Laying groundwork for a Flexible banking experience
The previous architecture of the account summary was largely inflexible to the changing needs of different lines of business and interests. This limited what information could be presented to the customer. Findability and confusing information architecture led the customer to points of frustration in the experience.
Since the beginning of this project in 2017, I conducted multiple research sessions to gain insight on user behavior, pain points, wayfinding assumptions and utility. I identified potential navigational and interaction issues while advocating for the consumer at every step of the process. In addition to research, I executed rapid prototyping techniques in several cycles. I worked alongside product owners and UX peers to identify ideal user paths while refining the experience.
The team’s assumption was that customers wanted a tailored experience that allowed them to feel like their financial institution had their back. Our product owner felt strongly about the concept of a relationship feed to address the ongoing competing priorities from different lines of business. It was important for the customer to feel like they were front and center in the experience rather than centering the needs of the business in the form of ads.
Beginning in the fall of 2018, I was in a generative mode of discovery. I worked alongside our product owner and UX peers to identify many different concepts and identify what was most aligned with our year-end target to get the account summary experience designed.
We knew we needed to develop a vision for the future of the retail online banking experience. It was clear that this would take several iterative cycles that would allow the experience to evolve over time. In order to test our customers’ comfort with a dynamically changing landscape, I generated several rough paper prototypes to bring to the usability lab for in-person qualitative research.
The goal in research was to be able to capture qualitative data that would inform the UX team on how clients prioritize messaging delivered by their bank. Low-fidelity paper prototypes allowed for quick focused contextual feedback.
I later conducted click test to evaluate the efficacy of the card heuristics. Heat maps were used to test visual affordances.
You guys should add a feature for when someone doesn't know their account number or routing number.
Can you add a feature so that we can see our monthly statement on the app.
It would be really nice if it was easier to view your monthly statements.
Where do I find overdraft settings to avoid fees?
The concept of presenting information in module form stemmed from earlier work to identify sub-navigation enhancements in mobile. The UX team was well aware of the wayfinding issues and restricted reliance on new capabilities via our “+” button in the bottom navigation bar. It had become an unmanageable catch-all for actions the user could take.
After several rounds of iteration, testing, and design, the account summary page now surfaces primary and secondary account actions while also allowing for targeted messaging specific to the current potential needs of each client. The left rail of the desktop screen is quickly scannable and presents information at a prominent scale for legibility. In mobile, accounts present in a familiar scrollable feed pattern leading with the most frequently accessed account and actions first. The right rail allows for messaging tiles that present marketing, product and feature launch information, as well as servicing all without conflicting screen real estate.
The evolution of the account summary experience is likely to never be "done". The dynamic and ever-changing landscape of online banking will require the retail and small business account summary experience to scale with the needs of customers and align with the mission of the business.
An area of opportunity lies in differentiation of the current messaging tiles. In order to meet year-end targets, the preliminary messaging tiles are relatively uniform. It's my hope that these tiles begin to help the user identify servicing messaging from promotional messaging through UI. Additionally, monitoring click-through rates will help to determine overall efficacy in wayfinding and interest in new product features.
