A HUMAN-CENTRIC PENSION DECISION LETTER

Meeting Varma at our Legal Design Summit in 2017, we found a partner ready for meaningful change. Our mission: to transform their pension decision letters. These crucial communications, once purely textual and devoid of brand essence, required a human-centric redesign. We set out to craft letters that would clearly communicate legal decisions, while also providing guidance and reassurance to recipients in their significant life moments.

At our initial workshop with Varma, we encountered unexpected complexities. Varma's scale meant any letter redesign would ripple through their IT systems and training protocols. Redesigning a document so integral to their operations posed significant challenges. Questions about functionality during the transition and the impact of changes like GDPR compliance loomed large.
 

Our first prototype aimed to align with Varma's brand and soften the tone, using visual elements and varied text sizes. Surprisingly, this approach didn't resonate in feedback sessions. It revealed a key insight: unlike typical scenarios where 'less is more', for Varma's clients, detailed information was crucial. They needed comprehensive guidance on their pension decisions, including appeal processes and legal rights. This realization led us to pivot our strategy, focusing on a more informative and detailed design.

In our final approach, we focused more on textual design elements. A key insight emerged around the question, 'Am I being treated fairly?'. Customers wanted to understand their position relative to others in similar circumstances. We addressed this by introducing a horizontal scale in the design, showing where the customer's decision stood in relation to the median case. This transparency, welcomed by Varma, helped customers feel fairly treated, even when decisions were unexpected. This visual element of fairness acted as a buffer, easing the impact of the decisions.