Product leadership with a designer's instinct.

Head of Experience Design at Lloyds Banking Group. Former agency co-founder. PhD in Human-Computer Interaction.

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Portrait of Phil Bonhard
Dr Phil Bonhard, London
From 20 to 30 min, offline
<10 min
for a mortgage agreement in principle, now online for 50,000+ customers a month
From days or weeks
<24h
from mortgage application to offer, in some cases
From fully outsourced
0 → 25
designers, since bringing mortgage design in-house in 2017
From static passcodes
Millions
of customers use the two-factor authentication journeys we shaped, every day

Research, business and delivery. I've done all three.

Twenty years across universities, big consultancies, my own agency and one of the UK's largest banks. I've taught people to code, won and run projects and led teams delivering at scale.

  1. 2023 to now

    Head of Experience Design, Homes and Mortgages

    Lloyds Banking Group

    I set the direction for mortgage design and lead a team of 25, working with more than 500 colleagues in product and technology.

  2. 2019 to 2023

    Head of Design, Fraud and Economic Crime Prevention

    Lloyds Banking Group

    Made identity checks and two-factor authentication work for millions of customers, including early work on digital ID.

  3. 2017 to 2019

    Head of Design, Mortgages Transformation

    Lloyds Banking Group

    Brought design in-house, growing the team from 0 to 12 in 12 months.

  4. 2013 to 2016

    Co-founder and Design Director

    Newt Idea

    Ran a service design agency. I won the work, led the projects and managed the money.

  5. 2012 to 2013

    UX Manager

    SapientNitro

    Led UX teams and helped win work with clients like EE and TUI.

  6. 2007 to 2012

    User Experience Manager

    Accenture

    Led the design teams and effort on large projects for clients like Vodafone, Sky and the Department for Work and Pensions.

  7. 2003 to 2007

    Lecturer and PhD researcher

    UCL and Queen Mary, University of London

    Earned a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction and an MSc in Computer Science at UCL while teaching programming.

Organisations I've designed for

  • Vodafone
  • Sky
  • EE
  • Universal Music Group
  • TUI
  • NatWest
  • Tesco
  • AstraZeneca
  • Cancer Research UK
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Bundesagentur für Arbeit

Also NHS Blood and Transplant and the Metropolitan Police.

Selected work

Lloyds Banking Group, Homes & Mortgages

Making the whole mortgage application possible online.

From 20 to 30 min, offline<10 minfor an agreement in principle online, now used by 50,000+ customers a month
From days or weeks<24hfrom application to offer, in some cases
From a few hours, including calls<30 minfor a broker to complete a full application digitally

The challenge

Let people apply for a mortgage entirely online, while still getting advice if they want it.

My role

I set the direction for mortgage design with product and engineering. Customer research told us which problems to fix first.

What changed

Customers can now apply fully online. Brokers no longer spend hours on the phone to relationship managers: they complete the whole application digitally.

A team effort across design, product, engineering and the wider business. Offer times vary.

Lloyds Banking Group, Fraud and Economic Crime Prevention

Two-factor authentication that works for millions of people.

When Strong Customer Authentication became law in 2019, banks had to move customers from static passcodes to two-factor checks. I dug into how each authentication method really works and where it falls short: who can use it, in which situations and who might struggle.

That helped us shape authentication journeys that are secure and work for very different people.

Across the UK industry, remote purchase fraud losses fell 29% between 2018 and 2023 as two-factor checks replaced static passcodes. Source: UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2024.

Newt Idea, Co-founder, 2013 to 2016

Running my own business.

I won the work, looked after clients and made sure the numbers added up.

It's why I think about winning customers, keeping them and making money from the very start.

Building the team. Growing the people.

0→25When I started in 2017, all mortgage design was outsourced. Today the in-house team is 25.

My job is to set a clear direction and help people make good decisions. That means agreeing priorities with product and engineering and staying close enough to the work to know when to help.

Designers in my team have grown from graduate to design leader within five years. We also use AI in our everyday work, so people can move faster.

  • UX and product design
  • Service design
  • Research
  • Content and conversation design

How I work

  1. Where's the opportunity?Understand what customers need and where the business could grow. Check assumptions before spending time and money.
  2. What do we do first?Decide what to invest in and what can wait. Get everyone pulling in the same direction.
  3. What changed?See the work through to launch. Measure what got better for customers and the business, then decide what's next.

What my team says

“He’s always thinking two steps ahead, and he’ll go to bat for his team’s expertise when it matters.”
Designer in my team
“Energising! Phil works relentlessly to make people gel together. He pushes designers hard to level up, but also makes space to be challenged.”
Designer in my team
“Phil has the team’s back even when they’re not aware of it. I’ve felt fiercely supported, yet challenged where appropriate.”
Design manager in my team
“If you like to be challenged and inspired by a mad scientist who loves design almost as much as helping people, you’ll fit right into the team.”
Designer in my team

On stage

I've spoken at WebExpo four times since 2017, as well as Forrester CX EMEA and Natter. I talk about how AI is changing design, how to keep people safe online and how to get design work shipped.

Phil speaking on a long white stage at WebExpo, Prague, with ornate theatre balconies behind View from the balcony of Phil presenting at WebExpo to a seated audience Phil presenting on OKRs at Forrester CX EMEA A full conference hall watching Phil's talk at Forrester CX EMEA

WebExpo in Prague and Forrester CX EMEA.

  • WebExpo 2024, 40 minRobots vs. designersDo we even need designers in the age of AI?

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  • WebExpo 2022, 37 minAlice, who the f*ck is Alice?The challenges of digital identity in a post-Covid, Tinder Swindler world.

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  • WebExpo 2019, 41 minThe greatest showmen and their tricksDigital security for you and your mum.

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All talks on SlidesLive
“One of the best talks of WebExpo 2024.”
Ondřej Pohl, attendee review, WebExpo 2024
“Learned lots from Phil’s talk. He’s a very engaging speaker who knows his stuff.”
Geri Reid, attendee review, WebExpo 2024

Topics I speak on

  • AI and the future of design
  • Digital identity and security
  • Design leadership
  • Getting design work shipped
Organising an event? Get in touch for a bio, headshot and availability. I also speak German, French and Czech.

Let's talk.

I'm always happy to talk about product, design and leadership. Or about speaking at your event.

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