Aviva Design System - Product Design Case Study

Developing a Global Design System for Aviva

The UX Challenge: Creating One Source of Truth for 100+ Designers & 31 Million Customers

With international product teams operating across nine global markets, Aviva faced a lack of consistency across its digital products. The rapid expansion of teams led to fragmented UX/UI, technical debt, and inefficiencies in development. To address this, we built the Framework Design System—a scalable, interconnected system that streamlined design and development across all digital touchpoints.

The UX Solution

I led a multi-disciplinary team of six designers (UX/UI), five developers, a business analyst, and a product owner—collaborating with hundreds of global stakeholders to create a unified, scalable design system.

Key initiatives included:

• Establishing a Single Source of Truth – Built a consistent UI library and front-end codebase (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to ensure scalability and usability across Aviva’s global digital experiences.
• Accelerating Time to Market – Created reusable components and templates, enabling teams to prototype and launch products faster while maintaining a unified brand identity.
• Embedding Global Experience Principles – Developed guidelines covering customer experience, SEO, accessibility, and responsive design to standardize UX across markets.
• Implementing Accessibility Standards – Ensured WCAG compliance through detailed guidelines on screen readers, keyboard controls, legibility, and error handling.
• Enhancing Developer Efficiency – Introduced platform-agnostic development standards that minimized technical debt, reduced one-off solutions, and optimized site performance.
• Creating a Culture of Design Excellence – Established community-driven initiatives such as monthly newsletters, open clinics, and release roadmaps to encourage visibility and adoption.

Outcome & Business Impact

• £4M Development Cost Savings (UK) – Due to reduced duplication of effort and improved efficiency.
• 31% Faster Time to Market – Average delivery time reduced from 277 hours to 190 hours per person.
• 230+ UI Components – A fully scalable design system that supports multiple global markets.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility – The Framework system was white-labeled to support HSBC and other global brands.
• Ongoing Integration with AEM – Ensured seamless deployment across Aviva’s digital ecosystem.

By investing in a mature design system, Aviva transformed its digital design process, enabling teams to work faster, innovate more, and deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale.