Bankwest
RESEARCH | UX/UI DESIGN | USABILITY TESTING
Bankwest, a prominent Western Australian bank, prioritizes delivering a superior digital experience. As the sole designer for two mobile app squads, I played a key role in launching several in-app features, including quick account opening (QAO) for the Easy Saver product. This case study focuses on the challenges and solutions involved in integrating Easy Saver into the existing QAO flow.
Note: Due to the confidential nature of these projects, I did not retain documentation from my time at Bankwest. However, this overview reflects the methodologies, findings, and impact of the work conducted.
01 understand
THE CHALLENGE
My team was responsible for the in-app QAO feature, so when the business decided to add the new Easy Saver product, the task fell to us. The Easy Saver was designed as a flexible savings account aimed at a younger demographic, with no monthly deposit or withdrawal conditions, unlike the existing Hero Saver. A unique aspect of this product was its requirement to be linked to an Easy Transaction account for money transfers.
Given the strict project scope, my focus was on understanding how users would interact with and comprehend the content and overall account opening process. Several conditions needed to be met, depending on the flow users chose, such as age restrictions, citizenship requirements, and account limits.
The QAO feature was already well-established with other products like Easy Transaction, Hero Saver, and Offset accounts. This meant there was limited room for creative deviations; the Easy Saver flow needed to be consistent with existing products and adhere to the established design system. We decided to prioritize the design process first and then conduct usability testing to address any issues that arose.
USER TESTING
The introduction of the Easy Saver product brought some distinct changes compared to Bankwest's existing offerings. Ensuring that users could easily understand and navigate these differences was crucial. To assess this, I conducted user interviews and usability testing sessions targeting our audience—young people who were not currently saving for a home and who valued flexibility in their banking options.
These sessions focused on understanding user interactions with the account opening process, particularly around the unique linking requirement between Easy Saver and Easy Transaction accounts. The goal was to identify pain points, confusion, or any barriers that could hinder a smooth user experience.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
Despite the streamlined nature of the QAO process, users encountered difficulties with the concept of linking the Easy Saver to an Easy Transaction account. Most of Bankwest’s personal banking products allowed for free transfers between accounts, so this new requirement was unfamiliar and confusing to many users. We discovered that users often skimmed through or skipped important content, which contributed to misunderstandings about how the linking process worked. This was a critical issue because misunderstanding the linking requirement could lead to frustration and unnecessary calls to customer support.
GOALS
The primary goal of the project was to seamlessly integrate a new savings product into Bankwest's existing Quick Account Opening (QAO) feature. Specifically, the objectives were:
- Incorporate the Easy Saver account into the QAO process without disrupting the established user flow or design consistency
- Ensure that users clearly understood the unique aspects of the Easy Saver, particularly its required linkage to an Easy Transaction account
02 design
ALL IN THE COPY
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To address these issues, I worked closely with our content writer to simplify the explanation of the linking process while avoiding overwhelming users with too much text. We chose to use less technical terminology and bank jargon to make the information more accessible.
We strategically placed small, repetitive pieces of information throughout the flow to reinforce the key details about the linking process. This approach aimed to ensure that users would understand the linking requirement, reducing the risk of accidental account openings without full awareness of the product's limitations. Key reinforcement points included:
- Mentioning the linking requirement in the subtitle of the savings account list.
- Reiterating it in the sub-header of the Easy Saver screen.
- Including a short explanation in the "How it works" section on the Easy Saver screen.
- Highlighting it as a title and subtitle on the account linking screen.
This repetition was crucial to minimizing the risk of users accidentally opening an account without fully understanding the linking requirement, which could lead to frustration and unnecessary calls to customer support.
03 launch
POSITIVE RESULTS
Although I no longer have access to specific data, I know that the QAO feature has become one of the most popular and widely used features in the Bankwest app, thanks to its speed and convenience. It’s a key differentiator for Bankwest, prominently highlighted on app store listings. The QAO flow reduces the account opening process to less than one minute, assuming no issues arise. Even today, the Easy Saver account is still officially recommended to be opened via the mobile app flow.
NEXT STEPS
The Easy Saver project underscored the importance of clear, user-friendly communication, especially when introducing new or modified product features. 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.
Additionally, reducing the reliance on customer support by solving edge cases within the app itself would be beneficial. For example, allowing users to automatically close accounts directly within the app or even during the account opening flow would streamline the process and enhance the user experience. This feature has been implemented recently, reflecting a natural progression from the work done on the Easy Saver project.