When Beautiful Design Meets Reality: Lessons from Building SuperAnne

By Jessica Jiang, Business Consultant

“My body won't let me keep doing this work forever, so I need to make smart choices now. The boys at work say I should have my money in crypto, not super, but I don’t know enough about it. I wish someone would explain all this to me without costing a fortune.” — Michael Jones, 45, Formwork Concreter, father of two.

Michael isn’t just a persona. He represents a growing cohort of Australians who feel overwhelmed, underserved, and priced out of quality financial guidance. And he's exactly why we built SuperAnne to help everyday Australians like Michael - curious but overwhelmed, cautious but hopeful - make smarter choices about their financial future, without the jargon or judgment.

SuperAnne didn’t begin with a design sprint or wireframe. It began with a conversation. We listened to people like Michael who are hesitant to ask for help, unsure where to start, and wary of being sold to. That led to our foundations for SuperAnne: clarity over complexity, approachability over authority, and interaction over instruction.

Dream Big, Test Small

From this foundation, the design began to evolve. The initial concept featured an animated UI - a glowing, lava-lamp-style avatar inspired by Aladdin’s genie, designed to evoke friendliness and “magic” in financial conversations. The visual identity was distinct and the branding was strong. On paper and in Figma, it felt like we were onto something special.

But then came reality.

Wait, Are We Building a Dream?

Before we fed our slick design into the engineering machines, questions began to arise:

Was it practical? Were we trying to give our user a Cybertruck who just wanted a reliable Toyota? Rather than debating endlessly in meetings, we did what good product teams do: we test. And the feedback was consistent:

“It looks amazing… but it’s kinda hard to use.”

The avatar felt more futuristic than familiar. It took up too much real estate. It confused people.

So we refined the experience: We positioned the SuperAnne input bubble to the bottom of the screen to be less distracting and prioritised clear layouts for the scenario projection. 

The Tap, The Hold?

We kept testing.

We gave SuperAnne to family, friends, and strangers. We watched how they reacted. How they held. How they hesitated.

“Do I hold it down to talk?”
“When does the mic start?”
“Is it listening now?”

Those micro-hesitations told us everything. It led us to another iteration: the bubble now expands when pressed - a simple cue that says, “We’re listening now.”

Design iteration wasn’t just about the interface. It became a process of decoding user uncertainty and redesigning around human behaviour.

Iteration as a Foundation, Not a Phase

This was just the beginning.

We realised that not every magical design should be built, and familiarity isn't a bad word. It can actually drive confidence, especially in financial tools.

So we focused on the foundations:

• Moved from glowing animation to simple conversations
  
  
• Prioritised information over aesthetic novelty
  
  
• Built space for charts, scenario comparisons and provide simple options

We preserved SuperAnne’s essence, but stripped the noise.

The iterations didn’t stop at UI. We brought engineering earlier into the design process, prototype-tested features, and prioritised flows that drive real value. Through two weeks of sprint cycles, we validated projections, refined the onboarding experience, and cleared away visual noise. We measured behaviour - taps, hesitations, drop‑offs - not assumptions.

Looking Ahead

SuperAnne is not a replacement for a financial adviser, but she’s a starting point. A conversation opener. A way to build confidence in your financial future.

As the industry reforms take shape, we’ll continue to iterate, test, and build - always with Michael in mind, and always with simplicity at the core.

Because smart financial guidance shouldn't be a luxury.
It should be something every Australian can access: Safely, Simply, and Affordably.

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