Enhance the personal banking experience through system thinking
The project aims to reimagine digital payment solutions by addressing diverse user needs and accessibility challenges within personal banking. Through user-centered design and inclusive UX strategies, the project explores seamless, device-agnostic payment solutions for customers who do not use mobile devices while enhancing multi-factor authentication and biometric security features for those who do. By leveraging service blueprints, user flows, and usability studies, the team ensures an intuitive and frictionless banking experience. Additionally, real-world user testing at ATMs will validate the effectiveness of these solutions, focusing on task efficiency, security, and accessibility compliance within a robust design system framework.
When I joined the project, it had already been in progress for two months, but it didn’t take long to realize that the team was struggling to move forward into development. As I dug deeper, I discovered a critical gap—there was no solid foundation. The project had jumped straight into UI design without first establishing a clear strategy, user insights, or structural framework. No user research had been conducted to validate assumptions, and key artifacts like the customer journey map and service blueprint were missing entirely. Additionally, status flows and user flows lacked clarity, making it difficult for developers to translate designs into functional experiences. Instead of simply continuing where the team left off, I took a step back to reassess, challenging existing decisions and prioritizing foundational research to align the project with both user needs and technical feasibility.
One of the most challenging aspects was questioning the decisions that had already been made—not just to challenge them for the sake of it, but to ensure we were on the right track. To do this effectively, I needed strong reasoning and evidence to support my approach while also making sure the team understood why changes were necessary. Pushing for a reset came with risks, especially the possibility of extending the project timeline and missing key deadlines. To navigate this, I took a day away from meetings to document the entire process, track past decisions, and centralize all project information in Jira. This created a single source of truth for the team, helping to align everyone on the gaps, the rationale for change, and the path forward. Additionally, I focused on helping the team identify the missing pieces, ensuring that we could rebuild a solid foundation together rather than feeling stuck in uncertainty.
In a short period of time, things became clear through open conversations. The willingness of the management team, dev team, and product service team to engage in these discussions was instrumental in aligning expectations, priorities, and values. These open dialogues not only uncovered the root causes of roadblocks but also highlighted the gaps in the original project transition between teams. What stood out most to me was the collaborative spirit of this organization - everyone was working toward a common goal rather than operating in silos. There was no hierarchical attitude; the management team approached discussions as collaborators rather than authority figures, and seniority wasn’t a barrier to open communication. This shared sense of ownership and alignment became the turning point in getting the project back on track. It fostered an environment of respect and positivity, where every voice was valued, and every concern was acknowledged. Instead of resistance, there was a collective drive to find solutions and move forward as a team. This positive energy fueled morale and passion, making it clear that everyone was committed - not just to delivering a project but to getting it right. The sense of shared responsibility and mutual respect made collaboration effortless, reinforcing that success was truly a team effort.
During the two weeks of open discussion, the team recognized the gaps in the initial project approach, and the organization made a strategic decision to rethink the project stages and processes to address the missing pieces. Rather than pushing forward with unresolved issues, the focus shifted to establishing a solid foundation by integrating missing research, refining workflows, and improving the transition between teams. A key part of this transformation was the development of cross-functional collaboration between the design team, dev team, and product service team - all facilitated through Jira as a centralized hub for documentation, task management, and communication. This ensured that every decision, iteration, and challenge was tracked and transparent, keeping everyone aligned and accountable. With these structural improvements, the project was finally back on the right track. I had the honor of playing an active role in developing the project roadmap and contributing to project management, ensuring that both design and strategy were embedded in every step moving forward.
The open discussions were a groundbreaking start, leading to a structured workflow that ensured alignment, research-backed design, and seamless collaboration. This foundation set the stage for a secure, intuitive, and user-friendly banking experience.
With the two-week-long open discussions complete, the team had successfully laid the foundation by identifying gaps, aligning expectations, and documenting every key decision. Phase 1 of the workflow was officially complete - the team now had clarity on what was missing, where the roadblocks were, and how to move forward. With this solid groundwork, the project transitioned into Phase 2: Research & Strategy Development. The focus shifted to gathering user insights, validating assumptions, and creating the missing customer journey maps, service blueprints, and user flows. Designers, developers, and product teams worked closely, ensuring that every decision was rooted in real user needs rather than guesswork. Jira became the centralized hub for collaboration, keeping everything documented and transparent. For the first time since its inception, the project was moving forward with confidence, structure, and purpose—not just pushing toward deadlines, but ensuring that every step was built on research, strategy, and collaboration.
Our user research revealed two distinct user behaviors and challenges when it comes to digital and traditional payment methods.
Mobile Payment Convenience & Limitations
Many users expressed strong comfort and preference for making purchases through mobile devices, as it provides a seamless and efficient experience. With digital wallets, customers can store all their loyalty cards, credit cards, and bank cards in one place, eliminating the need to carry and retrieve physical cards for every transaction. However, a major frustration arises when a purchase exceeds the default limit, requiring the physical card to be present for authentication. This disrupts the otherwise smooth digital payment process and creates an inconvenience for users who rely on cardless transactions. Many users noted that having an alternative, secure verification method—without needing a physical card—would significantly enhance their banking experience.
Preference for Traditional Payment Methods
On the other hand, some users still prefer traditional banking and payment methods, especially when it comes to withdrawing cash from ATMs. These users are generally less familiar with digital banking technologies and feel that cash remains the most secure and reliable form of payment. They trust the physical presence of money over digital transactions and rely on their physical bank cards to access funds. Their hesitation toward mobile payments stems from security concerns, unfamiliarity with digital wallets, and a deep-rooted habit of using cash. Any transition toward digital solutions for this group would require stronger education, reassurance on security measures, and a user-friendly approach to ensure adoption.
During the early stages of the project, the team assumed that a mobile-first approach would naturally encourage traditional customers to transition to digital payments. The belief was that by offering a more seamless and secure mobile payment solution, users who rely on cash transactions would gradually adapt to using their smartphones for banking and payments. However, after conducting user research and interviews, it became clear that this assumption overlooked key user behaviors, preferences, and accessibility barriers.
The Mobile-First Approach Doesn’t Work for Everyone
The team initially assumed that traditional customers could be easily influenced to adopt mobile banking if given the right tools. However, interviews revealed that many of these customers are not just reluctant but completely disconnected from digital payment solutions. Some users don’t own smartphones, while others lack confidence in technology and prefer familiar, tangible transactions. A mobile-first strategy alone would fail to fully serve these users, highlighting the need for alternative solutions that cater to both digital and traditional payment preferences.
Assumed Learning Curve vs. Reality of Tech Barriers
The original assumption was that traditional users would be open to learning mobile payment systems with the right guidance. While some users might be willing to adapt, research showed that a significant portion of customers view cash as the most secure payment method and see digital transactions as risky or complicated. Some users also rely on cash due to habit or necessity, meaning forcing a mobile-first approach could alienate them rather than support them. Instead of pushing them to adapt, a more inclusive banking solution needs to consider their existing behaviors and provide gradual, comfortable integration rather than a forced shift.
Overlooking Cash Payment Methods
A critical oversight in the initial plan was excluding cash payments as part of the enhanced banking experience. The team assumed that digital payment innovation alone would address most user needs, but in reality, cash remains an essential and preferred method for many customers.
Lack of Usability Studies Delayed Key Insights
One major gap in the initial process was the absence of usability studies before making design decisions. Without usability testing, the team lacked real-world validation of how users interact with the banking system, where they face friction, and what adjustments would improve the experience. This missing step led to unverified assumptions, causing misalignment with actual user needs. Now, usability testing has become an essential part of the process, ensuring that design decisions are backed by real user interactions rather than theoretical expectations. Testing at ATMs and digital banking interfaces will help refine the solutions and validate that both mobile-first and traditional users can navigate and use the system effortlessly.
Secure Passcode Verification for High-Value Transactions
For users who primarily use mobile payments, the default transaction limit poses a challenge, as purchases exceeding the limit require a physical card for verification. To streamline this process while maintaining security, the application can introduce a secure passcode verification system. When a transaction goes over the default limit, users will be prompted to enter their bank or credit card passcode - the same one they set up at their branch. This eliminates the need to carry a physical card while ensuring a frictionless and secure transaction experience. Additionally, this method leverages existing security measures, making it easier for users to adopt without learning new authentication processes.
Cardless ATM Transactions via Mobile Tap
Users who rely on mobile wallets for their daily transactions often find it inconvenient to carry a physical card for ATM-related services. By introducing a cardless ATM transaction feature, users can tap their mobile device on a designated area of the ATM (using NFC technology, similar to contactless payments) to authenticate their identity. Once verified, they can proceed to withdraw or deposit cash without needing their physical debit or credit card. This feature enhances the seamless banking experience, making cash transactions more accessible for mobile-first users while maintaining security through device authentication and passcode entry.
Simplified ATM Access for Traditional Cash Users
For users who prefer cash transactions and rely on physical cards, a streamlined ATM process can enhance ease of use while maintaining their sense of security. Instead of inserting their card into the ATM, users can simply tap their card on the designated area, enter their passcode, and proceed with their transaction. This approach improves speed, convenience, and security, reducing the wear and tear of physical card inserts and lowering the risk of card skimming fraud. By keeping the process familiar yet optimized, this feature respects traditional user habits while introducing a modernized, more secure ATM experience.
More seamless and accessible for mobile-first users
More secure and frictionless for both digital and traditional customers
More efficient and user-friendly, reducing dependency on physical cards while maintaining security
To bridge the gap between mobile-first users and traditional cash users, we created two distinct customer journey maps—one for users who rely on mobile payments and another for those who prefer cash transactions. These journey maps visually outline every step users take, from initiating a payment to completing a transaction, highlighting pain points, emotions, and opportunities for improvement. By mapping out these experiences, we gain a clear understanding of user behaviors, challenges, and needs, allowing us to design a solution that accommodates both digital adopters and traditional users. Unfortunately, many organizations overlook the importance of customer journey mapping, jumping straight into UI design without first understanding how users interact with their services. This often leads to frustrating user experiences, overlooked accessibility issues, and increased development inefficiencies. By prioritizing journey mapping, we ensure that every decision is driven by real user insights, creating a more seamless, accessible, and user-friendly banking experience for all.
Note: Due to NDA restrictions, certain sections of the development service blueprint and process flow have been removed from the images to protect confidential information.
One crucial step I encouraged the team to implement was the creation of a service blueprint—a vital yet often overlooked element in the UX process. A service blueprint goes beyond user-facing interactions by mapping out internal operations, system dependencies, backend processes, and cross-functional touchpoints. By visualizing how different teams—from design to development to product services—collaborate behind the scenes, we could identify gaps, inefficiencies, and potential roadblocks that were previously slowing down development. This structured approach provided the dev team with clearer technical workflows, API dependencies, and system triggers, ensuring a smoother transition from design to implementation. Without a service blueprint, teams often work in silos, leading to misalignment, rework, and delayed progress. By integrating it into our process, we established a shared understanding between UX, engineering, and business teams, ultimately driving a more seamless, efficient, and scalable banking experience.
Note: Due to NDA restrictions, certain sections of the development service blueprint and process flow have been removed from the images to protect confidential information.
In this project, creating clear and structured user flows and status flows was essential to ensuring a seamless and intuitive banking experience. User flows help map out every step a customer takes—whether they are making a mobile payment, withdrawing cash at an ATM, or verifying a high-value transaction. This allows us to identify friction points, redundant steps, and opportunities to streamline interactions. On the other hand, status flows define how the system processes, updates, and communicates transaction statuses—from pending payments to successful withdrawals. This is particularly important when dealing with security verification, transaction limits, and real-time banking interactions. Without these foundational flows, the experience can become confusing, inconsistent, and prone to errors, especially for users unfamiliar with digital banking. By integrating user-centered design principles and aligning flows with backend functionality, we ensure that both customers and internal systems operate smoothly, creating a secure, efficient, and frustration-free banking experience.
To protect the organization's privacy, the original information architecture of the mobile application will remain hidden. However, for this project, we will focus on showcasing the newly implemented sections, ensuring that the structural improvements and enhancements are clearly documented. The updated information architecture reflects the integration of new payment verification methods, tap-to-ATM functionality, and a more streamlined status flow for transactions. By mapping out only the newly designed components, we maintain confidentiality while demonstrating how these additions seamlessly fit into the existing system, ensuring a logical, intuitive, and scalable banking experience.
For the initial wireframing phase, we utilized the organization's low-fidelity Figma library as the foundational framework to ensure consistency, efficiency, and accessibility throughout the project. Using a predefined Figma library offers key advantages, such as maintaining visual and functional uniformity, accelerating the design process with ready-made low-fi components, and ensuring that new features seamlessly align with the brand’s established user experience standards. By adhering to this structured system, we minimize design inconsistencies, streamline developer handoff, and enhance scalability. In this project, the low-fidelity wireframes played a critical role in implementing new payment verification methods, tap-to-ATM functionality, and enhanced security flows, ensuring that these features integrate smoothly into the existing mobile banking experience while maintaining a clear, intuitive, and user-friendly interface.
🔗 Low-Fidelity WireframeThe organization’s design system is built with web accessibility at its core, ensuring that all UI components meet WCAG compliance standards and provide an inclusive user experience. As long as the team follows the design system guidelines and uses it as a standard, accessibility compliance will be seamlessly integrated into the design process rather than treated as an afterthought. This is particularly evident in the Figma component library, where UI elements are meticulously designed, rigorously tested, and optimized for accessibility, outperforming those of many other organizations. Components such as buttons, form fields, color contrast ratios, and interactive elements are already configured for keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and optimal legibility. By leveraging this strong foundation, the team can focus on enhancing the user experience rather than fixing accessibility issues post-development, ultimately creating a more seamless, efficient, and user-friendly banking solution for all customers.
🔗 High-Fidelity WireframeTo further enhance security and user convenience, an additional biometric authentication feature has been implemented within the mobile banking application, specifically for cardless ATM cash withdrawals. This frictionless authentication process ensures a secure, efficient, and user-friendly experience while minimizing reliance on physical cards, reducing the risk of card loss, theft, or skimming fraud.
Initiating the Transaction - Users open the banking application or digital wallet on their mobile device.They navigate to their linked bank card or credit card and select the withdraw cash option. At the ATM, they tap their mobile device on the designated area (NFC-enabled) to initiate authentication.
Biometric or Passcode Authentication for Security - Once the mobile device is tapped, a confirmation screen appears on the app.Users are prompted to authenticate using biometric verification (such as fingerprint or facial recognition) or enter their secure bank passcode to authorize access. After successful authentication, users enter the cash amount they wish to withdraw.
Confirming & Completing the Withdrawal - Users review and confirm the withdrawal request.The ATM dispenses the cash, and users have the option to manually complete the transaction within the app. For added security, the system includes an automatic logout feature—if no action is taken within 30 seconds of inactivity, the session will auto-close, ensuring user privacy and security.
To ensure a seamless and intuitive user experience, interactive prototypes were developed to visualize and test the newly designed cardless ATM withdrawal flow before implementation. These high-fidelity prototypes simulate the end-to-end experience, allowing stakeholders, usability testers, and developers to interact with the design in real-time, ensuring that the flow is both functional and user-friendly. The prototypes demonstrate key interactions, including selecting a bank card within the mobile application, tapping the device on the ATM, authenticating via biometric verification or passcode, entering the withdrawal amount, and completing the transaction securely. Micro-interactions, such as haptic feedback on confirmation, animated transitions, and clear success/error messaging, were incorporated to enhance clarity and user confidence throughout the process. Additionally, edge cases—such as failed authentication, exceeding withdrawal limits, or connectivity issues—were included to test how users respond to potential errors. These prototypes were not only used for usability testing but also served as a shared reference for cross-functional teams, ensuring that design intent, accessibility considerations, and development feasibility remained aligned. By iterating on feedback collected from testing, the prototypes allowed us to refine interactions, eliminate friction points, and optimize the overall user experience, ensuring that the final implementation is both efficient and secure.
To validate the new cardless ATM withdrawal flow, usability studies were conducted by observing real users as they performed key tasks using their digital devices. Participants were asked to withdraw cash from an ATM using the mobile banking app, following the newly designed interaction flow. The goal was to assess ease of use, efficiency, and potential friction points throughout the experience.
Beyond successful transactions, the study also focused on how users respond to edge cases. Participants encountered simulated errors, such as failed biometric authentication, exceeding withdrawal limits, and connectivity issues, to evaluate how they interacted with the app’s error messages, guidance, and recovery options. By closely observing user reactions, confusion points, and behavioral patterns, we identified opportunities to improve clarity, reduce friction, and refine system feedback mechanisms. These insights played a crucial role in optimizing the user interface, error handling, and security flow, ensuring that the final experience is intuitive, accessible, and frustration-free.
With all workflows, research insights, user flows, and designs fully documented and handed off, my responsibilities on this project are now complete, and the development team has taken over for implementation. The transition has been smooth and structured, thanks to meticulous documentation, cross-functional collaboration, and iterative validation through usability testing.
Reflecting on this journey, a key lesson learned is the importance of challenging assumptions early - what was initially believed to be a straightforward mobile-first solution turned out to require a more inclusive, hybrid approach to accommodate both digital and traditional banking users. Another crucial takeaway is that design is not just about the UI; it’s about system thinking, ensuring that internal workflows, service blueprints, and development feasibility align with the user experience. Lastly, transparent communication and proper documentation are invaluable—not only do they keep teams aligned, but they also ensure that decisions are traceable long after the design phase ends.
While my role in this project has concluded, the impact of a well-structured, research-driven, and accessibility-compliant design will carry forward, shaping a seamless, secure, and user-friendly banking experience for all customers.