Challenge:
Patelco Credit Union is a trusted regional credit union looking to completely rethink their customer banking offering. A major part of this is to redesign the dated and inefficient online banking app to provide a solid mobile-centered banking experience for users.
We began with a survey of mobile banking customers which informed us of their motivations, goals and common tasks. We then interviewed Patelco customers, and observed them using the current app.
With the research data in mind, I then designed and built a complex interactive prototype in AxureRP, prioritizing the key features users needed, while focusing specifically on discoverability and learnability.
We then took this protoype out into the wild and watched as real users navigated around and attempted to complete common tasks, like check deposit. From this, we iterated and improved upon the prototype.
The main deliverables here were the research results, the Axure prototype defining the layouts and interactions, and high fidelity mockups. The new design conformed more closely to patterns users expect to see in modern mobile applications, and is much more easily discoverable.
Feel free to click through the interactive prototype.
Finally, the team produced mockups reflecting the final visual design.
One especially interesting aspect of this project was the value of testing on device. I initially built a prototype with a top navigation bar, which worked great on when clicking on a desktop screen. Once on device, when the user taps each button, the thumb actually obscures the screen, reducing discoverability.