Case Study
Below is a sample of how UX Research’s services can meet the needs of its clients:
Background
A major bank was developing a new interface for both personal and business banking that included a range of new functionality that allowed users to manage multiple accounts and perform operations such as online transfer of funds between accounts. A prototype had been developed with most of the functionality mocked up by the internal development team. The screens had been wireframed and showed each of the flows, developed from a set of functional and business requirements and these leveraged from the existing system.
Business goals
The bank wished to ensure the final system would be simple to use, conform with best practice and gain immediate acceptance by its customers. There was some internal debate on many of the elements and apart from expertise advocating the needs of the customer, independent advice was key. The bank also wanted to maximize the reduction in call centre enquiries for both transactions and for help.
Process
After an initial consultation, the bank was encouraged to gather and formalize existing data in order to benchmark the business benefits of the new system. A customer satisfaction survey was completed internally. The service provided to the bank involved:
- A comparative evaluation of online banking flows covering 6 major banks focused in specific areas of design uncertainty to determine best and desirable practice
- A user based usability study with 24 participants across personal and business banking, with a range of computer experience, conducted on-site
- The production of revised wireframes and flows based on the outcomes of the two phases
- A presentation to the development team and senior management on the findings.
Outcome
The bank implemented 90% of the recommendations made in the report. The launch of the system with the refined interface gave the bank confidence that the system was best of breed and would be understood and liked by its customers. This was subsequently confirmed in a repeat of the customer survey and analysis of both usage and helpdesk calls. It was estimated that the cost of the usability study, which was conducted over a 6 week period, would be recovered in 3 months.
