Aviva - Simplifying complexity at scale
Bringing structure to a fragmented global digital estate.
Aviva's digital estate had grown into a complex network of overlapping journeys shaped by product, marketing and regulatory demands. This created duplication, inconsistency and poor user clarity across the experience.
The challenge was creating a shared platform that improved customer experience while enabling the organisation to deliver consistently at scale.
OverviewThe estate lacked a clear, consistent structure, creating duplication, inconsistency, and poor user clarity, impacting both customer outcomes and operational efficiency.
I led the restructuring of this ecosystem, simplifying experiences, establishing shared systems and enabling delivery at scale. The work aligned Product, Marketing, Engineering and Compliance around a platform strategy spanning multiple products, teams and markets.
The approachThree strategic programmes shaped the transformation.
Programme 1
Simplifying complexity
Programme 2
Scaling delivery
Programme 3
Redefining Aviva.com
Focus 1
Simplifying complexity across the estate
Structural complexity was holding both users and teams back.
The problem
The estate had evolved into overlapping journeys shaped by product structures, marketing priorities, and regulatory constraints.
This created duplication, inconsistent navigation, and unclear decision-making for customers, reducing task success and increasing the cost of maintaining and evolving the platform.
This wasn't an isolated UX problem. It reflected how the organisation had evolved over time.
The focus
Simplify the experience without compromising the complexity required for regulated financial services.
The solution
I led a comprehensive restructuring of the digital estate, shifting from product-led journeys to a model based on user intent.
This required challenging existing ownership models and aligning stakeholders around a shared information architecture.
I rationalised navigation, consolidated duplicated pathways, and established a clearer, more consistent structure across journeys.
The result balanced regulatory constraints with usability, creating a foundation that was both compliant and scalable.
The results
+11.8% increase
in site visits following redesign
+2% growth in customer base
(33.4M users) within 12 months
Ranked #1
in FTSE 100 Digital Maturity Index
Scaled across 9 global markets through a unified structure
Focus 2
Scaling delivery through shared systems
Simplifying the experience wasn’t enough. Delivery needed to scale with it.
The problem
Delivery was fragmented across teams, with no shared standards or system.
Teams operated independently, with no shared definition of quality or consistent way of working, making it difficult to scale products efficiently across markets.
The focus
Establishing a shared system that improved speed, consistency, and quality, and embedding it into how teams delivered.
The solution
I created and rolled out a shared design system, defining reusable components, patterns, and standards across teams and markets.
The system became part of the delivery model rather than a standalone design asset. This meant:
Defining governance and contribution models to support shared ownership
Integrating the system into product and engineering workflows
Establishing clear standards that teams could rely on under pressure
The success of the system depended on adoption. That meant changing how teams worked, not simply introducing new components.
The results
31% faster time to market (277 to 190 hours per person)
£80k average cost saving per £150k+ project budget
230+ reusable components enabling scalable development
Scaled across 9 global markets and multiple product teams
This reduced delivery cost and improved speed while maintaining consistency across teams.
Focus 3
Redefining Aviva.com’s role within the ecosystem
Aviva.com needed a clearly defined role within the wider digital estate. As the primary entry point for millions of customers, its purpose needed to be clear, consistent and easy to navigate.
The problem
Aviva.com lacked a clearly defined purpose.
It was constrained by legacy structure, performance limitations, and inconsistent experience design, reducing engagement and limiting its effectiveness as a core digital touchpoint.
It lacked clarity in how it supported both customer needs and broader business objectives.
The focus
Defining the role of Aviva.com within the wider ecosystem, while improving performance, clarity, and engagement.
The solution
I led the redesign of Aviva.com, restructuring the experience around user intent and simplifying content hierarchy and navigation.
The redesign defined Aviva.com's role within the wider digital ecosystem, improving clarity, performance and customer engagement.
The work prioritised mobile-first behaviour, improving scannability, performance, and ease of use across key journeys.
More importantly, it repositioned the site as a core platform within the broader digital estate, rather than a standalone experience.
This created a more coherent connection between Aviva.com and the wider ecosystem.
The results
1.5M annual site visits with 4 min average session
+7% NPS improvement
+21% increase in mobile usage
Page load time reduced to 1.9s
Leadership roleLeading through change
This transformation extended beyond product and platform design. It required aligning teams, resetting expectations, and establishing clearer ownership across the organisation.
The work took place during a period of organisational change, requiring teams to continue delivering while adopting new ways of working.
I led design through this shift, partnering closely with Product and Engineering leadership to maintain momentum while improving quality and consistency across teams.
This moved teams from fragmented, siloed delivery to a structured and consistent approach across the estate.
The outcome was a platform that improved customer clarity, increased engagement and reduced delivery cost across the organisation.
Perhaps more importantly, it repositioned design as a strategic partner in improving business performance, not simply a function responsible for delivery.
This project reinforced a lesson that's shaped much of my career.
Complexity rarely comes from individual products. It emerges when systems, teams and ownership evolve independently. Design creates the greatest value when it brings those elements back together.