Outcome

The primary business goal of increasing the number of accounts both short and long term was achieved through the introduction of multiple new features and a robust referral system. The revamped banking application significantly enhanced user engagement and satisfaction across various age groups. Gamified experiences for kids and tailored onboarding for teens fostered financial literacy and responsibility. Additionally, the client appreciated the high priority given to parental controls and guidance, which were effectively implemented through the new designs.

Banking Partner for the Family

The Brief

The project involves a comprehensive overhaul of the user experience for one of UAE's largest banks, aiming to enhance the application's accessibility, inclusivity, and functionality. With a focus on family-oriented finance, the objective is to create a more user-friendly platform that encourages collaborative financial management among family members. Leveraging the e-commerce side of the application, the goal is to provide users with intuitive tools for effective financial planning and savings. This multifaceted update aligns with the bank's commitment to innovation, addressing both user needs and industry trends to create a cutting-edge banking experience for individuals and families alike.

​Note: There is no visual representation to this product added in this case study in compliance with the customer NDA.

The Challenges

  • Adapting to Existing Application Constraints:
    The existing banking application primarily catered to a single age group, serving as a basic banking tool. All new modules had to seamlessly integrate with the existing flow and architecture, ensuring a smooth transition for existing users while expanding the application's capabilities.

  • Unified Onboarding Across Age Groups:
    Syncing onboarding processes across all age groups posed a key challenge, involving integration with government databases to meet regulatory standards and uphold stringent security measures. Striking a delicate balance between innovation and compliance was imperative to achieve this synchronisation successfully.

  • Innovation in Established Practices:
    Introducing features like family-centric banking and gamification was a departure from established norms. The challenge was to innovate while maintaining an extremely simplified flow, ensuring that these new practices enhanced rather than complicated the user experience.

  • Alignment with Norms and Regulations:
    Every innovation had to align with current technology standards, legal requirements, and cultural/religious norms. Striking a balance between cutting-edge technology and adherence to cultural and regulatory expectations posed a nuanced challenge that required meticulous consideration.

  • Time Constraints and Team Alignment:
    Navigating tight schedules, the project required a delicate balance between speed and precision, with crucial emphasis on team alignment before client presentations. This demanded efficient collaboration, clear communication, and unanimous support for proposed innovations from every team member.

The Approach

Approaching the enhancement of the banking application involved a systematic process. We initiated discussions with stakeholders and usability experts to understand user needs and regional dynamics. Our focus shifted to designing user journeys for different age groups, ensuring alignment with security standards and the bank's guidelines. The commitment to an engaging user experience was reflected in features like gamification for kids and tailored onboarding for teens. Collaboration features were introduced, allowing users to invite family and friends. An iterative development process, considering diverse linguistic preferences, culminated in a prototyped version presented for approval. This approach aimed to create a secure, inclusive, and engaging banking experience for users of all ages.

Finding a starting point

  • Engaged in extensive discussions with the customer, business analysts, the technology team, project management, and industry experts to understand diverse perspectives and requirements.

  • Conducted a comprehensive competitive analysis to benchmark against industry trends and refine our understanding of user dynamics, informing subsequent design and development phases.

  • Conducted detailed discussions with usability experts in specific regions to comprehend user behaviors and preferences unique to those areas.

Putting pen to paper​

  • Created comprehensive user flows for three different age groups, mapping the entire journey from onboarding to various banking levels.

  • Detailed information architecture and interactions at every level, aligning with the bank's processes and planned information architecture.

Making sure the basics are in place​

  • Collaborated with tech and legal teams to ensure the highest security standards, integrating OS-based security features into the process.

  • Ensured the app accommodates multilingual features, recognising diverse linguistic preferences.

  • Setting up checkpoints with all departments to assure compliance and an iterative design process.

  • Ensured the app accommodates multilingual features in all the new modules without and major design updates.

Bringing in a plethora of new features​

  • Engaging kids through gamification: Innovatively gamified the experience for kids, ensuring a gratifying user journey both monetary and experiential to prevent onboarding from becoming tedious. Designed all parts of the app for kids with a learning focus, acknowledging the possibility of mistakes as part of the learning process.

  • Tailored teen engagement: Tailored onboarding for teens in a casual format, utilizing the gathered information to provide banking suggestions and integrating with the ecommerce platform. Introduced strict checks, requiring parental approval for all financial decisions to facilitate learning and understanding.

  • Financial responsibility for kids and teens: Introduced a module for online task assignment with direct monetary gratification, fostering financial responsibility from a young age. Enabled users to request help or contribute to planned expenses, promoting collaborative financial planning.

  • Parental Approvals: Introduced strict checks for kids teens, requiring parental approval for all financial decisions to facilitate learning and understanding.

  • Integrated E-commerce and Banking: Connected the ecommerce module directly to the banking system, facilitating planned purchases and providing a learning space for financial management.

  • Contributions and Planning: Introduced features allowing users to request help or contribute to planned expenses, promoting collaborative financial planning.

Planning and delivering​

  • Established clear planning checkpoints to accommodate the project's complexity, with a focus on multiple user personas and distinct modules for each persona.

  • Implemented a phased delivery strategy, ensuring meticulous attention to each persona's unique requirements and module specifications.

  • Culminated the project with an end-to-end prototype, meticulously integrating multiple modules and personas for a comprehensive user experience.

  • Ensured the prototype underwent rigorous testing to validate the seamless interaction of diverse modules catering to multiple audiences.

The Approach

Approaching the enhancement of the banking application involved a systematic process. We initiated discussions with stakeholders and usability experts to understand user needs and regional dynamics. Our focus shifted to designing user journeys for different age groups, ensuring alignment with security standards and the bank's guidelines. The commitment to an engaging user experience was reflected in features like gamification for kids and tailored onboarding for teens. Collaboration features were introduced, allowing users to invite family and friends. An iterative development process, considering diverse linguistic preferences, culminated in a prototyped version presented for approval. This approach aimed to create a secure, inclusive, and engaging banking experience for users of all ages.

Finding a starting point

  • Engaged in extensive discussions with the customer, business analysts, the technology team, project management, and industry experts to understand diverse perspectives and requirements.

  • Conducted a comprehensive competitive analysis to benchmark against industry trends and refine our understanding of user dynamics, informing subsequent design and development phases.

  • Conducted detailed discussions with usability experts in specific regions to comprehend user behaviors and preferences unique to those areas.

Putting pen to paper​

  • Created comprehensive user flows for three different age groups, mapping the entire journey from onboarding to various banking levels.

  • Detailed information architecture and interactions at every level, aligning with the bank's processes and planned information architecture.

Making sure the basics are in place​

  • Collaborated with tech and legal teams to ensure the highest security standards, integrating OS-based security features into the process.

  • Ensured the app accommodates multilingual features, recognising diverse linguistic preferences.

  • Setting up checkpoints with all departments to assure compliance and an iterative design process.

  • Ensured the app accommodates multilingual features in all the new modules without and major design updates.

Bringing in a plethora of new features​

  • Engaging kids through gamification: Innovatively gamified the experience for kids, ensuring a gratifying user journey both monetary and experiential to prevent onboarding from becoming tedious. Designed all parts of the app for kids with a learning focus, acknowledging the possibility of mistakes as part of the learning process.

  • Tailored teen engagement: Tailored onboarding for teens in a casual format, utilizing the gathered information to provide banking suggestions and integrating with the ecommerce platform. Introduced strict checks, requiring parental approval for all financial decisions to facilitate learning and understanding.

  • Financial responsibility for kids and teens: Introduced a module for online task assignment with direct monetary gratification, fostering financial responsibility from a young age. Enabled users to request help or contribute to planned expenses, promoting collaborative financial planning.

  • Parental Approvals: Introduced strict checks for kids teens, requiring parental approval for all financial decisions to facilitate learning and understanding.

  • Integrated E-commerce and Banking: Connected the ecommerce module directly to the banking system, facilitating planned purchases and providing a learning space for financial management.

  • Contributions and Planning: Introduced features allowing users to request help or contribute to planned expenses, promoting collaborative financial planning.

Planning and delivering​

  • Established clear planning checkpoints to accommodate the project's complexity, with a focus on multiple user personas and distinct modules for each persona.

  • Implemented a phased delivery strategy, ensuring meticulous attention to each persona's unique requirements and module specifications.

  • Culminated the project with an end-to-end prototype, meticulously integrating multiple modules and personas for a comprehensive user experience.

  • Ensured the prototype underwent rigorous testing to validate the seamless interaction of diverse modules catering to multiple audiences.

Explore how our banking platform seamlessly integrates innovative features, tailored for families, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable financial experience for users of all ages.

Explore how our banking platform seamlessly integrates innovative features, tailored for families, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable financial experience for users of all ages.

Explore how our banking platform seamlessly integrates innovative features, tailored for families, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable financial experience for users of all ages.

Explore how our banking platform seamlessly integrates innovative features, tailored for families, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable financial experience for users of all ages.

Role

User Experience and Design Lead

Industry

Finance and Banking

Duration

4 months

Car leasing platform by Indias largest car manufacturer

Simplifying CSR with this Platform

Let's get in touch!

Let’s talk teams, projects, collaborations, or anything design!

+91 - 9910 470704

work.manumehta@gmail.com

Let's get in touch!

Let’s talk teams, projects, collaborations, or anything design!

+91 - 9910 470704

work.manumehta@gmail.com

Let's get in touch!

Let’s talk teams, projects, collaborations, or anything design!

+91 - 9910 470704

work.manumehta@gmail.com

Copyright 2024 by Manu Mehta

Copyright 2024 by Manu Mehta


Copyright 2024 by Manu Mehta