U.S. Bank Smartly Checking
Introducing a new smart
banking expereince
Role: Sole UX designer
Team: Dev, Research, Content
Tools: Figma, Adobe suite
Duration: 2021 Q4 – 2022 Q3
Project:
The U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking is a new product that combines top perks of checking accounts, offering standard features and uncommon benefits. This project aimed to clearly explain these to both current and new customers.
Opportunity:
Customers struggle to navigate and understand the benefits of the Smart Rewards Program due to overwhelming information and a lack of interactive tools. They must manually interpret their rewards tier, as no tool is available to calculate it for them.
Challenge:
The challenge is to help customers easily understand the Bank Smartly product, access clear information on the Smart Rewards program, and see its value, all to encourage account sign-ups and attract new customers.
My role:
As Sr. Designer, I aimed to create a user-friendly design that clearly conveyed the Bank Smartly® Checking account and Smart Rewards program. I developed an intuitive rewards grid to help customers identify their tier and streamline the application process, ensuring they could easily understand and engage with the benefits.
To ensure users can efficiently compare and browse credit card options, register details for informed decision-making, and experience a seamless interaction across devices and platforms.
Define User Personas:
Identify key user groups, including first-time credit card applicants, users comparing multiple cards, and those seeking specific types of cards (secured vs. regular).
Develop detailed personas to guide research and design decisions.
Ideation & Concepting
This project had marketing term like; Spicy, Fin-Tech, Ease-of-use, Overlays. I find it helpful and entertaining to remember term phrases to help stay on track.
• Brainstorm with stakeholders to generate ideas for addressing identified issues.
• Develop initial concepts and wireframes to visualize potential solutions.
• Create personas and user journeys to ensure user-centric design.
Evaluate the consistency of the user experience across different devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) and channels (website, mobile app).
Use heatmaps and session recordings to analyze user interactions and identify areas for improvement in mobile responsiveness and content delivery.
Iterate and Refine:
Based on the research findings, refine the design to improve clarity, reduce scrolling, and enhance the overall user experience.
Continue iterative testing and feedback loops to ensure the final product meets user needs and business objectives.
Compile research insights into actionable recommendations for the design and development teams.
Prioritize enhancements that align with both user needs and business goals, ensuring a clear and consistent experience across all touchpoints.
I provided inspiration aligned with the project requirements I’ve been assigned. I review company guidelines for current components that could be leveraged as solutions, while also analyzing what competitors are using. Additionally, I explore unconventional industries for innovative ideas that might offer a unique solution to the project’s challenges.
I create prototypes, gather feedback, refine designs, and ensure alignment with technical and product goals. I then prepare documentation for a smooth handoff and secure final stakeholder sign-off.
Execution & Integration:
- Perform user testing with actual users to collect valuable insights on prototypes.
- Enhance user experience by refining designs based on testing outcomes.
- Integrate continuous optimization through “Test and Learn” strategies.
- Analyze “Test and Learn” data to uncover opportunities for improvement.
- Regularly update designs to boost user satisfaction and engagement.
- Target a 2% increase in application starts by utilizing user feedback and performance metrics.
- Conduct thorough usability tests to assess the effectiveness of designs with real users.
- Validate design decisions by analyzing test results and user feedback.
- Ensure the final product meets both user expectations and business objectives through rigorous testing and iteration.
Providing sufficient information on each card to enable users to compare and browse without leaving the page, guiding them to register the details needed to choose the best product, while streamlining each credit card talker to minimize scrolling.
