As the Creative Director of Eastern Bank, I ran a 5-person design team within the bank’s 30 person innovation lab. Our task was to create new B2C and B2B banking platforms that included web and mobile applications. In two years we increased the new platform’s NPS scores (banking average is ~30%) for mobile from -75% to 80% and online from -27% to 61%. In order to unify the banks digital brand, my team also made explorations into the bank’s new logo, debit card designs, marketing materials, banking homepage and new account creation process.
Based on the needs provided during our research phase we were able to create a person. Anyone eligible to have a bank account. Every age, economic status and level of technical expertise
We began our research by setting up interviews with our current customers to learn their likes and dislikes about our current system and what they were hoping to get out of their banking experiences. We also opened financial services accounts at traditional banks and various fintech companies. This was done to compare how various businesses approached the following: account management, money transfers, bill pay, credit/debit cards, messaging, onboarding, etc.
For us, the interface aesthetic and the personality of the product was just as important as the user flow. After logging in we wanted our customers to have a feeling of a clean, secure, and inviting interface.
At the same time we wanted to capture a subtle sense of historical banking. To accomplish this, we combined Swiss and Japanese Modern Design with elements from historical banknotes and stationary. This way users could have a sense of the historical and nostalgic through modern banking.
I am very passionate about taking complex, yet essential, everyday tools and making the user experiences as user friendly as possible. I believe in empowering users so that they don’t feel overwhelmed or intimidated. I took this job because I saw it as an invaluable opportunity for me to gain insight into one of two industries (banking and healthcare) that have historically had very complicated digital experiences. Almost immediately, I was faced with several difficult challenges that explained this problem that had a huge effect on our ability to design new B2B and B2C platforms.
1. 3rd Party Applications
2. Legacy Software
3. Banking Regulations
Solution
We could not completely get rid of all the challenges we were faced with but we could work around them. With much rigor and problem solving, we identified blockers and tediously designed features until they could work with existing systems.
I facilitated an iterative design process. We had to find, test, and redesign until our features could work successfully with 3rd party apps and legacy software while not compromising any banking regulations.
To start, we created a database of agile components that allowed us to build and update, with ease, over 400 pages during the entire process. The use of modals allowed us to work around 3rd party application and legacy software to divide and conquer different areas.
Since we had such a diverse customer base and were building such a complex banking platform, we kept the design simple. We combined the use of large text, simple colors, clear click areas, and a more human approach in explaining features to create the new digital experiences.
I am really proud of the completed product and and overall team dynamics that allowed us to deliver a successful product.
