Chris Curry: My experience testing the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard

As Principal of the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP), I’ve recently been fortunate enough to be among the first to test the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard with my own live pension data.

Collaboration from stakeholders across industry and delivery partners is bringing dashboards to life, and it was deeply satisfying to see my own pensions data displayed on a dashboard. I’d like to share my reflections on this process, which will be followed closely by the next phase – testing with real consumers.

Building the foundations

Over recent months, we have been working intensively to establish the technical infrastructure needed to support consumer testing. Internal testing of the user journey took place in the summer, helping demonstrate our technology is working effectively.

Ahead of testing with real users, we have proven they can successfully navigate the complete journey – including identity verification through GOV.UK One Login – sending find requests for pension information, and viewing their pensions data clearly displayed on the dashboard.

At the same time, the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard team has been working on developing the dashboard itself. Consumer research has produced, and will continue to produce, iterative updates on all parts of the consumer journey, taking into account varying user needs and levels of digital confidence.

Testing the dashboard

I started my testing journey by verifying my identity through GOV.UK One Login. I had previously created a GOV.UK One Login account, which was a straightforward process.

Verifying my identity through GOV.UK One Login, to landing on the dashboard and viewing my pensions was a quick process, taking less than 5 minutes from start to finish. Once I logged in, it showed my verified details and allowed me to add my National Insurance number. The service then started the process of looking for my pensions.

After around a minute, I was able to view my pensions on the dashboard, including the State Pension and numerous workplace pensions. Of course, only pension records that are connected to the dashboards ecosystem can be displayed, but this proportion is significant and increasing rapidly.

My pension information was then encapsulated in a summary showing my estimated retirement income in the year I will reach State Pension age. I was also able to see this as a timeline view, showing how this figure may vary based on pension starting dates. While of course the dashboard display is continually being iterated upon, it was interesting to see the different ways in which the information can be presented.

As well as confirmed pensions, the dashboard also clearly displays pensions that are pending, where a match has been made but the pension provider or scheme needs more time to supply the data. It also displays pensions requiring user action. For these, contact information is provided for the pension provider or scheme and the user is prompted to get in touch to discuss further.

The value of this testing phase

Testing the dashboard with my own data was both professionally satisfying and personally enlightening. It validated years of collaborative effort while highlighting the importance of continued rigorous testing. The service successfully displayed my pension information and helped provide genuine insights into my retirement planning, showing estimated retirement incomes together for my different pensions and supplying important information for retirement planning.

MaPS CEO Oliver Morley also took part in this round of testing and immediately found a lost pension that he had previously been unaware of. The latest Pensions Policy Institute research shows there are nearly 3.3 million lost pension pots in the UK, worth over £31.1 billion in assets. This primary testing phase proves that locating such pensions and matching them to their owners will indeed be made possible thanks to pensions dashboards.

This is exactly what dashboards are intended for – making it easier for people to find and keep track of their pensions, and helping them understand their pensions so they can better prepare for financial security in later life.

However, initial testing has also revealed refinements needed before consumer launch. This industry expert testing phase is doing exactly what we designed it to do: validating core functionality while identifying areas requiring improvement before wider access.

As we prepare for the next testing phases, my experience reinforces our commitment to launching safely and securely. The dashboard shows real promise, but testing continues to be our most valuable tool for ensuring it truly serves pension savers' needs when it becomes publicly available.

Looking ahead to consumer testing

While my and others’ experiences testing the dashboard has provided valuable validation and helped us resolve several issues, the critical test lies ahead with our comprehensive consumer testing approach.

The first phase of this approach will involve targeted consumer testing with a small number of participants, likely to last around 12 weeks with up to 15 connected schemes. Through qualitative research conducted both in person and remotely, we'll evaluate the end-to-end journey for users viewing their State Pension, defined contribution and defined benefit pensions.

This testing aims to identify areas for improvement, understand how well pension matching works, and ensure the service meets diverse user needs before scaling to Phase 2.

Reflections on reaching this point

After so much effort spent in getting us to this point, it feels momentous to be able to see my real pensions data on a dashboard and put myself in the shoes of UK consumers. It is so important that people engage with their pensions, and we want to make it as easy and straightforward as possible.

Our testing programme, first with industry experts and next with consumers, is helping achieve this, and I’m delighted to have been involved in the first steps and to see the tangible results of so much hard work from stakeholders across industry, government and delivery partners.

Our full MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard consumer testing approach is available on the PDP website.