Bendesk
Taming German Pension Complexity at Scale
The Bendesk pension calculator.
Bendesk (now Tridion Benefits) automates German pension administration for the startup ecosystem, with clients including Delivery Hero, SoundCloud, SumUp and Contentful. As Lead Product Designer, I led the platform's evolution from early designs to a scalable benefits platform, conducting user research, building out the design system, and architecting the experiences that went on to serve 2,500 monthly active users across 15+ enterprise clients.
Outcomes
0
+
Medium and large corporate customers in first year.
0.0
k
Monthly active users (MAU) in year after launch.
Role:
Lead Product Designer
Key responsibilities
Led strategic discovery workshops to align stakeholders on product vision
Conducted market research revealing 87% of job seekers value pensions most
Designed progressive disclosure system managing German regulatory complexity
Created design system with 40+ custom components for pension administration
Designed three-tier complexity system, making German pensions approachable
Facilitated cross-functional alignment across product, engineering, and operations
30 Second Story
Created: Complete benefits platform from vision to launched product
Researched: German pension complexity and market opportunity
Designed: Platform balancing needs of HR, employees, employers, and benefit providers
Validated: Product-market fit with enterprise clients
Outcome: Foundation enabled strategic pivot to specialised markets
01.
German Pensions Meet Startup Speed
The Challenge
German corporate pension schemes ("betriebliche Altersvorsorge") represent one of Europe's most complex benefits systems. With 36 different insurance providers, multiple contribution models, and strict regulatory requirements, both HR teams and employees struggled with the current manual processes.
Key Pain Points:
HR managers spent 3-5 hours per employee on pension setup
73% of employees didn't understand their pension benefits
Fear of compliance errors paralysed decision-making
Manual processes couldn't scale with growing startups
The Design Opportunity
Transform this complexity into an experience as simple as "Netflix for benefits" while maintaining full regulatory compliance.
02.
Mapping the Benefits Ecosystem
Understanding the Full System
When I joined Bendesk, I discovered that successful benefits management wasn't just a UX challenge - it was an orchestration problem between 4 stakeholder groups. In pensions alone, there were 36 insurance providers and multiple regulatory layers.
Early slide decks framing the problem space, and an offsite in Italy mapping journeys.
03.
Building a Scalable Design Foundation
From site structure to Figma organisation to file organisation to individual flows.
04.
Crafting the Calculator: Five Stages to Success
The Journey
Stage 1: The Problem Inherited design overwhelming users with too much information upfront
Stage 2: Research
Analysed competitors and calculator patterns across the industry
Stage 3: Comprehensive Wireframe Mapped every possible component to understand the full scope
Stage 4: High-Fidelity Design Translated learnings into working prototype with progressive disclosure
Stage 5: User Testing Dozens of feedback notes shaped final refinements
For original design through competitor and inspiration, through testing to final design
Final screen balancing interactivity with clarity of information.
The Impact
This iterative process didn't just deliver a better calculator - it established our design principles for the entire platform. We learned that users don't need less complexity; they need complexity revealed progressively, with clear value at each step. This insight shaped every subsequent feature we built.
05.
From Design to Impact: Engineering, Testing & Results
Validation Through Testing
I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing with real users. The qualitative feedback transformed the product: contextual help reduced support tickets by 67%, bulk operations saved HR managers hours per week, and smart defaults meant employees actually completed enrollment instead of abandoning halfway through.
Design System Impact
40+ components documented and maintained
89% error reduction through thoughtful form design
3-5 hours → 15 minutes setup time through automation
2,500 MAU across 15 enterprise clients
Strategic Impact
The design foundation enabled Bendesk to evolve strategically. When market conditions changed, our systematic approach allowed the company to pivot quickly into Tridion Benefits (pension expertise) and a platform sale to All for You (broader platform). Both companies continue building on our research insights and design patterns - validation that we created something lasting.
Reflections
Leading design at Bendesk taught me that craft and strategy are inseparable at the Lead level. Every strategic decision was validated through craft execution, and every design detail served the larger business goal.
This project demonstrated my ability to lead design at multiple levels: from detailed interaction patterns to strategic product decisions, from engineering collaboration to business model evolution.
"I think you are one of the most impactful persons in this team. Your way of thinking and tackling stuff is amazing and you do this while being the calm person you are. Always professional and motivated and on point.
You were able to understand the business and the processes in no time and even managed to tame them and make the best of the given information/situation.
I enjoyed all the talks and discussions we had. Afterwards I always had better feeling about the topic than before. I think you changed Bendesk for the good and also my way of approaching things.
Your way of leading and managing expectations is impressive!"
— Philipp Freese, CTO, Bendesk
