Image Credit : Hostplus
Project Overview
The release of the redeveloped Hostplus mobile application signals the start of a new era in digital experience for Hostplus members. Driven by a desire to improve member outcomes through the enhanced security, operation, and functionality of the mobile application, the project focuses not only on the now but on future-proofing of the platform through the implementation of modern and scalable technology.
Managing the retirement savings of more than 1.7 million members, Hostplus recognised that the original app was not fit-for-purpose for their diverse membership base, and there was improvement potential across the entire platform: design, experience, performance, and data.
Transitioning from the outdated Xamarin mobile framework to using native application platforms, Hostplus put end-user experience and application security at the core of every development and design decision. This culminated in a more interactive, fully accessible, and high performing mobile application.
Hostplus and NCS Australia worked in partnership to successfully launch the new and enhanced Hostplus app on time - within six months of project approval - and on budget, creating a strong foundation for the addition of expanded features in future.
User feedback following the launch of the new app reinforced the value the project delivered to Hostplus members:
“Really like the enhanced accessibility features in this version, particularly support for large text.”
“Fantastic new app that works great. It's so much better than the old one. Amazing the difference! Great work Hostplus.”
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
The team for this project was a hybrid team utilizing the knowledge and technical experience from both NCS and Hostplus. With software developers focusing on both frontend mobile and middleware integration the team, as a whole, split into two smaller squads. Each squad had its own quality engineers and business analysts, all overseen by an industry-leading solution architect. The team worked in the agile methodology with daily ceremonies to ensure the daily work was progressing as expected and governance meetings on a longer cadence.
Project Brief
Recognizing the mobile app as a preferred channel for members to engage with their superannuation, Hostplus partnered with NCS Australia to design an app that could meet needs and exceed expectations. The solution focused on incorporating intuitive and accessible design, extensible and flexible architecture, high performance, and first-class security into a foundation app that was also compatible with delivering ongoing improvements at speed.
Key project goals:
• Improve accessibility and functionality of the app for all members from young people new to the workforce through to retirees.
• Add multi-product support to allow for different account types, from superannuation accounts through to transition to retirement and pension accounts.
• Deliver capability that is flexible, extensible, and scalable to future users and technology requirements, with consideration of potential membership growth.
• Preserve confidentiality of member data on the device, without introducing security weaknesses to Hostplus and partner systems.
• Ensure no degradation in feature offering to Hostplus members.
Key project challenges addressed:
• Alignment with members’ best financial interest duties of superannuation trustees, balanced against user expectations for a feature-rich application.
• Need for seamless migration of members from the old app to the new with no disruption to service.
• Consistency and alignment with corporate design and branding.
The collaboration successfully achieved the project goals to deliver an easy-to-use rebuilt app that is cutting edge, future-proof, and highly secure – all within an ambitious six-month timeframe.
Project Need
Enhancing the user experience to deliver better outcomes for members was a primary driver of this project. Hostplus’ young demographic made this need particularly acute and drove both demand and expectations for a more fit-for-purpose digital offering. However, the solution also needed to provide for the requirements of retirees.
Compounding this challenge was Hostplus’ reliance on the Xamarin technology, stifling their ability to innovate or deliver at speed. Hostplus also needed to ensure the project and outcomes represented value for members.
The project presented an opportunity to future-proof Hostplus’ digital offering, recognizing the need to transition to a framework that can evolve with a rapidly changing technology and superannuation environment.
When planning a new release of this scale, there is not only a need for a huge focus on security, but also on ensuring a seamless and smooth transfer from the old app to the new. Hostplus wanted to ensure no users were logged out during the upgrade – and this requirement was one of the first tables to be solved in the development process.
The result was that the planning and thought invested, before development began, paid off when every user was migrated to the new version on release. Members' first experiences with the new accessible and intuitive flow was one the app deserved — a simple and joyful upgrade — concealing the deep and complex architectural decisions that had been made to get to this point.
User Experience
Hostplus prioritized improving the mobile app user experience with a laser-like focus. Recognizing the strong digital preferences of their membership demographic (including tech-savvy older members), key experience objectives included:
• Optimising accessibility to support all members – not just those with a disability or aging.
• Increased usability and experience through research-led design and visuals.
• Enhanced performance and security for faster loading and response times.
• Greater interaction to promote engagement.
To achieve these objectives, Hostplus drew on best-practice research as well as solicited feedback from members, and based all their decisions on data.
The outcomes of this effort are evidenced by data.
• In the three months post-relaunch, the Apple store app achieved and maintained an overall rating of 4.5 stars.
• Strong penetration testing results and a materially low crash rate of 0.2% (iOS) have been achieved since March 2024.
• There’s been an increase in visits per member to over 42% compared with the previous offering YoY (Jan-Mar 2024).
• Growth in members accessing the app is up by 94% YoY (Jan-Mar 2024).
With expected user experiences of mobile applications set high, the results of the new app show how much consideration, thought, and expertise can affect the impact an app will have on release. The result is an enhanced user experience, which will not only have a positive impact for Australians living with a disability but all users of this app, with an improved design, layout, and flow.
Project Marketing
Hostplus understood a usual application baseline for success would not be enough. Highly responsive, low crash rates, accessible, and fast would be the foundation and not the pinnacle. They needed a seamless migration from the old app to the new – while linking the design and branding so users would intuitively know how to use it.
Hostplus and NCS Australia worked to ensure they had created a proof of concept and solved the technical problems for migration before a single line of code was written – this underscored the entire project.
The app made a huge impact with over 70,000 users downloading the app in the first three months alone. The improvement in responsiveness was impressive with a significant reduction in dashboard load time, and a crash rate of 0.7% on Android and 0.2% on iOS in a recent 90-day period. Most importantly, the migration from the old app to the new one was seamless. Since its release, Hostplus has seen more than three times the number of positive reviews and mentions on socials.
The team also saw engagement rise, with the median number of logins per member increasing by 30% when comparing the three months pre and post-launch.
The result was a successful app launch, with impressive user uptake and engagement, and a seamless transition that was positively received by members: “Fantastic app - so easy to use.”
Project Privacy
Superannuation is a highly regulated industry where the safety and security of member information and accounts are non-negotiable – to members, to regulators, and to the fund.
Hostplus’ app development prioritized and emphasized this security, which influenced the decision to re-platform the application on native iOS and Android platforms, eliminating vulnerabilities of cross-platform frameworks. This move facilitated the integration of advanced security features to safeguard member data.
The tender process for onshore development partners heavily weighted security capabilities, leading to a secure-by-design mobile app. The workflow included automated security testing, a comprehensive security architecture review, and multiple security testing reviews by cyber security specialists, ensuring robust security assurance.
For enhanced security and performance, the application middleware was redeveloped using ASP.NET, transitioning from LogicApps. Pre-launch penetration testing confirmed the development team’s secure-first approach, with the app producing excellent results. Penetration testing will continue to maintain high-security standards.
Coupling Hostplus’ understanding of the superannuation industry, and focus on security and privacy, with NCS Australia’s industry-leading expertise in security architecture and mobile development, has delivered an app that members can be confident prioritizes the security of their retirement savings.
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