Bringing a new mortgage proposition to life for Post Office

As this was a novel product in the mortgages market we needed a research approach which would take us inside the decision-making process.

We began by interviewing a number of mortgage buyers, from first-timers to experienced buyers. For some interviews we used a dual UX research approach which allowed us to see natural conversations between partners about the options they were considering. This gave us insights about how people discussed mortgages, gathered information and arrived at a shared view about which provider to pick. We drew on these insights all the way through the design process.

In-page navigation was the backbone of the solution we designed. We needed to give users the ability to move easily between different products as they started to assess their relevance. As product choices became clearer, we supported side-by-side comparison to give customers more confidence in their decision. We tested and re-tested navigation throughout the design process to create an experience which always seems to present the right information, and answer relevant questions, as users moved through the journey.

Mortgage sales journeys often fail at one extreme or the other: either over-loading users with too much detail in the early moments of assessing their options, or presenting an uncanny level of simplicity in what users recognise to be a complex decision.

Our goal was to develop copy and micro-content that was ‘just right’ at each step through the sales journey. Again, we relied on research to help us develop the right tone of voice. It was consistent enough to create a friendly, approachable style from start to finish. It was also flexible enough to allow us to drive into complex ideas and details when that’s what the user needed.

We also worked hard to make sure examples and financial illustrations made sense and genuinely helped bring the products to life for potential customers.

The solution we designed is comprised of reusable patterns, components, and templates. Delivered as front-end code these could quickly and effectively be picked up and implemented by the integration partner. The pattern library helped Post Office save time and money in getting the experience to market.

The design system also lowers the effort for Post Office to manage, improve and extend the mortgages digital experience over time.   

Foolproof designed and developed the end-to-end journeys for the whole Post Office mortgage range. This successfully incorporated the two new propositions which give first-time buyers a different way to become home-owners.