header switch that enlarges text to 150%. The audit found three colours below target; we darkened them.
- 4product lines on one toolkit
One component traced, the selectable table: it takes the header fill #7D55C7, white header text and rows, #4C12A1 for checked boxes and links, #F7F7F7 for selected rows, #FDF4D9 for flagged rows, #B9B9B9 dividers and #696969 for unchecked boxes. Its six parts: the header cell with a sort control, the select-all and row checkbox, a link cell that opens the contract, a text cell of one or two lines, a 1 px row divider, and a row height of 68 with a header of 68 or 44. Its five states: default, hover, selected, flagged, which breaks the selection rule, and read-only for the confirm and status tables. It appears on S1 book of business, S5 confirm trade, S6 block reallocation status, S7 activity, S8 contract details, the S3, S4 and M1 reallocation screens as a grouped variant, and the default and annuity views.
One component, traced: the selectable table
1 Tokens it uses
- Header fillcolor.brand.secondary
- Header text, rowwhite
- Checkbox on, linkscolor.brand.primary
- Selected rowcolor.surface.subtle
- Flagged rowcolor.feedback.flag
- Dividercolor.border.default
- Checkbox offcolor.text.muted
2 Anatomy
- Header cell with sort control
- Select-all and row checkbox
- Link cell opens the contract
- Text cell, one or two lines
- Row divider, 1px
- Row height 68, header 68 or 44
3 States
- DefaultUnselected row
- HoverPointer over row
- SelectedChecked, subtle fill
- FlaggedBreaks the selection rule
- Read-onlyConfirm and status tables
4 Screens it appears on
- S1Book of businessSelectable, flagged
- S5Confirm tradeRead-only
- S6Block reallocation statusRead-only, status cells
- S7ActivityRead-only, link cell
- S8Contract detailsSub-account and party tables
- S3, S4, M1ReallocationGrouped variant: radio group rows
- AlsoDefault and Annuity viewsSame component, other columns
Outcome
Clients understood more and called less.
Against the old portal, all five measures moved. Three in four clients now understand their guarantee, up from three in ten, and fund-picking drop-off fell from about half to under 18%.
The lesson: design for the unit people think in. A book, not a contract. A group, not a fund. A deadline, not a total. Next time I would bring the service desk's call notes in on day one.
- 35%growth in user engagement
Outcomes after the December 2024 release, each measure against the legacy portal and the features built to move it. Clients who understand their guarantee: about 30% before, over 75% after, a 150% increase in clarity, moved by the contract summary with key values first and detail in drawers, and the AI help desk, summaries and guardrail alerts. Owners who manage their account online: about 35% before, over 65% after, nearly double, moved by the online lifetime income election, the withdrawal preview of charge, tax and net, and the contract summary. Drop-off while setting up an allocation: 45% to 55% during fund picking before, under 18% with the wizard after, 60% to 65% fewer drop-offs, moved by the fund table controls and the plain group names with a fund wizard. Simple service calls handled online: none before, when people called for simple tasks, and 35% of tier-1 questions after, a 35% lower operating cost, moved by the AI help desk, the per-contract status and activity log, and the RMD dial with the deadline. Time to complete a reallocation: 18 to 25 minutes before, under 5 minutes after, 75% faster, moved by block reallocation from the book of business, the plain group names and fund wizard, and rule checks before submit.
Each measure against the legacy portal
Five measures of the client and advisor experience after the December 2024 release, each tied to the features built to move it.
Clients who understand their guarantee
Legacy: about 30%. After: over 75%.
0%25%50%75%100%LegacyAfter150% increase in clarityMoved by
- F2Contract summary: key values first, detail in drawers
- F14AI help desk, summaries and guardrail alerts
Owners who manage their account online
Legacy: about 35%. After: over 65%.
0%25%50%75%100%LegacyAfterNearly doubleMoved by
- F9Online lifetime income election
- F11Withdrawal preview: charge, tax and net
- F2Contract summary: key values first, detail in drawers
Drop-off while setting up an allocation
Legacy: 45% to 55% during fund picking. After: under 18% with the wizard.
0%25%50%75%100%LegacyAfter60% to 65% fewer drop-offsMoved by
- F3Fund table controls: jump links, subtotals, search
- F4Plain group names and a fund wizard
Simple service calls handled online
Legacy: 0%: people called for simple tasks. After: 35% of tier-1 questions handled online.
0%25%50%75%100%LegacyAfter35% lower operating costMoved by
- F14AI help desk, summaries and guardrail alerts
- F6Per-contract status and activity log
- F10RMD dial with the deadline
Time to complete a reallocation
Legacy: 18 to 25 minutes. After: under 5 minutes.
0102030 minLegacyAfter75% fasterMoved by
- F1Block reallocation from the book of business
- F4Plain group names and a fund wizard
- F5Rule checks before submit
Baselines are the legacy portal's; results follow the December 2024 release.