Simplifying Retirement Planning Through a Modern Digital Experience

Scope Of Work:
  • Product Research
  • User Flow
  • Wireframes

  • Prototype
  • Usability Testing
  • Iteration
Design Approach:
  • Mobile-First
  • User-Centered
  • Data-Driven
Platform
  • Mobile App IOS and Andriod
  • Sun Life Brand DS
Timeline:
  • 9 Weeks + Ad hoc

My Role

I support the Sun Life Hong Kong Experience Design team as a Product Designer. Focused on the mobile application of MPF retirement pension fund. Throughout the Product Development Cycle, I collaborated with this cross-functional team in Hong Kong.

  • Natalie Lau (Brand & Marketing Director)
  • Matt Kwan Yu (Business Development Manager)
  • Kevin Wei (Product Manager)
  • David Truong (Principal UX Designer)
  • Toni Michelle Rañada (UX/UI Designer)
  • Tiffany Cheung (Product Researcher)
  • Jaisy Lu (Senior Solutions Architect)
  • Lau Wei (Senior Software Engineer)

Tools We Used:

Figma | Prototype & Interaction

Miro | Ideation & Brainstorming

Maze | Research & Validation

Notion | Documentation

Figma | Mobile Mirror Testing

MS Excel | User Stories

Project Overview

BestServe is Sun Life Financial's Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) retirement-savings business in Hong Kong. It provides MPF schemes and digital services allowing members and employers to manage retirement contributions, investments, account information, statements, and related transactions.

What is MPF?

A Mandatory Provident Fund system requires most eligible employees and self-employed people to contribute toward retirement. Employees and employers generally make mandatory contributions based on income, subject to statutory minimum and maximum levels.

IDEATION

Goal

The goal is to go beyond designing the interface and explore how the digital experience can help members understand, plan, and manage their retirement savings.


Instead of requiring members to interpret balances, investment performance and contribution information themselves, the product helps them answer:

  • Where is my pension, and how is it performing?
  •  Am I on track for retirement?
  • Which funds and contribution make sense for me?
  • What should I do next?

Context That Framed The Session

  • MPF is mandatory for most Hong Kong employees, so the market is broad, but engagement is historically low, members check their fund maybe thrice a year.
  • MPF administration was being centralized onto the eMPF Platform (operated by the eMPF Platform Company Limited, an MPFA subsidiary), taking over enrolment, contributions, claims, transfers and personal-data changes.
  • That shift created a gap insurers could own: the member-facing experience layer; insight, clarity and self-service on top of centralized admin.
  • Members were juggling a desktop Online Pension Services Center, paper forms, and a former administrator (BestServe) for legacy statements.

User Needs & Paint Points

The concepts address the gap identified during Discovery: members have access to their MPF information but often lack the context, confidence, and guidance to make informed retirement decisions.

Insights

The problem isn't just a lack of information. Users need help understanding what the information means and what they can do with it.

Market Research

The market is moving from a primarily administrative, account-management model to a more digital, self-service, retirement-planning-oriented experience.

The bigger opportunity is to help them understand their financial position, interpret investment information, and decide what to do next.

Market Trends
Research Evidence
Product Opportunity

 MPF is becoming increasingly digital

The eMPF Platform has processed millions of transaction instructions, with nearly 80% submitted digitally by April 2022.

Create a mobile-first experience that makes MPF management simple and self-service.

MPF is entering a new digital ecosystem

All MPF schemes have now joined eMPF, creating a more standardized digital infrastructure.

Move beyond administration and differentiate through value-added member experiences.

 Retirement adequacy is becoming more important

Hong Kong's MPF system now holds more than HK$1.5 trillion in assets, while voluntary contributions represent an increasing share of contributions.

Help members understand whether their current savings are sufficient for their retirement goals.

Members are increasingly making voluntary contributions

Tax-Deductible Voluntary Contribution (TVC) accounts reached 104,000 by June 2024, up 18% year-on-year. Voluntary contributions represented more than one-quarter of MPF contributions in Q2 2025.

Give members tools to understand the potential impact of increasing contributions.

Investment information remains difficult to interpret

Industry research submitted to MPFA highlights that many members have limited knowledge of managing MPF accounts and find MPF information complex.

Replace technical information with plain-language explanations, context and visual insights.

Digital MPF creates an opportunity for proactive engagement

The eMPF opportunity to encourage members to become more proactive in administering their MPF and planning for retirement.

Introduce personalized insights, alerts, recommendations and next-best actions.

Target Market & Users

PRODUCT DEFINITION

Turning Research into Focused Product

We translates research findings, customer pain points and brainstorming ideas into a clear product direction.



Research questions are:

  1. What does a member actually want to know when they open an MPF app?
  2. Which tasks are self-serviceable in-app versus mandated to the eMPF Platform?
  3. What security model is credible enough for financial data without killing friction?
  4. Where do members currently get stuck in the existing desktop/paper journey?

Method

Approach
What It Answered

Desk research on published Sun Life guides (member + employer)

Feature inventory, task flows, security steps, sync constraints

Regulatory / platform review of the eMPF Platform scope

Which actions live in-app vs. hand off to eMPF

Concept interviews

Language, anxiety points, "what I check first?"

In this phase, we narrow ideas to a specific, feasible product concept. Make MPF simple, transparent, and actionable, helping members understand their retirement position and make more confident financial decisions.

Problem 1.

Authentication and security

The platform relied on password-based login. This system was outdated and inadequate in providing security for sensitive financial data.

Impact

Lacked modern security measures, such as biometric login (Face ID, fingerprint), leaving user data vulnerable to unauthorized access.

Problem 2.

Outdated brand identity

The mobile app interface was outdated, with nested menus and a disorganized layout.

The card section lacks an indicator or chevron to display other available MPF schemes, which leads to the user's confusion.

Problem 3.

Transparency and controls

Users had no visibility into the status of their fund switching or mandate change requests, leaving them with little control over their MPF accounts.

Impact

Lack of real-time updates on pending transactions or fund switching requests, leading to confusion and frustration.

Impact

Sun Life MPF saw a rise in new client sign-ups by providing an enhanced digital experience and aligning with Sun Life's global brand. Over eight months, this helped to increase market share by 15%.

40%

Increase in active users

The improved user experience, mobile-first design, and better brand recognition were significant factors in driving this growth.

30%

Increase in brand recognition

This improvement was primarily due to the platform's alignment with Sun Life's established global reputation.

35%

Increase in user engagement

 Features such as real-time tracking, self-service updates, and a mobile-optimized interface made the platform easier to use, resulting in increased activity and interaction.

90%

User satisfaction rate

The transparency and control provided by these features significantly boosted overall user satisfaction.

Our process

Our process is based on the Double Diamond design framework. We aim to incorporate the key phases of Discovery, Definition, Development, and Delivery in all of our projects.

User flow

We mapped each flow to its journey on the app, with its respective success metrics.

High-level design

We use Helios Design System as the core brand identity of Sun Life. This focuses on core functionality, including brand alignment, MPF scheme iteration, and product features, which are essential for enhancing the user experience while aligning with Sun Life’s global branding.

Log In

The login process is now streamlined with biometric authentication, Face ID, providing enhanced security and a seamless login experience.

My Portfolio

The portfolio overview is now cleaner and more user-friendly, featuring a mobile-optimized design with clear sections for account balances, investment returns, and MPF schemes, providing instant insights at a glance.

Compare Funds

Compare fund alignment is retained, but the text is improved and readable. Users can easily compare investment options and make informed decisions.

Investment Instruction

Investment instructions have simplified, featuring a step-by-step process and an intuitive interface that allows users to complete transactions effortlessly.

More Options

 This reduction in clutter enhances usability, enabling users to easily navigate the platform and find the functions they need.

By Fund

The By Fund feature is now more user-friendly, with intuitive filters, visual fund comparisons, and clear categories, making it easier for users to evaluate and choose funds according to their needs.

Change Investment

The investment mandate has been optimized into a straightforward, step-by-step process with real-time feedback and simplified navigation, resulting in a significantly improved overall user experience.

Fund Switching

Fund switching is now supported by a real-time tracking dashboard, allowing users to track the status of their fund switches and make changes before the final execution, which enhances control and certainty over their investments.

My Request

Offers users the ability to view, track, and modify requests in real-time, reducing the need to contact customer service and improving transparency around pending actions.

Moving forward

The journey doesn't end with the rebrand. We are committed to continuously enhancing the user experience, expanding self-service features, and keeping pace with evolving security needs. Future enhancements will focus on further simplifying the user journey, expanding integration capabilities, and providing more personalized tools for users to manage their MPF with ease. With these goals in mind, we aim to maintain leadership in the MPF sector and build long-lasting trust with our growing user base.