Empowering users to go paperless, saving millions

Paper off project

Client

BNZ, New Zealand

Services

Design Workshops Usability Testing Prototyping User Journeys User Experience Design User Interaction Design Mobile Design (iOS and Android)

Industries

Banking

Date

2021

Problem

This project addressed a key limitation in the bank's digital ecosystem. Previously, customers could only manage their bank statement preferences via the web app or desktop platform, and the process was opt-out rather than opt-in. This outdated approach was inconvenient for users and led to significant paper usage, negatively impacting both customer satisfaction and the environment. The challenge was to design a mobile app feature that allowed customers, including various types of account holders, to self-serve their statement preferences seamlessly.

Solution

Collaborated closely with the product owner, business analyst, and developers, leading the research and design process. I facilitated design workshops with the delivery team to gather insights and ideas from key stakeholders, ensuring all legal, technical, and business requirements were addressed from the start. The design process included rapid prototyping and creating low-fidelity mockups, enabling early feedback and iteration. I wrote detailed test scripts and conducted guerrilla-style user testing to validate functionality and refine the customer experience. The solution combined new and existing design system components to build intuitive interaction points across multiple screens for both iOS and Android platforms.

Key design decisions

User-centered workflow

Designed the preference management process to be intuitive and accessible for all user types, focusing on reducing complexity for joint account holders.

Reusability

Leveraged a combination of new and existing design system library components to streamline development while maintaining consistency across iOS and Android platforms.

Compliance first

Worked closely with legal and business stakeholders to ensure the design aligned with compliance requirements early in the process.

Impact

The result was a feature that empowered users to easily manage their statement preferences directly within the mobile app. This improved accessibility and user experience significantly. Beyond customer convenience, the feature achieved substantial business and environmental impacts, saving approximately $5 million annually and reducing the use of hundreds of tonnes of paper each year.

Key takeaways

Collaboration drives success

Early and continuous collaboration with cross-functional teams and stakeholders ensured alignment and prevented late-stage surprises.

Iterate early and often

Rapid prototyping and testing led to valuable customer insights that shaped the final solution.

Scalability is key

Leveraging a modular design system streamlined development and ensured consistency across platforms, reducing overall build time and effort.