Barclays made the call to bring digital design in-house.

At the time, a leading agency owned everything. Product thinking, design execution, and the knowledge behind it. It worked, but it created dependencyglossary×DependencyA dependency is a component or system that another part of the system relies on to function.Open glossary term→, slowed decision-makingglossary×PrioritisationPrioritisation is the process of ranking tasks, features, or initiatives based on their importance, impact, and effort.Open glossary term→, and limited control.

The challenge was immediate. There was no design team in Knutsford, yet ownership of key products had to transition without missing a beat.

At the same time, Pingit, Barclays’ flagship payments app, couldn’t slow down. Competition was moving fast, and expectations were rising.

This wasn’t a clean handover. It was building a team, extracting knowledge, and continuing to deliver, all at the same time.

Design capabilityglossary×CapabilityCapability refers to an organisation’s ability to perform a specific function or deliver a particular outcome.Open glossary term→ sat outside the business. The thinking, the processesglossary×ProcessA process is a defined sequence of steps used to achieve a specific outcome.Open glossary term→, and the contextglossary×ContextThe surrounding conditions that shape behaviour and decisions.Open glossary term→ all lived with the agency.

Bringing it in-house exposed the gap immediately. No team, no structure, no established way of working.

Without a controlled transition, there was a real risk of losing critical knowledge, slowing deliveryglossary×DeliveryDelivery is the process of building, testing, and releasing a product or feature.Open glossary term→, and degrading the product.

At the same time, Pingit itself wasn’t simple. Every interactionglossary×InteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term→ had to balance usabilityglossary×UsabilityUsability is how easy and efficient it is for users to complete tasks within a product. It focuses on clarity, simplicity, and reducing effort so users can achieve their goals without confusion or friction.Open glossary term→ with security, regulation and fraud prevention.

This wasn’t just a capability gapglossary×Capability GapA capability gap is the difference between the capabilities an organisation currently has and those it needs to achieve its goals.Open glossary term→. It was a pressure point across product, people and deliveryglossary×DeliveryDelivery is the process of building, testing, and releasing a product or feature.Open glossary term→.

The priority was to stabilise deliveryglossary×DeliveryDelivery is the process of building, testing, and releasing a product or feature.Open glossary term→ while building something sustainable.

I worked closely with the outgoing agency to extract not just assets, but the thinking behind them. What decisions had been made, why they worked, and where the gaps were.

In parallel, I built the design team from scratch. Hiring, structuring and mentoring a multidisciplinary team that could operate at pace without losing quality.

The Double Diamond frameworkglossary×FrameworkA framework is a structured set of tools and conventions used to build applications more efficiently.Open glossary term→ was introduced to bring structure, but more importantly, to shift thinking. From reactive deliveryglossary×DeliveryDelivery is the process of building, testing, and releasing a product or feature.Open glossary term→ to understanding problems properly before solving them.

Design was embedded directly into agileglossary×AgileAgile is an approach to product development focused on iterative delivery, collaboration, and adapting to change.Open glossary term→ teams. No more handoffs. Designers and developersglossary×DeveloperA developer builds and maintains the technical implementation of a product.Open glossary term→ worked side by side, reducing frictionglossary×FrictionFriction refers to anything that slows users down or makes it harder for them to complete a task. It can be caused by poor design, unnecessary steps, unclear messaging, or technical issues.Open glossary term→ and speeding up decision-making.

Everything was grounded in researchservice×User ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service→. Usability testingguide×Usability TestingObserving users complete tasks to identify usability issues, friction, and barriers to success.Open guide→, analytics and direct user feedbackglossary×FeedbackFeedback is the system response that informs users about the result of their actions. It helps users understand what has happened and what to do next.Open glossary term→ were used to validate decisions and remove guesswork.

The result was a fully embedded design team, working as part of the product and engineering ecosystem rather than alongside it.

Design was no longer a bottleneck or a dependencyglossary×DependencyA dependency is a component or system that another part of the system relies on to function.Open glossary term→. It became part of how the organisation operated.

Pingit’s core journeysglossary×Pain PointA specific problem or frustration users experience when trying to complete a task.Open glossary term→ were improved, particularly onboarding. Steps were reduced, guidance was clearer, and users could complete the processglossary×ProcessA process is a defined sequence of steps used to achieve a specific outcome.Open glossary term→ faster without compromising on security or compliance.

The experience became simpler on the surface, while still handling the complexity required behind the scenes.

Structured ways of working made deliveryglossary×DeliveryDelivery is the process of building, testing, and releasing a product or feature.Open glossary term→ more predictable, and decisions more grounded in evidence rather than opinion.

Barclays successfully brought design in-house without slowing down deliveryglossary×DeliveryDelivery is the process of building, testing, and releasing a product or feature.Open glossary term→.

The new team created tighter collaboration between design, product and engineering, improving both speed and quality.

Onboarding improvements reduced frictionglossary×FrictionFriction refers to anything that slows users down or makes it harder for them to complete a task. It can be caused by poor design, unnecessary steps, unclear messaging, or technical issues.Open glossary term→ and increased successful activation, particularly in a space where drop-offglossary×Drop-offDrop-off refers to users leaving a journey before completing a desired action or reaching the next step.Open glossary term→ is typically high.

Decisions became clearer and faster. Less back and forth, fewer assumptions, and more confidenceglossary×ConfidenceConfidence is the level of certainty in a decision or outcome based on available evidence.Open glossary term→ in direction.

Most importantly, Barclays now owned its design capabilityglossary×CapabilityCapability refers to an organisation’s ability to perform a specific function or deliver a particular outcome.Open glossary term→. Not just the output, but the thinking behind it.

This project reinforced that design only becomes valuable when it’s embedded in how a business operates.

Outsourcing can get you speed and quality early on, but it creates distance. From the product, from the users, and from the decisions that shape both.

Bringing design in-house closes that gap, but only if it’s done properly.

It’s not just about hiring people. It’s about creating the conditions for design to influence, challenge and improve the organisation.

That’s where the real value sits.