Arq Group and First State Super, one of the largest superannuation funds in Australia, have been awarded Gold in the Digital – New Service or Application category at the Sydney Design Awards for their partnership in developing First State Super’s Mobile App.

The awards, now in its eighth iteration, recognise those at the apex of the Sydney design market with a focus on solutions that elevate the needs of the customer and achieve the intended strategic goals of the project.

The development of a new app is part of First State Super’s vision for its mobile channel; to deliver a simple, easy and frictionless digital experience. Arq Group and First State Super’s partnership was founded on the desire to design and deliver meaningful connections through mobile experiences. It was also intended for First State Super to achieve its goal of having an app that visually assists members to understand their financial position and interactively plan for their future.

Shriman Kalyan, Design Director at Arq Group, said, “To deliver a memorable experience for First State Super members, we knew we had to combine the research insights from members, non-members, and business teams to define the design principles that would have a transformative impact.

“The data and insights we derived profoundly influenced our approach to the mobile channel and allowed us, as a team, to make the right product and usability decisions. This process emphasised the importance of understanding and interrogating user behaviour at the beginning and throughout the entire design process.

“Being recognised with a Gold at the Sydney Design Awards is a testament to the innovative work Arq Group is consistently delivering to clients and the businesses challenges we help them to solve.”

The design, between Arq Group, First State Super and its members, put customer centricity, applicability and usability at the heart of the project’s guiding principles. The development emphasised convenience, control, and transparency in order to achieve the optimal iOS and Android applications. Since its launch consumer response has been positive, with 40% of member logins coming via the app and the app receiving a rating of 4.8 in the App Store (as of 24 June 2019).

Ahmad Racheha, Head of Digital at First State Super said, “We engaged the Arq Group to work with us to deliver a rigorous member insights-driven design. We wanted to do more than match what is currently in market. This approach helped us understand our members’ knowledge, behaviours and attitudes toward their superannuation as well as what they needed from an app. This was critical in determining and prioritising the minimum set of features to satisfy our member needs and meet their expectations.

“The initial research showed that 50 per cent of First State Super members check their accounts only a few times a year. This challenged us to create an application that was engaging and interactive, while also serving its core purpose of putting our members in control of really understanding and helping grow their super for a better retirement”