Redefining private banking through experience-led design.
A brand refresh focused on clarity, consistency, and a unified digital journey.
Over several years, as a team we partnered closely with Investec to redesign their website and post-login digital experience for private banking and wealth management clients.
ROLE
UX designer and UI designer (Roll-out)
TIMELINE
3 years (Dec 2020 – March 2023)
Project background
Investec is a globally renowned international bank and wealth management group, originally founded in South Africa and now operating in key financial markets worldwide
Our goal was to create a client-centric experience underpinned by a clear North Star vision, one that reflected the expectations of high-net-worth individuals and aligned with Investec’s premium brand.
The brief covered a full redesign of Investec’s web platform, online banking interface, and mobile app.
We focused on delivering a seamless, accessible experience across all channels; web & mobile, app, and digital content ensuring consistency, clarity, and ease of use.
Through this work, we helped Investec maintain its competitive edge, delivering a unified digital ecosystem that elevated the client experience and positioned the brand as a modern, trusted leader in private finance.
Discovery Phase
Deep Discovery: Looking Inward to Design Outward and shape whats next
Due to the scale and complexity of the brief, we approached the redesign in phases. In the initial discovery phase, our focus was on prioritising the most critical user journeys, aligning internal stakeholders, and deeply understanding client needs and expectations - both across the public-facing website and within the post-login banking portal experience.
Market intelligence and competitor benchmark:
24 competitors (Global and Local)
Internal workshops:
16 one-to-one employee interviews
External workshops:
12 client interviews (Exitsing and prospect clients)
Define Phase
Defining the Future-State by turning Complexity Into Clarity
With the discovery phase complete, we moved into defining the new proposition, product and experience. Using the insights gathered, we developed strategic roadmaps, detailed personas, and end-to-end user journeys to help shape the structure and vision for Investec’s future-state digital experience.
Develop Phase
From Concept to Craft: Designing a Unified Digital Experience
The most substantial phase of the project was the design and development of the new digital vision. Insights from the discovery phase, particularly the website audit and analytics review, revealed a significant majority of traffic originating from mobile and smaller devices. This data strongly informed our approach: we adopted a mobile-first design methodology, crafting layouts and interactions specifically optimised for smaller screens before progressively enhancing for larger devices.
This approach ensured not only responsive adaptability and performance optimisation, but also fostered developmental alignment. By prioritising modular, scalable components and adhering to atomic design principles, we enabled a more efficient hand-over and implementation process across multidisciplinary teams. The mobile-first strategy also aligned with UX best practices, ensuring that core journeys were intuitive and frictionless regardless of device context.
New website and a ‘Tailored Solution’ tool
We structured the project in phases, beginning with the pre-login website to improve lead generation and support new client acquisition. This decision was driven by findings from the discovery phase, which highlighted opportunities to showcase the refreshed brand and corporate identity (CI) while addressing key conversion challenges early in the journey.
The redesign focused on modernising the experience, elevating the brand presence, and reducing friction in the acquisition funnel.
Key enhancements included:
A reimagined navigation and Information Architecture (IA) to support easier discovery and reduce user drop-off.
Redesigned content hierarchy and page structure to better communicate value propositions and guide user flow.
A new ‘Tailored Solution’ tool allowing prospective clients to explore bespoke offerings aligned with their financial goals and needs.
A digital onboarding journey for Young Professionals, featuring eligibility checks and a streamlined application process designed to reduce friction and increase qualified leads.
This first phase set the foundation for a unified, user-first digital ecosystem and demonstrated how strategic design could directly support business growth and brand elevation.
Elevating Everyday Banking Through Experience-Led Design
Following the public-facing site redesign, we turned our focus to the post-login banking portal, where the most critical and high-value interactions take place. Primarily a ‘reskin’ we had scope to optimise and improve the portal. Our goal was to create a client-centric, intuitive experience that aligned with the expectations of high-net-worth individuals and delivered both functionality and elegance.
We streamlined complex payment flows and modernised legacy features, enhanced account overviews for greater clarity, and introduced smarter navigation patterns. Additionally, encouraged up-sell of new services and tools that empowered clients with a more holistic, real-time view of their finances, aligning the platform with their evolving expectations and financial goals.
Working closely with Investec’s internal teams, we also brought the new brand identity and visual language into the platform, creating a seamless transition from the marketing site to the secure banking environment. Every touchpoint was designed to feel intentional, trustworthy, and premium, reinforcing Investec’s position as a leader in private banking and wealth management.
