IKEA HEMSÄKER
Designing a Digital Product Vision for Home Insurance.
Client: Swiss Re’s iptiQ, CH; Ikano Bank, SE
Agency: C Space London
My role: Experience Design Director · CX & UX/UI Design Director
Led the customer experience and product design strategy to help IKEA break into home insurance with a human-first product that fits real lives, not industry norms.
Brought clarity and direction across research, prototyping, and digital experience design.
Singapore & Malaysia’s digital campaign by TBWA\Singapore.
“
Insurance is complicated. We just want to feel safe.” – German customer
1. Challenge
Why IKEA Stepped Into Insurance
IKEA wanted to expand into home insurance, but traditional offerings didn’t match their customers’ lifestyles or values.
The challenge was to imagine a solution that felt genuinely IKEA while reducing the risks of entering an unfamiliar market.
Zurich hackathon with real customers and global stakeholders.
2. What We Did
Designing for Trust, Not Disruption
We framed a digital-first product strategy grounded in customer insight and brand alignment.
I led a multidisciplinary team across research, workshops, design sprints, and prototyping to uncover unmet needs and shape four on-brand propositions.
Working with Swiss Re’s iptiQ, Ikano Bank, and real customers, we validated ideas via in-person hackathon and remotely in three global markets (DE, MY, US), defining user stories, user flows, and customer experiences.
Ideation with insight themes and product tensions, user journey highlights across digital and physical flows.
3. The Four Concepts
Making Insurance More Human
We explored and prototyped four experience-driven product ideas aligned to different life needs. Each proposition addressed real barriers to trust, affordability, and ease.
Prototype 1
Hemflex
A shared insurance plan for roommates and friends.
Prototype 2
Hemsmart
Scan your home to get an instant quote and safety score.
Prototype 3
Hemspar
Eco-friendly insurance that rewards sustainable behaviour.
Prototype 4
Hemtrygg
Simple, low-cost coverage with clear terms.
4. Outcomes
A Win for Customers and IKEA
HEMSÄKER, the final solution, was launched in Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, and Mexico.
It offers simple, transparent home insurance with IKEA’s signature tone and trust. It now holds 10% of the Swiss direct market and ranks in the top five in customer service. A meaningful win for both the business and its customers.
IKEA CH: HEMSÄKER
Ikano Group: Press page
iptiQ Swiss Re: Press page
5. My Insight
You don’t need to make insurance exciting. You need to make it easy, human, and useful. Customers responded not to novelty but to honesty and practicality, which made all the difference.
The IKEA HEMSÄKER project shows how human-centered design creates customer value and de-risks business decisions.
10%
OF SWISS DIRECT HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE MARKET.
#5
IN CUSTOMER SERVICE RANKING FOR HOME INSURANCE (CH 2022).
Ale
