HSBC Kinetic

A new bank needed a new kind of design team.

HSBC launched Kinetic as a standalone digital bank for small business owners. The ambition was to compete with the likes of Monzo, Starling, and Tide, but within the regulatory and operational framework of one of the world's largest financial institutions.

There was a design team in place, but no clear structure, no established UCD process, and siloed ways of working that prevented design from having real influence on the product. The challenge was not just to grow the team but to reshape how it operated.

Reshape the organisation, then the product follows.

I had joined HSBC in 2017 leading experience design for international customer onboarding in the Personal Bank, and was promoted in 2018 to head the Kinetic design organisation.

I grew the team significantly, hiring across UX, UI, research, and copywriting, but the bigger challenge was structural. The design function needed to be reorganised so it could work effectively at scale, follow a user-centred process, and break down the silos that were slowing everything down.

I introduced a hybrid team model: designers reported into a centralised design function for career development, quality standards, and community, but were embedded in product teams day-to-day. This gave designers the support and progression of a dedicated design org while keeping them close enough to product decisions to have real influence. I established a UCD process that connected research findings directly to product decisions, and set up a dedicated research practice so design decisions were grounded in evidence rather than opinion.

I created a shared toolkit covering patterns, components, and copy guidelines, giving the team a common language and a consistent standard. I worked closely with the Managing Director and product leadership to ensure design had a seat at the strategy table, not just the delivery table.

A design org that shipped, scaled, and lasted.

The team grew to 20 people across UX design, UI design, UX research, and content design, extended further by contractors and agency partners. The restructured design organisation became a model within HSBC for how to embed design in product development.

Kinetic launched successfully and competed directly with digital-first challengers. It has since won over 10 industry awards, including Best App Based Business Account four consecutive years at the Moneynet Awards, Best Mobile Initiative for Business at the Banking Tech Awards, Best Digital CX for Account Opening, and a Webby Awards nominee for Best User Experience, 2021. The app maintains a 4.8/5 rating from over 22,000 App Store reviews. But the lasting impact was organisational: a mature design practice with clear career paths, consistent standards, and genuine influence on product strategy.