DBS & ManuLife

Transforming Retirement

Product Design & Marketing

Project Details

  • Client

    DBS & ManuLife

  • Teams

    Product Design & Marketing

  • Date

    June 2016

Helping Singaporeans save for whatever’s next

UX lead and product designer for the experience design team responsible for creating a digital campaign to introduce and support DBS and ManuLife’s newly available savings accounts in the Singapore market. Insights from six DBS account holder interviews and over 50 online surveys led to a solution that focused on overcoming untrustworthy advice, cutting through overwhelming options and positioning retirement as an opportunity. “Next Starts Now” included marketing collateral, retirement planning tools, sample monthly budgets shared by local influencers and changes to the account dashboard to emphasize savings as a goal already in progress for every customer.

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Discovery

The discovery phase began with interviews with six Singaporean DBS customers, each representing the target profile for DBS and Manulife partner products. Through these sessions, four critical insights emerged: retirement as an opportunity, the desire to invest smarter, a lack of trust in financial advice, and the preference for holistic solutions over standalone products. The most compelling insight was that while people aspired to a full retirement, they were taking minimal action to achieve it. This resulted in an insights presentation that outlined a strategic approach for the partnership.

The key challenge identified was that people desire abundant financial options in the future but lack a clear plan to reach those aspirations. The proposed strategy reframed retirement planning as inspiring possibilities rather than merely preparing for potential challenges. This led to the suggestion of a new digital experience within the DBS website, designed to motivate customers to take action for their financial futures using Manulife products.

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Interview sessions with Singaporeans

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Strategy and concept presentation

Wireframes

The wireframes outlined a seamless customer journey, starting outside the DBS platform and culminating in personalized tools integrated into the DBS customer dashboard. A new "Invest" section introduced a reflective experience where users shared retirement goals and were presented with potential futures—ranging from entrepreneurial ventures to world travel—encouraging them to envision the possibilities enabled by financial planning.

To simplify the process, a required "Know Your Customer" wizard matched users with relatable budgets from Singaporean social media influencers, helping customers see how a Manulife plan could fit into their lives.

Throughout the experience, facts and comparisons normalized the idea of investing in life insurance, addressing the psychological barrier of envisioning a long-term future. This solution bridged the gap between paying now and understanding the benefits later, effectively addressing the primary hesitation of potential Manulife customers.

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Campaign feature area on DBS homepage

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Campaign content and investment timeline

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Customer account dashboard with investment facts

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New investor onboarding

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Mobile onboarding flow

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"Savers like you" section in DBS account dashboard

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Mobile "Savers" profiles and budget

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Potential futures for ManuLife customers

Visual Design

The visual design phase extended the DBS design system to include vibrant imagery and fresh styles that complemented the brand’s identity. The result was a lively and engaging interface that invited exploration, blending DBS’s iconic red for emphasis with evocative photography to establish a local and aspirational connection. Customer onboarding took the form of a dynamic, interactive survey enhanced with animations and insightful factoids, transforming the traditionally tedious process into a gratifying experience. Supporting materials, such as banner ads, emails, and SMS campaigns, were developed to promote the initiative across multiple channels, ensuring the solution was not only visually compelling but also highly actionable for both DBS and Manulife.

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Campaign Landing page

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Campaign landing and Saver profile

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Dashboard and future planning

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Features and alternative imagery

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Initial enrollment questions

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Mobile customer enrollment

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Mobile Saver profile and budget

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Campaign banner ads

I’m currently leading the User Experience team at Taoti in Washington, D.C.

As Director of UX Design I'm looking after (and growing) an innovative, lean and effective team that delivers value to our clients. Get in touch with me to discuss speaking engagements and other professional opportunities.

My full work history is available on LinkedIn at btiny.link/linkedin

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