This project became a cast study in the need for in-depth user interviews, feedback mechanisms, and project scope estimation. The Wealth Management project originally started as three separate projects: credit card locking, account alerts, and travel notifications. These three needs converged to a single, large, multi-epic project due to the data we gathered from multiple City National Bank user interviews.


Once the past initial Discovery Stage credit card locking and travel notifications project expanded due to seeing what our business banking clients and regular banking clients wanted. A cost analysis was done and my team and I convinced the stakeholders to allow us to deep dive on analysis, more interviews and expand the timeline for the feature deliverables.


Moral of the story, never estimate past the point where you may get new information based on a build and testing cycle.

 

THE PROBLEM

  • Considering this project were three seperate projects becoming one, we examined the problem from the lens of different stakeholders to help us frame what we were trying to solve.
  • For the initial credit card problem we found that users didn’t feel secure when they closed the app because the sign out button was buried in settings. It didn’t matter that the app automatically signs you out when closed. A feedback mechanism was missing.
  • The travel notices problem was multifold. First, clients on the go needed to provide their travel arrangements to reduce requests to the Call center so CNB wouldn’t think of an international transaction as fraud. Secondly, how do we provide security and uninterrupted use of debit and credit cards while traveling, for CNB clients?
  • The Account Takeover Prevention project had the issue of displaying messages when fraud happens while the user is within the app. Where would warning messages be displayed? What would the action be afterwards?

 

GOALS

  • Users want to see all their cash inflows and outflows for their accounts, they want to understand and feel in control over their finances.
  • The need is for a banking app that allows users to make quick decisions on the go, users need to be able to determine if they have enough funds for an unexpected purchase or investment opportunity.
  • Abnormalities in spending need to be front-and-center and alter the user as they happen. User’s don’t want to look at each account individually to get the full picture. The goal is to make accounts secure and if there is a need to lock the cards or flag the transaction – all can be within the City National Bank app.

 

MY ROLE

  • Principle UX designer, product leader, sprint facilitator, and design thinker.
PROJECT RESULTS

Impact and Outcomes

As the projects expanded and we conducted a Design Thinking workshop to condense each feature into one longer project. Because of the massive push of these features – they became a fully realized product offering. Each individual feature connected within the City National Bank ecosystem which led to a seamless experience. 

Get them what they didn’t even know they wanted: the widespread redesign of of the CNB mobile application led to an increase of 30%+ overall usage. Time within the app increased while time-on-task went down. Both business and standard users we’re able to secure their cards, at their leisure, as well as have a new credit or debit card delivered in case of fraud or lost card.

Traveling without worry: users were also able to give their iteneries into the app as well as set card limits for international and domestic travel. A first for City National Bank.

Learn your own habits and improve them: the biggest build was the financial expense bucketing. The system let users know what their income to debt ratio is, their spending habits (business and private) as well as recommendations on how to save their money.

To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study.  The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of City National Bank.
1 of 8 13.8%
NEW METHODS

Our strategy

The product team lead the way for digital transformation at City National Bank. To do this we partnered with stakeholders and subject matter experts across verticals to transform CNB’s digital properties. We incorporated content, design and functionality to create rich and meaningful digital experiences that are uniquely City National Bank.

2 of 8 23.5%
METHODOLOGY

Cycle and Test

3 of 8 38.3%
EDUCATED GUESS

Who Are We Looking For?

We created rough personas to understand whom we wanted in user groups and testing rounds. The criteria was as follows:

  • Basic demographic info, age, income, etc.
  • Financial sophistication and tech savviness.
  • Monthly usage of banking applications.
  • Devices used.
  • If they have investible assets.
4 of 8 50.0%
HOW DID WE START

We began with simple sign out

City National Bank received feedback that users didn’t feel secure when they closed the app because the Sign Out button was buried in settings. It didn’t matter that the app automatically signs you out when closed. That critical feedback mechanism was missing.

In the end, the icon won. However, we couldn’t just ignore the good CTA feedback, so we also added a text-based Sign Out button to the top of Settings.

5 of 8 68.4%
TESTING AND FINDINGS

Combining projects

While interviewing users for the sign out security emotional metrics we learned that users also wanted a robust method for locking and unlocking their cards. What we found was a simple method initiate an immediate lock or to cancel a lock, use the mobile app or log in to your online account to activate an on-off switch.

If you lose a card, this feature lets you essentially ‘turn it off’ to foil thieves. While deep diving with our users we and performing a competitive analysis we found that users can use it lock and unlock strategically in other ways.

Immediate response to a compromised card: If your card is part of a data breach or you’re already seeing fraudulent charges on your account, you can immediately shut off the card and then call the issuer.

Those few minutes might prevent some fraudulent charges. Control impulse spending: Unrelated to security, you could lock all your credit cards and unlock them each time you make a purchase.

“Autopay and Everyday” strategy: If you designate a card for use with autopay only, you might as well lock it because recurring charges will still go through.

Unused or seldom-used cards: You might be keeping open some credit cards because you’ve had them a long time, and that long history will help your credit scores. Lock unused cards as an extra measure of security.

Cutting off an authorized user: For example, maybe you issued authorized user status to a child to help build their credit but don’t want them to actually charge anything to the card.

6 of 8 79.1%
TRAVEL AND MONEY

It all goes together

We conducted eleven in-depth user studies with City National Bank and non-CNBB customers to get a sense of the tech they use as well as their specific needs for security, money management, and how they use their cards while traveling.

7 of 8 91.1%
FIXING WHOM WE TARGET

Refining personas

After gathering our information we refined the personas and their pain points into detailed persona cards as well as journey maps. We also added to our research objectives.

8 of 8 100%
TRAVEL AND MONEY MANAGEMENT

Cash flow and travel

We found our users wanted to set itineraries for traveling, set spending limits, and let CNB know whom was spending what as well as track the spending based upon what type of spending it was.

PROJECT RESULTS RECAP

Impact and Outcomes

As the projects expanded and we conducted a Design Thinking workshop to condense each feature into one longer project. Because of the massive push of these features – they became a fully realized product offering. Each individual feature connected within the City National Bank ecosystem which led to a seamless experience. 

Get them what they didn’t even know they wanted: the widespread redesign of of the CNB mobile application led to an increase of 30%+ overall usage. Time within the app increased while time-on-task went down. Both business and standard users we’re able to secure their cards, at their leisure, as well as have a new credit or debit card delivered in case of fraud or lost card.

Traveling without worry: users were also able to give their iteneries into the app as well as set card limits for international and domestic travel. A first for City National Bank.

Learn your own habits and improve them: the biggest build was the financial expense bucketing. The system let users know what their income to debt ratio is, their spending habits (business and private) as well as recommendations on how to save their money.

To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study.  The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of City National Bank.