Pensions dashboards are set to be a tool that will transform how people engage with their retirement savings. The Money and Pensions Service (Maps) is in the process of developing its MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, and has been conducting consumer testing to iterate and refine the service.

The dashboard has now entered phase 2 of testing. Maps is looking to recruit potential testers with help from the pensions industry, giving people an early opportunity to try out the dashboard.

The aims of phase 2 testing

Phase 1 of consumer testing, now complete, involved a small number of consumers, and this is going to scale up in phase 2. By allowing real users to go through the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, we’re looking to ensure the service is safe, secure and reliable.

Using a mix of sessions where testers can use the dashboard independently and with supervision, Maps is evaluating the dashboard experience and the effectiveness of the pension finder service built by the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP). Testing will examine users finding and viewing their pensions information, how well they can understand it, and whether they receive appropriate support for that information.

Who we are looking for

Starting with hundreds of people, phase 2 testing will eventually ramp to testing with thousands each month. This approach maintains the stability of the pensions dashboards ecosystem while allowing for the gradual testing of increasing volumes.

Maps is looking to recruit a wide range of potential testers. Anyone aged 18 or over who has not started withdrawing all their pensions can take part. Maps is particularly seeking assistance from the pensions industry to involve individuals with access needs or confidence barriers around literacy, numeracy, digital skills and technology.

Pension provider and scheme employees are able to sign up to a separate expert testing panel. This is a separate panel to the one for consumers, as your knowledge and familiarity with dashboards and pensions means you’ll engage with the service differently.

Once a person signs up to our research panel, they will be contacted when a testing opportunity comes up. They will be sent a link to use the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, testing in their own time on their own device.

How industry can help

We’re calling on the pensions industry to help us with finding people to test the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard. Industry can get in touch with their customers and members to highlight this opportunity to be an early user of the dashboard. We’re also encouraging employers and charities to get involved.

To help you spread the word, we’ve created a communications toolkit you can use. This contains an email template, shortform copy, visual assets, general guidance and a set of Q&A about the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard. You can currently request this via a form, and it will be available on the PDP website soon.

We’ll also need pension providers and schemes that are connected to the ecosystem to be prepared to receive increasing numbers of find requests for pensions information through the dashboard. There may also be more queries coming from testers who have received possible matches and are reaching out to provide further details.

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