Challenge
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) handles consumer and professional representative financial complaints, but its existing online complaint form was built on legacy technology and was not designed with modern accessibility standards in mind. To better serve consumers, professional representatives, and the wider financial sector, FOS needed to replace these legacy processes with an intuitive, digital-first service. The primary goal was to create a smoother, more accessible user experience that reduced friction and improved data quality from the moment a complaint was submitted.
Solution
Hippo partnered with FOS and Robiquity to design and build a new “Digital Front Door”. We delivered a dynamic online complaint form powered by the Microsoft Power Platform.
By combining native low-code capabilities with custom web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), we built an intelligent form that guides users through their submission.
Key features included:
- Conditional logic and dynamic validation to show or hide fields based on user input.
- Contextual pre-population to streamline the process.
- An accessibility-first design aligned to WCAG 2.2 standards, built using the FOS design system.
Approach
To ensure the project was delivered efficiently, we utilised a hybrid Scrum-Waterfall approach, balancing the predictability of an upfront delivery plan with the adaptability of Agile execution.
Delivery was managed end-to-end through Azure DevOps to maintain real-time visibility across product, engineering, and test teams. We maintained continuous alignment with FOS through daily syncs, weekly leadership meetings, and sprint “Show & Tells”.
A core pillar of our engagement was leaving a lasting legacy of capability within FOS. We focused heavily on knowledge transfer and upskilling their internal teams:
- UX Coaching: We provided a specialist UX resource to help the in-house designer establish reusable components and build a scalable design system.
- Business Analysis: We coached the FOS BA team on writing clear, testable user stories to improve sprint readiness.
- Architectural Blueprinting: We provided comprehensive High-Level and Low-Level Design documentation to ensure FOS could confidently manage and evolve the platform long-term.
Complex digital transformations often face hurdles. During delivery, the team encountered challenges with last-minute requirements and internal and third-party testing cycles. Hippo adapted by treating these as critical dependencies, ring-fencing development resources to introduce contingency plans, and providing clear guidance on managing accessibility reviews. This agility ensured that disruptions from unplanned work were minimised.
Impact
Despite tight deadlines and shifting requirements, the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of the new complaint form successfully went live on time and on budget on the 17th of April.
This soft launch marked a major step in FOS’s ongoing transformation programme. The modernised platform is expected to drive significant business value, including:
- Reduced Cost to Serve.
- Better case presentation and resolution times through improved self-service.
- A positive impact on Net Promoter Score (NPS).
- Greater adaptability for big event planning, such as industry-wide financial redress schemes.
Following the launch, FOS has successfully transitioned into a phase of Continuous Improvement to further enhance the customer experience.
“A big milestone clearly for the project, but also for the organisation. And Hippo obviously played a key role!” – Oliver Craig, Head of Change and Continuous Improvement, Financial Ombudsman Service
