Overview
The local Standard Bank's branch manager approached me with a critical challenge: a significant segment of their customer base, particularly users with lower digital literacy, was struggling with the mobile banking app. This wasn't just an inconvenience; it was a major business problem leading to long queues, frustrated customers, and unnecessary operational costs.
This conceptual project aimed to redesign the app dashboard to be radically more intuitive and accessible, thereby increasing digital adoption and fostering customer trust.
Conceptual
Role:
UX/UI Designer
(End-to-End)
Platform:
Mobile App
Timeline:
1 Day (March 2024)
Beyond Navigation
While the initial brief focused on navigation, secondary research revealed a much more complex, human-centred problem. Users weren't just confused; they were frightened and frustrated by a perfect storm of challenges:
Security Fears: High anxiety over digital fraud (phishing, SIM swaps).
Infrastructure Hurdles: Unreliable internet and service downtime, worsened by load-shedding.
Literacy & Confidence Gap: Uncertainty in using digital financial tools.
Lack of Human Support: Feeling abandoned by the shift to digital-only channels.
This context meant our solution had to do more than simplify—it had to build confidence and resilience.
User Research
Target Users:
Older adults (55+ years)
Individuals with lower educational backgrounds
First-time mobile banking users
Stakeholder Interview:
I spoke with the branch manager to understand business goals and common pain points. They highlighted the high volume of in-branch visits for simple tasks like printing statements or getting account letters.
Informal User Interview:
Within project constraints, I conducted an informal usability test with my father (68). I observed him attempting to download a statement on the existing app.
Key Observations:
He immediately looked for a "Menu" button but was confused by the hamburger icon.
He struggled to distinguish between "Transactions," "Accounts," and "Services."
He expressed anxiety about "clicking the wrong thing" and incurring a fee or being hacked.
He successfully completed the task but required verbal guidance and expressed that it "should be easier."
This firsthand observation validated the secondary research and made the pain points tangible.
Journey Map
A map of the user's emotional state, highlighting peaks of anxiety and valleys of confusion when trying to complete a simple task like getting a statement.
Problem Statement
Users with low digital literacy need a way to perform basic banking tasks simply and confidently because the current app causes anxiety, frustration, and forces them to take time off work to visit a branch.
Competitive Landscape
A review of top-rated South African banking apps provided key insights:
FNB & Discovery Bank: Praised for innovation and features, but their interfaces are dense and geared towards digitally-savvy, high-value customers.
Capitec & TymeBank: Known for simplicity and clear UX, making them a better benchmark for our target audience.
This analysis confirmed a market gap: no leading app was solely focused on serving the low-digital-literacy segment with absolute simplicity. Our goal was not to match FNB's feature set, but to surpass them in clarity and ease-of-use for this specific user.
Ideation & Solution
I focused on a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that removed complexity and built trust. The core concept: A dashboard of clear, actionable shortcuts for the most critical tasks.
Prioritised Shortcuts (based on stakeholder & user input):
Statements (High-frequency need)
Send Instant Money (High-frequency need)
Buy (Airtime, Electricity, Data)
Pay (Bills, beneficiaries)
Transfer (Between own accounts)
Cards (View, lock, manage)
Account Confirmation Letter (High branch-visit driver)
Wireframes
Side-by-side comparison of the old complex interface and the new simplified dashboard.
Key Design Decisions:
Clarity Over Creativity: Used standard icons and simple language to avoid ambiguity.
Build Trust Proactively: Included a clear "Security Status" indicator to alleviate fear of fraud.
Reduce Cognitive Load: Grouped related items and gave each shortcut ample space, making the interface easy to scan for users who may not read quickly.
Usability Testing
While conceptual, here’s how I would propose validating this solution:
Usability Testing with Target Users: Recruit 5-7 participants matching the user profile. Ask them to perform specific tasks (e.g., "Buy R20 airtime," "Find your last statement") using a clickable prototype.
Metric: Task Success Rate and Time-on-Task.
A/B Testing (If implemented): Run a controlled experiment where a segment of users sees the new dashboard while others see the old.
Primary Metric: Click-Through Rate (CTR) on the dashboard shortcuts. This is an excellent leading indicator as it directly measures engagement with the new core feature. A significant lift in CTR would strongly suggest the new design is more intuitive.
Secondary Metrics: Session duration (expect a decrease for task completion, which is good), reduction in calls to support for basic navigation help, and downstream metrics like reduced branch visits.
Satisfaction Survey: Follow each test session with a short survey like a SUS (System Usability Scale) or ASQ (After-Scenario Questionnaire) to quantify the improvement in perceived ease-of-use.
Results
As a conceptual project, results are hypothetical but measured against clear goals:
Increased Engagement: We would expect a significant increase in the CTR of dashboard shortcuts, indicating users can find features faster.
Improved Efficiency: A reduction in the average time to complete core tasks (e.g., buying airtime).
Higher Confidence: An improvement in user satisfaction scores (SUS) related to ease-of-use and perceived security.
Business Impact: The ultimate goal would be a measurable reduction in avoidable branch visits, saving the bank time and money.
Reflections & Going Forward
This project emphasised that inclusive design isn't a limitation—it's a catalyst for innovation that serves everyone better. By focusing on the most underserved users, we create a better experience for all.
Next Steps:
Validate the design through usability testing.
Explore an "Offline Mode" for viewing statements and balances, addressing connectivity issues.
Develop in-app educational tooltips and short videos to build financial and digital literacy directly within the app, further empowering users.