Simlindile Abongile Bantom
Centurion
Summary
Highly motivated senior UX leader with 10+ years of experience creating user-centric digital products in the banking and insurance sectors. Passionate about fostering the growth of junior designers through mentorship in addition to leading cross-functional teams, translating business objectives into intuitive designs, and driving user adoption.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
12
12
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certificate
Work History
Design Lead
Old Mutual
2 2024 - Current
- Lead a team of 2 designers, managing the entire design process (concept to implementation) for digital servicing platforms, including the 2pot team, across app (Android & iOS), Web, and WhatsApp channels
- Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and marketing teams to ensure a consistent and user-friendly experience for both the digital servicing and 2pot functionalities
- Conduct user research and usability testing to identify and address user pain points for both digital servicing and 2pot features
- Maintain brand consistency across digital servicing and 2pot by championing adherence to the design system governance through design reviews
- Developed and implemented design strategies to optimize the digital servicing journey and 2pot for user needs, ensuring a delightful and user-centric experience and alignment with business goals
- Facilitating weekly design team stand-up meetings to ensure clear communication, project alignment, and team focus
- Advocate for best practices in UX and usability, fostering a user-first culture within the organization.
Design Lead
Mpilo Technologies
12.2022 - 09.2023
- Defined and matured UX/UI practice
- Led high-performing design team (6 designers), providing mentorship and ensuring design consistency across projects
- Collaborated cross-functionally with product, development, business analysts, and stakeholders to define project goals, user needs, and design requirements
- Conducted user research, usability testing, and user feedback analysis to inform design decisions and drive iterative improvements
- Employed task analysis to understand user journeys and oversee personas, scenarios, and process flows development
- Championed user-centric design and design consistency across client products
- Built and maintained relationships with external client design teams
- Implemented and enforced rigorous UX standards throughout the design cycle and system development
- Participated in design review forums with external teams
- Defined KPIs, technical & soft skill development plans, and continuous learning initiatives for the design team.
UX Manager
FNB Insurance Pillar
07.2018 - 11.2022
- Led a team of 4 designers to deliver user-centered digital experiences for insurance products, resulting in a 70% increase in customer satisfaction
- Collaborated cross-functionally with product managers, specialists, analysts, underwriters, and IT to define UX strategies that improved the user journey for onboarding, policy management, and claims
- Developed and enforced design standards for a cohesive and trusted user experience across multiple insurance products
- Conducted user research and usability testing to translate insights into actionable design solutions, streamlining customer interactions and reducing pain points on the customer journeys
- Managed design budget and implemented best practices to optimize resources, leading to reduced costs and increased performance
- Implemented digital tools that facilitated policyholder access to information, resulting in a 70% decrease in customer service inquiries
- Championed customer-centric design by establishing a design governance forum and advocating with compliance teams to ensure regulatory adherence while maintaining usability standards
- Promoted & advocated the role of UX teams to align with the overall FNB Insurance strategy
- Integrated Agile methodologies across all stages of the design process, from high-level concepts to sprint rituals and design board management
- Presented design strategies and project updates to senior leadership, demonstrating the impact of UX initiatives on key metrics.
Senior UX Designer
Momentum
07.2017 - 06.2018
- Conducted User Research (Interviews & Usability Testing) to gather user insights for creating user personas and customer journey maps that informed design decisions
- Collaborated with Subject Matter Experts (Claims Specialists & Data Analysts) to understand user needs and integrate data-driven insights into the design process
- Reduced Claims Processing Time by 65% through cross-functional collaboration to redesign the insurance claims process
- Increased Advisor Engagement by 70% by leading a multidisciplinary team to design user-centered digital experiences for intermediary advisors
- Mapped User Flows & Journeys (Consumer, Advisor, Call Center Agent) projects
- Partnered with Development Teams to ensure accurate implementation of designs and resolve design-related issues
- Led the Design of a Momentum App (Mobile App Design) for policyholders, increasing information accessibility, promoting good driving behavior through gamification, and enhancing customer experience
- Mentored Junior Designers by providing guidance on design principles and fostering a culture of continuous learning within the team.
UX Designer
Standardbank
01.2015 - 06.2017
- Started as UX Design Graduate program (2015) and transitioned to UX Designer (2016) demonstrating skill development and in my career growth
- Obtained CUA Certified (Human Factors International)
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborated with diverse teams (product, development, etc.) to design user-centered interfaces for 3 key products (Online Banking for Business, Split Bill, Internet Banking) (Collaboration, User-Centered Design)
- Agile Methodology: Contributed to user story refinement (wireframing) within agile development sprints
- Design Thinking: Employed design thinking methods to ideate and prototype solutions, streamlining user flows and enhancing user satisfaction (Design Thinking, User Research)
- Usability Testing & Iteration: Conducted user research to identify pain points, created interactive prototypes, and performed usability testing to validate design improvements
- Stakeholder Communication: Presented design concepts to stakeholders, incorporating feedback to create user-centered solutions
- Design Documentation: Produced essential UX deliverables like user requirements, personas, storyboards, scenarios, prototypes, and design specifications
- Interdisciplinary Teamwork: Actively participated in an interdisciplinary team (visual designers, project managers, etc.) contributing to design reviews and ensuring user experience integrity throughout the development process.
Education
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY INFORMATION SYSTEMS -
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
01.2018 - Current
MASTERS IN INFORTATION TECHNOLOGY (CUM LAUDE) - Information Technology
CAPE PENNISULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLoGY
Cape Town, South Africa 01.2013 - 04.2016
BACCALAUREUS TECHNOLOGIAE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - Information Technology
NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Port Elizabeth, South Africa 01.2012 - 04.2012
Information Technology
NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Port Elizabeth, South Africa 04.2009 - 04.2011
Skills
FIGMA
JIRA
SKETCH
MIRO
CONFLUENCE
MAZE TESTING PLATFORM
AXURE
SKETCH
Excellent Communication
Strong Stakeholder Management
Rapport Building
People Management
Presentation skills
Negotiation
Analytical thinking
Certification
CERTIFIED USABILITY ANALYST | HUMAN FACTORS INTERNATIONAL
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
Design Lead
Mpilo Technologies
12.2022 - 09.2023
UX Manager
FNB Insurance Pillar
07.2018 - 11.2022
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY INFORMATION SYSTEMS -
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
01.2018 - Current
Senior UX Designer
Momentum
07.2017 - 06.2018
UX Designer
Standardbank
01.2015 - 06.2017
MASTERS IN INFORTATION TECHNOLOGY (CUM LAUDE) - Information Technology
CAPE PENNISULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLoGY
01.2013 - 04.2016
BACCALAUREUS TECHNOLOGIAE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - Information Technology
NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
01.2012 - 04.2012
Information Technology
NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
04.2009 - 04.2011
Design Lead
Old Mutual
2 2024 - Current