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Collaborative design frameworks: How the AIA Qi Design System empowers teams

0 min read
19 Aug 2024

A robust design framework is crucial for organisational success. Discover how our 3-pillar approach drives innovation, ensures consistency, and delivers exceptional user experiences.

Infinity symbol with a colourful gradient from pink to purple to red.An infinity symbol representing a continuous, unified design framework.
⁠In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital insurance, having a robust design framework is crucial. At AIA, we've developed a comprehensive design framework built around our overarching vision: "To craft the digital insurance experience of choice for all people." This framework is structured around 3 key pillars: People, Product, and Process.

People: Cultivating a bold design culture

At the heart of our framework is our people and the design culture we foster. We encourage our team to Be Bold, pushing boundaries and challenging conventions. Quality obsession is ingrained in everything we do, ensuring that every detail is meticulously crafted. We embrace a process of continuous divergence and convergence, exploring multiple ideas before refining them into polished solutions.⁠Collaboration is key, and we emphasise community and contribution, recognising that great design emerges from diverse perspectives. Lastly, we strive to simplify the complex, making insurance more accessible, inclusive, and understandable for all users.⁠
Designer sketching mobile app wireframes, with UI mockups and sticky notes spread across a desk.Collaboration and creativity fuel a bold design culture.

⁠Product: Principles and outcomes that matter

⁠Our product design is guided by 6 core principles: Purposeful, Human, Delightful, Unified, Clarity, and Efficient. These principles ensure that every feature and interaction serves a clear purpose, feels intuitive and enjoyable to use, maintains consistency across platforms, communicates clearly, and optimises user efficiency.
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⁠We measure our success through various outcomes, including system usability scale (SUS) scores, app ratings, in-app feedback, user capability assessment (UCA), friction scores, and overall design maturity. These metrics help us continuously refine and improve our digital products.⁠
App Store previews showing AIA+ apps for Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, with each displaying localised dashboards.Consistent design principles applied across markets for a unified experience.

⁠Process: Iterative design and enabling success

⁠Our design process is visualised as an infinity loop, representing the continuous, iterative nature of our work. We constantly cycle through phases of research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and refinement, ensuring that our solutions evolve with user needs and technological advancements.To enable this process and support our markets effectively, we've created several key initiatives:
  1. ⁠⁠Design Clinics: Regular sessions for design reviews and problem-solving
  2. Design Jams: Collaborative workshops to tackle difficult challenges
  3. Qi Design System: A centralised resource for design guidelines and assets
  4. Blue sky journeys: Best-in-class examples of core user flows
  5. Group office design team — our centre of excellence: A team of specialists skilled at design practice
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By integrating these 3 pillars — People, Product, and Process — our design framework creates a holistic approach to crafting digital insurance experiences. It empowers our team to innovate, ensures our products meet user needs, and establishes a repeatable process for consistent success.
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