Case Study

 
 

Project Overview

 

The product: 

The product is a website for a local bank. The goal for this project was to create a more navigable website so users could easily reach a smoother application process.

Project duration:

December 2022 to March 2023

The problem:

The local bank noticed through metrics that account application completions were low. After doing initial research, they found out that potential customers felt that website navigation and account creation flows weren’t very intuitive.

The goal: 

The goal was to create an more user friendly, streamlined website and account creation flow for the bank.

My role: 

I managed all aspects of this project from user research and ideation to prototyping and user testing. 

User research: Summary

My main goal is to make the website navigation and application processes quicker and easier by identifying some common pain points that users have during the process. I started my research by writing down a series of questions and putting them into a survey that I sent out to people of various ages and backgrounds. I reviewed the answers and found some common paint points across multiple demographics.

User research: Pain Points

 

Time consumption

During the research interviews, a recurring issue users brought up was that they felt they spent too much time trying to find the correct pages on some banking websites to apply for the accounts they want.

Accessibility

Another pain point that was brought up by users was accessibility. They felt color schemes often weren’t easy on the eyes, and the buttons, links etc. were not clear.

Time not respected

Users didn’t like being asked repetitive questions during the account creation process. If the users felt that they’d already answered a similar question on a previous page, they didn’t feel like their time was being respected.

  • Persona

    Problem statement:

    Everett is a business analyst who needs to open a savings account with a good APY because he needs to start saving money for vacation.

  • User Journey Map

    Mapping out Everett’s user journey showed how I could make navigating the website and going through the account opening process for a user simpler and cut down on potential customers abandoning the process.

Wireframes

 
 

Paper wireframes

I sketched out different ideas for the website and took key features from several versions to create more robust layouts based off of the pain points from the interviews.

Digital wireframe and prototype

Going off of the notes from the interviews, I decided to put the main components (such as opening accounts) at the top and other banking options below and in the website toolbar. I wanted to keep the user flow as linear as possible, keeping in mind the pain points regarding repetitive and excessive questions.

See the Aegis Bank account creation flow Lo-Fi prototype.

Usability Study: Findings

 

Round 1 findings

  1. Users had issues navigating back to previous screens

  2. Once they started the account process, users wanted a prompt screen before leaving the application process to prevent accidentally quitting

Round 2 findings

  1. Users had difficulty with the color contrast of the button navigation

Mockups

After getting feedback from my usability study, I kept the layout the same and made the bank logo act as a button to guide the user back to the homepage at any time. If they click it, they will be warned that their application will be abandoned. I also updated the colors for better contrast.

 

I went back and applied the changes to the mobile site as well while making the necessary layout adjustments for a smaller screen.

High-fidelity prototype

The high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flow for navigation and user flow for opening an account.

See the Aegis Bank Hi-Fi prototype.

Accessibility considerations

 

Provided ease for users who are vision impaired by reworking color options for the website. 

Used larger fonts to make the site information easier to read for vision impaired.  

Used recognizable icons to help make navigation through the mobile site easier.

Takeaways

 

Impact: 

The new website for the bank is more streamlined and uses an open design so the site feels less cluttered with information. The process for opening an account is much easier. The information gathered is limited to what is needed which shortens the process and limits repeated questions. This makes opening an account much easier and should decrease the number of users dropping out of the application flow.

What I learned:

While I was designing this website, I learned new ways to create certain components in Figma and how to create a responsive website.

Next Steps

1. Conduct another usability study to make sure necessary pain points have been addressed.

2. Conduct more research to see if there are any more areas that can be improved. 

Let’s connect!

Thank you for your time reviewing my work on Aegis Bank account creation flow! I’ve included my contact information below if you’d like to get in touch.