Designing a single source of truth for an Employee Benefits Scheme
Overview
A large defence client needed a central, accessible way to showcase their employee benefits offering. Benefits information existed in pockets across the organisation, but it wasn’t easy to access or navigate.
Content lived in multiple systems and documents. Some employees didn’t have access to core platforms. Recruitment teams were manually gathering information when speaking to candidates.
The aim was to design a single microsite that could act as a reliable source of truth — accessible across the business and usable by recruitment.
The work focused less on creating new content and more on structuring what already existed so it actually made sense.
Understanding the Problem
Before any wireframes were built, I ran a series of stakeholder workshops to understand why the client wanted a microsite outside of their existing platform, and how different teams used — and talked about — benefits.
It quickly became clear that:
- The intended users may not have access to the existing platform
- Different departments had different assumptions about what “clarity” meant
- Benefits were structured around internal ownership, not user understanding
- Recruitment teams needed a simpler, more coherent way to explain the offering
In addition, I reviewed existing employee survey feedback to gain insight into how employees perceive and interact with their benefits.
Two things stood out:
Employees often described benefits in practical terms (“pension”, “health cover”, “flexible perks”) rather than internal policy language.
Awareness and understanding varied — not because information didn’t exist, but because it wasn’t grouped in a way that reflected how people thought about support.
Survey data was naturally biased toward existing employees. It didn’t represent candidates.
To address that, I worked with the recruitment team to understand how candidates asked about benefits and what information they prioritised during hiring conversations.
That combination of inputs shaped the structure’s direction.
The Challenge
The task wasn’t to rewrite everything.
It was to reorganise complex, operationally structured content into something intuitive and usable. We chose a standalone microsite to ensure accessibility outside of the existing platforms.
The microsite needed to work for:
- Employees with full system access
- Employees without access to certain platforms
- Recruitment teams
- Prospective hires
It couldn’t feel overly internal. But it couldn’t drift into promotional language either.
Structure had to do most of the work.
My Role
Along with running the stakeholder workshops, I carried out initial user research, led the content architecture and messaging approach, and collaborated with product and design to develop wireframes and mock ups.
My responsibilities included:
- Defining the information hierarchy
- Grouping benefits around user mental models
- Shaping homepage messaging
- Writing concise, scannable category introductions
- Ensuring the structure worked across internal and recruitment use cases
Research informed the structure. The structure informed the writing.
Approach
Structuring around how people think
Rather than grouping benefits by provider or internal function, we organised them into user-centred categories:
- Your Money
- Your Health
- Your Wellbeing
- Your Lifestyle
This shift was based directly on how employees described their benefits in survey responses.
The aim was to reduce the effort required to interpret internal terminology.
Designing for multiple audiences
The homepage and navigation were structured to support different entry points without duplicating content.
Recruitment could use the same source as employees. Employees could navigate without needing background context.
Consistency was intentional. It reduced the risk of conflicting information and future content drift.
Writing for clarity, not persuasion
Category pages opened with short summaries explaining what users would find, followed by structured listings.
The emphasis was on:
- Clear headings
- Logical grouping
- Predictable layout
- Concise explanations
The copy was functional by design. It needed to support understanding first.
Outcome
Although the project did not progress to full launch, the work demonstrates a research-led approach to content design:
- Translating stakeholder input into a practical structure
- Using real user language to shape taxonomy
- Acknowledging data bias and supplementing insight
- Designing for multiple audiences within one system
- Prioritising clarity and findability over volume
Although the final site did not progress to launch, the example below reflects the intended tone and structure based on the approved content direction.
Your choice. Your reward. Your way.
You secure the future for each and every one of us. In return, we’ll help you protect what matters most.
[Name removed] is your dedicated employee benefits platform designed to support you from your first day with us and throughout your career here. Whether you’re thinking of joining us or looking for more detailed information about your benefits, you’ll find clear guidance and practical information right here.
Your Money
Plan your financial future with confidence.
From pension contributions to life assurance, income protection to will writing, you’ll find everything you need to plan your future and secure your finances.
