Bankwest screens

Designing for Clarity at Speed:

Launched a new savings product in-app with a 1-minute creation flow

Bankwest’s Quick Account Opening (QAO) was already known for its speed but with the launch of Easy Saver; a new savings product for younger, digital-first users. Now here comes the plot twist: The account couldn’t function on its own; it had to be linked to an existing Easy Transaction account.

This was a new constraint in a familiar system. Most users were used to transferring freely between accounts, so requiring a specific link was not intuitive and risky for comprehension. Misunderstandings could lead to failed sign-ups, customer frustration, or support calls, and we couldn’t afford that friction.

My role was to lead the UX design to launch this product inside the QAO framework without compromising on clarity, speed, or trust.

The problem

How might we introduce a more complex, conditional product within an existing fast, linear account creation flow but without compromising on clarity or increasing drop-off?

Key goals:

  1. Launch the Easy Saver within the existing QAO framework
  2. Keep the overall experience fast, intuitive, and frustration-free
  3. Ensure users understood what they were signing up for, especially the linking requirement

Understanding the friction

Designing the right mental modal

Working within the established QAO design system, I focused on progressive disclosure and flow logic, balancing clarity with the need for speed. This wasn’t about just slapping on tooltips; it was about building trust through logic and tone, and making complexity feel intuitive.

The work focused on:

  1. Information hierarchy: Highlighting critical info at the right time
  2. Clarity without friction: Ensuring users didn’t slow down but also didn’t miss key constraints
  3. Preventing edge-case frustration: Especially around ineligibility (e.g., underage users, or those without a linked account)
  4. Ensuring consistency with other QAO experiences while still surfacing product-specific rules

Some design considerations:

  1. Clear, upfront disclosure: Added a short summary early in the flow explaining that the account must be linked
  2. Inline education: Reinforced the linking requirement at the action stage, not buried in fine print
  3. Smart defaults: Where possible, we pre-selected the eligible transaction account to reduce decision fatigue
  4. Edge-case copy: Added logic and messaging for ineligible users or customers who tried to create multiple Easy Savers

Linking an Easy Saver to an existing Easy Tran
Linking an Easy Saver to an existing Easy Tran
Linking an Easy Saver to an Easy Tran you just opened.
Linking an Easy Saver to an Easy Tran you just opened.

Collaboration & delivery

As the main designer on this stream, I worked closely with a cross-functional agile team to ensure the Easy Saver launch was delivered with clarity and speed:

Developers & Testers

  1. Operated within Scrum, working 1–2 sprints ahead to reduce friction during handoff
  2. Designed in Sketch, sharing InVision prototypes to demonstrate flows and interactions
  3. Ran screen walkthroughs to clarify UX logic and edge cases prior to dev kickoff
  4. UX acceptance criteria was built into the definition of done, ensuring quality and intent in implementation
  5. Testers used prototypes to validate behaviours and catch UX regressions
  6. Participated and took turns running various Scrum ceremonies

BA & Product Owner

  1. Held regular check-ins to align on scope, logic, and regulatory considerations
  2. Used design walkthroughs to flag edge cases, eligibility logic, and copy dependencies early
  3. Discussed insights and rationale from user testing to guide prioritisation decisions

Content Writer

  1. Partnered closely with our content writer to simplify legal and eligibility content without sacrificing clarity
  2. Refine microcopy throughout the flow, especially around error states and decision points
  3. Review every screen to ensure tone and terminology met brand and compliance standards

Other designers:

  1. Reviewed flows with the broader design team
  2. Took feedback into account but retained ownership of design direction based on product context and constraints

Bankwest launch screens

Outcome and impact

The Easy Saver project underscored the importance of clear, user-friendly communication, especially when introducing new or modified product features.

This project reminded me that clarity at speed is just as important as speed itself. When a flow is fast, users rely even more on visual cues and concise language, and small UX or copy decisions can significantly affect comprehension.

This work set a foundation for:

  1. Expanding QAO to other banking products
  2. Introducing in-app support for closing accounts, now implemented
  3. Further automating edge-case handling within the product experience

Looking ahead, future enhancements could include integrating all remaining products into the QAO flow, in line with Bankwest's transition to becoming a fully digital bank.

Account opening speed

>1 minute

With 50% fewer steps for workout creation, despite offering more advanced functionality.

Compared to internet banking

5x faster

By end of year, a dramatic shift from being the feature with the most customer support tickets.

⚠️

Due to the project’s confidentiality prior to release, I no longer retain original design artifacts. This case study reflects my direct contribution, process, and the resulting impact from the work I led.