What is Zurich Insurance Group?
It’s a leading global insurance company providing a wide range of insurance and risk management solutions for individuals, businesses, and multinational organizations. Its portfolio includes property and casualty, life, commercial, and specialty insurance, as well as retirement solutions. With a strong commitment to innovation, sustainability, and customer protection, Zurich helps customers manage risk, build resilience, and confidently navigate an evolving world.
My role
As a Consultant at Zurich DUO, Zurich Insurance's internal consultancy, I worked on cross-functional projects applying User-Centred Design, Service Design, and Strategic Design methodologies. Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across Japan, Ireland, the UK, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Australia, and the United States, I helped improve Zurich's digital products and customer experiences. My work focused on optimizing insurance product websites and lead generation journeys, using research and design to increase user engagement and improve conversion rates.
Let’s understand Zurich DUO
Duo is Zurich Insurance's internal digital consulting team, partnering with Business Units across the globe to identify digital opportunities, define product strategies, and deliver customer-centric digital experiences. Rather than supporting a single product, we operated as internal consultants, helping different markets improve their digital ecosystems while aligning with Zurich's global standards.
“I operated as an internal product consultant within a global enterprise”
My process at Zurich
End-to-end product design that drives customer value and business growth
Project 1
Universal Insurance Calculator
Different Zurich Business Units had independently developed their own insurance quote calculators, resulting in inconsistent user experiences, duplicated design efforts, and varying conversion performance. The challenge was to create a reusable framework that could standardize the customer journey while allowing each market to adapt the calculator to its own insurance products and regulatory requirements.
Video examples
Onboarding
Introduces users to the insurance journey by setting clear expectations before they begin. It reduces uncertainty by explaining what they need, how long it will take, and what they will receive.
Calculator Experience Principles
Coverage Selection
Presents insurance packages in a clear and comparable way, helping users understand coverage options and pricing. Users can either choose a predefined plan or customize it to fit their needs.
Stepper
Guides users through the journey by making progress and pricing visible at every step. It provides orientation, builds confidence, and helps users stay in control throughout the process.
Summary & Review
Provides a complete overview of the user's information before purchase while allowing quick edits without leaving the page. This minimizes friction and gives users confidence before confirming their policy.
Cross-Functional Elements
Standardizes recurring UI elements such as alerts, notifications, pricing, CTAs, and error messages across every journey. Consistent patterns improve usability, reinforce trust, and simplify implementation across products.
Bite-Sized Forms
Breaks complex insurance applications into small, focused steps that are easier to understand and complete. Grouping related information reduces cognitive load and improves form completion.
Confirmation
Reassures users that their policy has been successfully completed while clearly communicating what happens next. It provides essential policy details, support options, and access to relevant documents.
Copy & Design System
Defines consistent content and interface standards to create clear, accessible, and cohesive experiences. Reusable guidelines help Business Units maintain a unified Zurich experience across products and markets.
Reusable Templates
Reflexion
Building products for global organisations taught me that consistency isn't about making every experience identical, it's about creating flexible systems that allow local teams to adapt solutions while maintaining a cohesive customer experience.
Project 2
Global Web Platform Transformation
Many Zurich Business Units operated independent websites with inconsistent user experiences, content structures, and conversion journeys. The objective was to modernize customer-facing websites while creating a scalable approach that balanced local market needs with global consistency.
My Role
Senior Product Designer
I collaborated directly with Business Units to understand their business objectives, identify user pain points, and translate both into digital experiences that improved customer engagement and supported conversion goals.
Impact
Improved consistency across digital touchpoints
Reduced design duplication between Business Units
Supported scalable website redesigns
Created reusable UX patterns for future projects
Responsibilities
Facilitated stakeholder workshops
Conducted UX research and competitor benchmarking
Designed end-to-end customer journeys
Produced wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes
Worked alongside developers throughout implementation
Collaborated with the Zurich Design System team
Adapted solutions for different markets and regulations
Project 3
Switzerland Motor Insurance Experience
The Swiss Business Unit wanted to redesign the digital experience for purchasing car and motorcycle insurance. The challenge was not simply creating a quote calculator but designing the complete customer journey—from obtaining a quote to contacting an advisor and completing the policy purchase.
My Role - Lead Product Designer
I designed the end-to-end experience, balancing user needs, legal requirements, and business objectives.
Responsibilities
Mapped the insurance purchase journey
Designed the quote calculator flow
Created the lead generation experience
Designed advisor contact options
Improved form completion
Collaborated with legal and business stakeholders
Ensured compliance with Swiss insurance regulations
Business Goals
Increase qualified leads
Improve quote completion
Reduce customer friction
Support advisor conversion
Create a seamless omnichannel experience
Stakeholder Management Principles
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Business Discovery
Worked with Business Units to understand business goals, customer needs, market challenges, and success metrics before defining design opportunities.
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Solution Pitching
Presented UX strategies and product concepts to stakeholders, demonstrating how design solutions could improve customer experience while achieving business goals.
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Workshop Facilitation
Planned and led collaborative workshops with cross-functional teams to align on problems, generate ideas, prioritize initiatives, and define product direction.
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Stakeholder Alignment
Built consensus across business, product, and technical teams by communicating the value of design decisions through research, prototypes, and business cases.
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Concept Presentation
Communicated design concepts and user journeys through wireframes, prototypes, and presentations, gathering feedback to refine solutions before development.
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Initiative Prioritization
Evaluated opportunities based on user impact, business value, technical feasibility, and strategic priorities to help teams focus on the highest-value initiatives.
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Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partnered with Product Managers, Marketing, Business Owners, Developers, Legal teams, and Business Units to align customer needs with business objectives and deliver scalable digital solutions.
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Performance Measurement
Defined success metrics and monitored user behavior to identify opportunities for continuous optimization after launch.
Beyond Individual Projects
Leadership
Supported the growth of the design team by mentoring designers, providing design feedback, leading critiques, and promoting UX best practices across projects.
Highlights
Mentored junior and mid-level designers
Led design critiques
Shared UX best practices
Promoted design quality
Supported knowledge sharing
Agile Ways of Working
Worked within Agile teams, participating throughout the product lifecycle and adapting designs through continuous collaboration and iterative delivery.
Highlights
Sprint planning
Backlog refinement
Daily stand-ups
Design reviews
Iterative delivery
Design Systems
Collaborated with the Zurich Design System team to create consistent, scalable experiences across multiple Business Units while ensuring flexibility for local markets.
Highlights
Promoted reusable components
Contributed interaction patterns
Standardized UI behaviors
Improved consistency across markets
Supported accessibility standards
Global Collaboration
Partnered with Business Units across Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, France, Japan, Australia, and other markets to deliver scalable solutions adapted to regional needs.
Highlights
Cross-market collaboration
Localization
Regulatory adaptation
Multi-timezone teamwork
Global standards
Product Delivery
Worked closely with cross-functional teams from discovery through implementation, ensuring designs were feasible, aligned with business goals, and delivered successfully.
Highlights
Partnered with Product Managers and Developers
Defined requirements and user stories
Supported implementation
Reviewed development quality
Managed design handoff
Product Strategy
Helped identify opportunities, define digital experiences, and prioritize initiatives that delivered value for both customers and the business.
Highlights
Opportunity assessment
Journey mapping
UX strategy
Conversion optimization
Business case development
While my primary responsibility was delivering product experiences, I also played an active role in mentoring designers, collaborating across disciplines, promoting design system adoption, and improving the way teams worked together.
Being part of a great team!
Beyond the projects, what I value most is having been part of an exceptional team.
Working alongside creative, collaborative, and like-minded professionals at Duo made every challenge an opportunity to learn, innovate, and deliver meaningful impact.
