Product ยท Product strategy
Simplifying Complex Choice: Optimising Retirement and Investment for USS
35
members
Longitudinal
deep-dive
Pensions
sector
The challenge
Clarifying high-consideration financial decisions for members
The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) found that awareness and understanding of their Investment Builder product was inconsistent, often leading to misconceptions that acted as a significant barrier to engagement.
For a high-consideration decision like pension planning, these misconceptions prevent the very engagement the product is designed to encourage.
We partnered with USS to explore member expectations and identify how to simplify the decision-making process.
Project context
- Industry Pensions, finance
- Solution Product strategy
- Format Longitudinal community
- Participants 35 Members' Voice members
- Methods Spontaneous awareness, deep-dive tasks
The approach
Longitudinal testing within our community platform
We selected 35 members from the existing Members' Voice community for a deep-dive qualitative study.
Spontaneous awareness
We first explored how members viewed their own pension journey before gauging their awareness of the Investment Builder product.
Misconception audit
We presented specific facts about the product to test whether they corrected existing misunderstandings, such as the belief that the product is only for higher earners, and explored how that shifted perceptions.
Retirement outlook
We complemented the study with individual in-depth interviews to explore ideal retirement lifestyles and emotional readiness.
The result
A simpler path to a complex decision
The research revealed that members value retirement as a proactive life stage but are often paralysed by uncertainty. These findings are helping USS to refine their guidance and communications, ensuring members feel equipped to make complex financial choices with confidence.
Ready to see incling in action?
Talk to the team about your research challenge and we will show you what is possible.