The pensions industry must stop celebrating engagement metrics and instead focus on designing simple, mobile-first journeys that drive real behavioural change and lead to better member outcomes.
That was the key takeaway from a presentation by Andy Young, head of digital and user experience at Standard Life.
He argued that simply intending to take action doesn’t mean members will actually make effective financial decisions and engagement only matters if it produces real results.
Young argued that simply intending to act doesn’t mean members will make effective financial decisions and that engagement only matters if it leads to real outcomes.
He said: “This is about human behaviour. Intent doesn’t equal action and on top of that, if intent doesn’t equal action, engagement doesn’t equal outcomes. We need to actually measure the end outcomes.”
He stressed, however, that early actions still matter. Even a simple click or opening a message may seem like a vanity metric, but it plays a crucial psychological role in starting the journey.
He noted: “The first step matters. Nudging people to take that first step is absolutely critical.”
Young warned that even small friction at each step of a multi-stage process can lead to a massive drop-off, with more than half of members lost by the end of an eight-step journey.
He urged providers to adopt mobile-first design, which forces clarity, concise interfaces, and anticipates user behaviour, while enabling progressive disclosure.
He said: “Build for mobile. If you design for mobile first, you’re doing three things: you’re designing for the fact that people will inevitably access your systems through mobile; you’re creating constraints and alongside that, we have a new concept called progressive disclosure.”
Young warned that neglecting the basics can drive members away, stressing that “if you don’t get the basics right, you’re going to lose members” and that simple, step-by-step design should come before flashy features or gamification.
He also highlighted that many providers design journeys around internal processes rather than user needs, forcing members to fit systems rather than the other way around.
He also noted that digital exclusion affects all income levels, pointing out that even higher earners can lack essential digital skills, which impacts their financial outcomes.
Young said universal design makes sense both morally and commercially, noting that “if you design for everybody, everybody gets benefit,” and gave the example of dropped kerbs helping everyone. He urged the industry to design member journeys around how people actually behave.