Securing the Financial Future of Millions More Americans
Services
Experience strategy
Content strategy
Web design
Experience design
Copywriting
Rapid prototyping
Data visualization
Design systems
With four in 10 U.S. households at risk of running out of money in retirement, financial security is more critical than ever. TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America) is a trusted, century-old financial services organization that’s helping millions pursue and achieve financial well-being through its retirement services, investing and advice. From educators to healthcare professionals, TIAA provides financial security for those who serve others, supporting more than 5M+ people today.
However, retirement annuities and savings strategies can be complex, often intimidating people to the point where they don't even know where to start. TIAA, in partnership with Code and Theory, led a strategic redesign of its web experience and digital brand expression to effectively communicate its variety of offerings and drive the most meaningful impact for the most people possible. Simplicity is the new fabric woven throughout the reimagined TIAA.org. The new experience is guided, interactive and educational, free of redundancies and consolidated by 50% fewer web pages.
The impact has been palpable for TIAA’s business, brand and most importantly, its customers. On the new homepage, enrollment starts surged by 80%, the overall content engagement rate vaulted +27%, alongside a lower bounce rate of 41%. Armed with a comprehensive design system and content library, TIAA’s team is positioned to lead, delivering a new way for people everywhere to learn about lifetime income so they can achieve the retirement security they deserve.
Impact
- +94% advice session starts with financial consultants from the Lifetime Income educational flow
- +80% enrollment starts from Homepage
- 41% lower bounce rate
- -50% less pages
- +40% amount of time users spend on average
- +76% SEO rank improvement
Code and Theory's thoughtful strategy and the way they crafted the narrative helped us effectively tell our story for people at a crucial life stage—preparing for retirement—and the results speak for themselves.
Meeting participants where they are
The redesigned TIAA website transforms financial uncertainty into confidence by making complex retirement planning clear, accessible, and actionable. Interactive educational experiences adapt to users’ financial fluency, allowing them to skim key insights or dive deep into tailored content. Engaging storytelling and intuitive tools debunk common myths about annuities, helping individuals understand their role in securing lifetime income. Custom calculators empower users to visualize their retirement scenarios and take informed action. By positioning TIAA as a trusted partner, the site delivers clarity, confidence, and a path toward a more secure future.
A monthly retirement check for life
Sound too good to be true? TIAA Traditional, their flagship fixed annuity, provides guaranteed growth while saving and monthly retirement checks that ensure people have money coming in as long as they live. But annuities, like so many financial products in this space, are perceived as complicated, expensive, and inflexible. So we simplified things, reimagining TIAA’s Lifetime Income experience with interactive educational flows aimed at guiding participants toward a secure retirement.
Since launch, advice session starts with a financial consultant have increased by 94%, and users spend 40% more time on average. SEO rank has also improved by 76%.
This new TIAA experience is super digestible. You have tangible examples. You have deep dives. All the information is broken up in a very good way that makes it easy to absorb.
Bringing data to life
Code and Theory delved into extensive reports, white papers, and spreadsheets to grasp the intricacies of TIAA’s annuity offerings, their role in retirement and how they are differentiated from the market. We transformed this complex data into an engaging narrative with interactive data visualizations, allowing users to adjust variables (e.g., risk profile or savings duration) to better grasp the power of TIAA’s offering. This accessible approach to bringing complex data to life helps users model how TIAA’s products can offer unique benefits — before and during retirement.
