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Brokers Platform - Securing £3M with Strategic Design
Strategic Design • Vision Casting • B2B / Enterprise UX • Internal User Research • Project Handover
Before the three-way merger that created the current Tandem Bank, I was hired by Oplo to redesign their core B2B broker platform: Connect. The existing system (Connect v1) was outdated and slowed down the internal home loans team. My initial objective as a Senior Designer was to design "Connect v2" - a modern portal to speed up and automate the handling, managing, and submitting of home loan applications.
Company
Oplo/Tandem
Year
2022-2023
Project Type
web app
Team Size
Initially me as solo designer
The Challenge
Designing enterprise software for brokers is inherently complex, but this project came with specific operational hurdles:
The business wanted an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), but because it was replacing an existing tool, the new version had to have full feature parity from day one. It could not be any less powerful than Connect v1, making the scope massive.
Oplo had no internal design system at the time, and all marketing was driven by an external agency. The digital product had no visual rules or component library to build upon.
Halfway through the project, the executive committee (Exco) needed to secure extra capital to actually build and deliver the tool. They needed a compelling way to sell this highly technical workflow to the Board.
My Role
I began this project as the lead UX/UI designer, responsible for gathering requirements and designing the initial platform. However, halfway through this project, the company merged and I was promoted to Head of Design. My role quickly shifted from hands-on execution to strategic vision-casting and, ultimately, delegating the project to my newly hired team.
The Solution
To navigate the complex requirements and the sudden need for executive fundraising, I broke the work down into three phases:
Internal User Research (The Foundation)
Rather than guessing the requirements for such a complex operational tool, I went straight to the source. I spent time talking directly to the Oplo home loans team.
By mapping their daily workflows, I identified the exact gaps, bottlenecks, and needs that Connect v2 had to solve to genuinely speed up their application handling.
Building the UI Library
Because we had no design system, I could not just assemble screens. I created an initial, dedicated component library specifically for Connect v2.
While it wasn't a full company-wide design system at the time, this foundational library ensured we could design the massive "MVP" efficiently and consistently.
The 'Killer' Demo
When the business needed to secure extra investment for the tool, Exco asked us for a presentation deck that would "blow their hats off".
I knew static wireframes of a B2B portal would not excite investors. Working alongside a colleague who wrote the narrative script, I created a highly polished, fully animated video demonstrating the key features and the future vision of Connect v2.
This video transformed dry, operational workflows into a compelling, easy-to-understand story about business efficiency.
The Leadership Handover
Following my promotion to Head of Design during the merger, my responsibilities shifted to building the wider design organisation. I successfully briefed and handed over the Connect v2 component library and research to a new designer on my team to carry over the finish line.
The Outcome
Exco took the animated video demo and narrative I created, presented it to the Board/investors, and successfully won £3M in investment to fund the platform's development.
I successfully transitioned from being the sole designer on the project to a leader, smoothly handing the foundational work over to my new team so I could focus on the wider company merger.
What I Have Learnt or Improved on
This project proved to me that design is not just about the final shipped product. High-fidelity prototyping and motion design are incredibly powerful strategic tools that can bridge the imagination gap for executives and secure critical business funding.
Replacing a legacy B2B system taught me that a true "MVP" rarely exists in enterprise software. Users will not adopt a new system if it does less than their old one, meaning scope management is the hardest part of the job.
Being promoted mid-project forced me to learn how to hand over my "baby." It taught me that as a design leader, your success is measured by how well you set up your team to finish the job, not by doing it all yourself.
