Information checkedInformation unaudited Information geprüft Information ungeprüft Design Thinking: transforming ideas into solutions

Our Young Talents are eager and driven university graduates who are given the chance to experience the world of the LLB and take their first steps on the career ladder.

By Cornelia Zeh

Over a period of one to one-and-a-half years, these young professionals work in various departments and areas within the LLB. Be it Private Banking, Asset Management, Corporate Development or Compliance – they don’t just learn about these different areas, but also take on responsibility. During this programme, they also learn more about the design thinking process and use the method to develop innovative ideas for new products and services for the LLB Group.

What is design thinking?

Design thinking is a sequence of work stages that allows a team to solve a fundamental problem innovatively or come up with a new invention. It involves considering as many perspectives as possible, particularly those of (future) users. The process alternates between creative techniques and analysis phases. In other words, design thinking is a creative innovation process in which client-centric solutions and ideas are generated by a team that is as diverse as possible.

But above all, design thinking requires one thing: an open-minded and constructive attitude. Our Young Talents, split into two dynamic teams, tackled design thinking head-on in order to demonstrate this openness and creativity in action.

Pitch No. 1: SmartStart

The SmartStart Project Team’s target audience were young adults. The idea was to get them interested in the topic of investing while also making a regional contribution towards the financial literacy of the younger generation. The team developed a guide in close collaboration with the Private Banking and Basic Advisory teams. They also developed a complete concept, from client acquisition (form with landing page) to sale (subscribing to an LLB fund with a starting credit of CHF 100). In addition, this detailed project involved gathering feedback from Marketing, Sales Management and Basic Advisory, clarifying various issues with Legal and creating a pricing concept.

Details of this pitch can be found on the Intranet.

Pitch No. 2: LLB Liquidity Manager

The Liquidity Manager Project Team has developed a tool that shows clients the potential returns they could earn. The client’s unused capital over the past twelve quarters is shown in the tool as a graph. Unused capital is defined as the lowest private account balance in the period minus a safety buffer of CHF 20,000. This unused capital is then suggested to the client as a possible investment, with example calculations for potential returns based on the choice of investment and the horizon. The client can choose between a savings account, a fixed-term / time deposit or a fund. If they decide to invest, they are directed to the respective product in e-banking.

Details of this Pitch can be found on the Intranet

What’s next?

Both projects were presented to the management and all interested employees. It is nice to see that all of the solutions will continue to be developed collaboratively with the specialist departments.

For the SmartStart project, the feedback is currently being incorporated into the concept, and a client list is being created. These clients will be contacted during a pilot phase in mid-August. Congratulations to the team for their great work!

The Liquidity Manager Team is working on an order form for IT. At the same time, further LLB employees are being asked for feedback on the solution. The implementation is scheduled to start in early 2024.

It is great to see an idea slowly evolve into an actual product. We are excited to see what becomes of these two projects and we wish the teams all the best.