An effective process is more of a playbook than a rigid procedure. Regardless of the steps they take, user-centered teams work to answer these questions during their design process:
Defining the problem
What problem are we solving? For whom?
How will we know if we’re successful?
Defining the solution
Does our solution solve the problem?
Do people understand how to use it?
Our role
As product designers our role is to help facilitate the definition of this solution through research, wireframes, high fidelity designs, prototypes, and design specifications.
Charter
We approach design with an open mind, thinking critically to understand the entirety of the problems we’re solving and who we’re solving them for. This provides us with a solid foundation to collaborate and form decisive perspectives—creating high-quality and thoughtful end results we’re proud to show off.
We foster a supporting, empathetic environment. We are positive, open, and honest, always leading with trust. We understand that in order to be successful at work, work needs to be supportive of your home.
We don’t have to worry about egos. We ask questions in order to gain clarity and confidence. We acknowledge our failures in order to grow. We share the things we’ve learned.
We understand that personal and product growth is a life-long cycle. We are responsible for taking action at both large and small scales.
Design principles
We design apps that empower people to control their financial wellness through easy to use and current applications. These applications make them feel supported which creates trust in their institution.
Empowering
We want people to have the power to understand and control their finances. We approach this by understanding the needs of all types of users: from young to old, those with small account balances to large, and people with a variety of technology adoption. Our applications present data in a meaningful way to help people make more informed decisions, and enables them to quickly self-service what they need. This creates a feeling of achievement, satisfaction, and empowerment.
Easy to use
Thinking about finances is complicated enough. We don’t want people to think about how to use our applications at the same time. The interface should be intuitive, familiar, and frustration free for people with a variety of technology adoption. We want to help them complete necessary, recurring, and complex tasks in a quick and easy way so they can get back to the rest of their life. We do this through streamlined workflows, utilizing data, and providing clear and personable instructions, removing all unnecessary aspects from their experience.
Current
Technology evolves quickly and is ingrained in many aspects of our lives. Our apps remain current with technology to make it easier for people to take action as opposed to making them feel alienated. Our interfaces are beautiful and up to date without being flashy. This ensures people don’t feel disconnected from our applications and the others they use.
Support
We take the time to understand people and their needs, from our customers to their end users. We use this information to inform the decisions we make about our applications, offering robust, configurable, end to end solutions. Our applications provide people with the information they need, when they need it. This feeling of support makes them identify with their institution, and creates a feeling of trust because someone has their back.
Trust
People need to confidently use our applications to make secure and important decisions about their money. We create trust by designing interfaces that support users on their journey, are current, professional, and reassuring. When people trust their experience with their digital banking apps, they trust their institution and are likely to have long term relationships.