Overview & Business Case

M&G Investments, a renowned UK asset manager established in 1931 (similar to US giants like Prudential, T. Rowe Price, and Charles Schwab), fosters long-term investment opportunities for individuals. They achieve this by creating diverse investment funds and distributing them through retail channels, primarily via financial advisors and banks.

In 2015, M&G embarked on a technology modernization initiative, prioritizing mobile accessibility. A key project within this effort was the development of a mobile-centric application to empower retail partners, acting as a comprehensive sales enablement tool.

Leveraging my product management and user experience expertise, I was strategically introduced to the CTO, as M&G initially lacked the specific skillset in-house. Recognizing the value of fresh perspectives, M&G welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with an international product leader, aiming to inject new ideas and accelerate the project’s success.

Task & Solution

My primary role at M&G involved acting as the product analyst, a crucial first step in their mobile sales enablement initiative. My responsibilities centered on:

• Requirements Gathering & Stakeholder Alignment: I facilitated insightful interviews with internal stakeholders, conducting a deep dive into their business objectives and identifying specific needs for the sales enablement solution. This stakeholder input, alongside user-centered research, formed the foundation for the project’s direction.
• User-Centered Research: To understand user preferences and needs, I designed and deployed targeted Qualtrics surveys across a broad audience within M&G. This quantitative data, combined with stakeholder insights, ensured the solution resonated with both internal and external audiences.
• Wireframing & Prototyping: After 45 days of comprehensive research and analysis, I embarked on the wireframing and prototyping process. Leveraging the defined business requirements and user insights, I constructed detailed UX wireframes. These, alongside a functional prototype, were designed to seamlessly integrate with the existing London-based mobile app team’s development workflow.
• Resourceful Design & Iteration: Utilizing readily available creative assets from M&G’s website, I produced user-friendly wireframes using Photoshop and Figma. Through rapid iteration and stakeholder feedback, the wireframes were refined, ultimately securing stakeholder buy-in and paving the way for development.

Results

Although I transitioned away before the final product build, I remained connected to the project through existing contacts. This allowed me to witness the immense success of my initial design and conceptualization. The sales enablement app, built precisely to my specifications, is now readily utilized by dozens of wholesaler mutual fund and banking sales representatives.

The positive impact is undeniable. Growing user engagement fuels a continuous cycle of feature requests and subsequent implementations, further enhancing the tool’s effectiveness. More importantly, M&G executives credit this app as a shining example of “the art of the possible” in mobile technology. Inspired by its success, other departments within the bank are now confidently pursuing their own feature-rich mobile app initiatives.