If you've ever used the TIAA mobile app, congratulations! You've seen some of my work. (Well, all the good stuff is me). I've been the voice of TIAA's mobile UX department for the last two years. In that time, I've had one major goal: creating content that anyone can understand. It's hard enough to deal with the complications of our strange modern world. If I can take something off someone's plate by making a complicated concept like retirement easy to digest, I know I've done the right thing in my time here.

This project was a doozy. From learning about beneficiary management to solving nearly a hundred edge cases, my designer and I had no shortage of work. Here's how we turned a complex concept like managing beneficiaries to a clear, communicative process in just a few short steps: