Online Banking: Visualizing Value & Giving the User Control
The Company
Amex is a financial company which is best known for its credit card business. Their credit cards make up nearly a quarter of all credit card transactions in the USA.
The Problem Space
How could Amex increase engagement with its benefits, make users feel more secure after recent data breaches, and promote its extended payment program?
The Project
Amex came to us asking for quick turnaround on this project. This design effort was to be shown to executives at Amex to gain buy in for a larger online banking redesign.
My Role
I led a team of two designers through research, UX, and UI design.
My Approach
Guerrilla Research
With this being a 3 day effort, we didn’t have time for extensive research. Instead, we quickly surveyed our colleagues, asking them to tell us stories about the last time they were worried about their credit card’s security, their perceptions and behaviors regarding payments over time, and how they went about making the most of membership and loyalty programs, both in the financial space and otherwise.
Individual & Pair Design
Based on the stories we heard, my design partner and I came up with feature ideas for each response. We then created a structured design exercise to tackle this problem - We each spent 1 hour individually designing different elements, coming back together to see what was similar and different about our explorations. I've found this to be a successful ideation technique, even when time is not a constraint.
Our Solution
We identified 4 design principles to structure our solutions around. You can find the interactive Invision Prototype here and read about the principles and solutions below in detail.
Design Principle 1: Contextual Control
Most of Amex's competitors manage lines of credit and "pay over time" separately from a creditor's transactions, which didn't make sense.
Solution
We designed the system transaction is the inspiration-point and a more natural position from which a user can determine their payment settings.
We also wanted to give the users a sense of progress for subsequent payments, showing them how far they'd come along and allow them to pay in full if they ever wanted.
Design Principle: Empower the User & Reinforce Success
For this concept exercise, I also leveraged my own response to the guerrilla research to brainstorm solutions for security-related issues.
Scenario
I have a heightened awareness of my security when I'm traveling, yet I always forget to call my bank to tell them I'm overseas.
Solution: Customized Security Profile
The user can design different profiles with alert and limit settings for different scenarios (e.g. profile for traveling and a profile for everyday). This way the user can use this master switch rather than tinkering with each line item every single time they travel.
For this concept exercise, I also leveraged my own response to the guerrilla research to brainstorm solutions for security-related issues.
Scenario
To be safe, I often call to deactivate my card when I think I've lost it, only to find it 5 minutes later. Frustratingly, I then have to wait for days for a new card to be delivered.
Solution: Card Activation
These designs also give card activation controls over to the user, so they can deactivate it while searching for it rather than having to wait 10 days for their new card to arrive.
Scenario
Once I've dealt with a suspicious activity notification, I get nervous because there's no confirmation the issue is resolved, and I worry I've answered the alert incorrectly.
Solution: Risk Alert & Risk Alert History
Risk Alerts were displayed in a prominent position, and they were more than mere alerts - they were actionable. We recommended that Amex make the card inactive once there was a significant risk - the user would then be able to turn the card back on after reviewing their transactions. Once a user took action, a log of the event would appear in the Risk Alert History.
The Risk Alert History feature leverages data the bank already has. Due to its low organizational effort and its high user value, it was the Amex SVP's favorite part of this concept.
In product design, it is important to identify low effort - big value features, not only thinking about the user but also the ease of implementation.
Design Principle: Make offerings visual and tangible
How do you inspire someone to make use of their card benefits? How do you make them feel like they chose the right product because of all the benefits they're receiving? Rather than an un-enticing list, we chose to make the benefits feel tangible, show exactly what rewards the user can take advantage of, and the ability to act.
Key Takeaways
1. Guerrilla research is a great proxy for a full-fledged research phase. Some research is better than no research.
2. Time-boxing design activities is a good fodder for creativity.
3. When doing product design, it is important to first tackle the low effort - high value solutions.