Revamping Retail Banking

Backbase | Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Goal

Research and design for a new dashboard and optimized the information architecture to improve user experience and address key client and leadership concerns.

My role

UX research lead and design consultant, working alongside other lead designers, engineers, product managers, and a UX writer.

Impact

Successfully launched a redesigned retail app experience, earning positive client feedback for its clean and intuitive design. 76% of clients preferred the revamped retail banking experience over the previous version.

Before redesign: No dashboard, with key features buried under “More” section

Before redesign: No dashboard, with key features buried under “More” section

After redesign: Streamlined navigation and improved OOB UI

After redesign: Streamlined navigation and improved OOB UI

Approach

Backbase provides solutions for over 150 global retail, business, and wealth banks, including NatWest, Raiffeisen, Standard Bank, and others. This project aimed to address key usability challenges, such as features being hidden behind a 'More' button, which led to client and user dissatisfaction.

We began by asking:

  1. What do consumers expect to see when they first open their mobile banking app?

  2. How do consumers perceive and organize content within the retail mobile banking app?

Process

  • Conducted both open and closed card sorts and tree tests to understand how users structured content, gathering both qualitative and quantitative insights.

  • Conducted iterative user testing sessions to validate and refine the designs through concept testing. Received ongoing client feedback.

  • Collaborated with lead and principal designers by providing design input and direction, and had productive and ongoing conversations with engineers for implementation.

  • Replicated this research process for the web experience and collaborated with the Senior UX Researcher in Business to conduct similar tests, ensuring alignment between the Business and Retail products.

Impact

  • Successfully launched a new Retail app experience, receiving positive client feedback for its clean, intuitive structure. 76% of Retail clients favored the revamped Retail app experience over the old one.

  • Fostered enhanced cross-functional collaboration between Retail and Business departments, leading to smoother development and faster decision-making.

  • Initiated a new research repository project to centralize and organize all gathered insights, driving continuous improvement and alignment across teams.

  • This project not only transformed the retail banking experience but also set new standards for cross-team collaboration and user-centered design at Backbase. Looking forward, I aim to continue leading projects that fuse creativity with insights to drive impactful user experiences.

Video shared with leadership and clients to showcase Backbase’s new retail experience