Santander - Cybersecurity
Global Identity & Security Platform
OVERVIEW
I led the design of a global identity and security platform for Santander, aiming to unify authentication and security experiences across all markets.
The challenge was to move from fragmented, country-specific flows to a consistent, scalable, and secure global experience, while still allowing local adaptability.
MY ROLE
Lead product designer
Leading a team of designers including service designer, researcher, ux and visual.
2022-2023
PROBLEM
Santander operated across multiple countries with inconsistent authentication and security experiences, creating:
Fragmented user journeys across markets
Increased cognitive load for customers
Gaps in security standards and fraud prevention
High complexity across channels, operations, and geographies
As highlighted during stakeholder interviews, flows varied across countries, channels, and operations—creating a fragmented experience for users and driving significant complexity and cost for the business.
MY ROLE
As Lead Product Designer, I:
Led the end-to-end UX strategy across markets
Coordinated stakeholders across Cybersecurity, Fraud, Business, and UX
Defined a unified global experience while balancing local constraints
Directed research, synthesis, and design decisions
Ensured alignment between product vision, security requirements, and user needs
APPROACH
We approached the problem at a global scale:
International Research
Conducted research across 5 countries
Ran stakeholder interviews across Cyber, Fraud, and Business teams
Identified key inconsistencies and pain points in existing flows
Benchmark & Industry Analysis
Analyzed banking and non-banking experiences
Identified trends in frictionless security and omnichannel experiences
Benchmarking leading industry players to identify key features, patterns, and opportunities.
Experience Principles
We defined three core principles to guide the system:
Proactive → Prevent fraud before it happens
Intuitive → Reduce friction in critical flows
Human → Make security feel seamless and understandable
We designed a global Customer Identity Platform (CIP)
A centralized system that unifies customer identity, authentication, and security across Santander’s global ecosystem.
The platform balances Security (cyber + fraud), Business needs and User experience
SOLUTION
Core System Design
The solution is built around four key components:
Customer Profile → Behavioral data to enhance security
Trusted Context → Adaptive security based on user environment
Trusted Device → Secure and seamless interaction layer
Personalization → Flexible security settings for users
Unified Global Flows
We redesigned and standardized critical journeys across all markets:
Digital onboarding (new & existing users)
Trusted device enrollment
Global login & authentication
Payments & operation signing
Password and personal data management
These flows adapt dynamically based on risk and context, reduce friction in trusted scenarios and increase security in unfamiliar situations.
Led the design of fraud prevention experiences for elderly users by introducing trusted contacts, working closely with Santander’s Cybersecurity team to define flows and use cases.
IMPACT
Established a global foundation for authentication and security
Reduced fragmentation across markets and channels
Enabled scalable and consistent UX patterns worldwide
Improved balance between security and usability
Created a system ready for future innovation (behavioral security, adaptive flows)