work/ Banking
Designing for banking
Apr 8, 2022
Discoveries of a UI designer in the banking world
What I learned from working in a financial environment and how UX serves as a channel within large organizations.
When I first came on board as a UI designer at a bank, I received a lot of feedback about how monotonous it could be to work in that environment or how complex it would be to adapt to a single product. However, instead of overwhelming me, these prospects excited me. I was eager to see the impact of my designs, to observe how they were implemented, to see how users interacted with them, and to follow their journey and then measure and quantify them. It was new terrain for me, but full of exciting possibilities.
Building a bridge of knowledge: The importance of organization in my adaptation to the financial environment
Initially, I admit I felt some trepidation. I knew there were terms I wasn't familiar with, as my relationship at the time with banking didn't go beyond basic transactions in my own banking application. To my surprise, I joined the business cell within the bank, which presented me with a new set of challenges. (I had never been in contact with a business interface before.) However, this was the beginning of my thirst to learn and understand these new concepts. During the first few meetings, I often found myself lost, but I decided to take steps to overcome this obstacle. I knew that organization would be my ally and I began to create a personal glossary of words and terms unknown to me, as well as processes I had never experienced before. This "bible" became my biggest help, and not only for myself, but also for sharing valuable knowledge with new team members as they joined the team. So yes, I totally recommend creating a glossary of unfamiliar words or terms to start the familiarization process.
From idea to implementation and beyond.
Once I became familiar with the environment, I began to understand the regular day-to-day flow and conduit, what the "journey" of my designs looked like and how continuous improvements, changes and ideation of new features were made as requirements dictated. This perspective completely captivated me. Being able to propose ideas, turn them into designs and then see how they developed in their context of use was an endless source of satisfaction. In addition, testing with clients and members of the bank and then learning about the weaknesses or shortcomings of my designs and being able to correct them in time became fundamental learning, which helped me to avoid wasting time or taking out functionalities that were not useful in the end.
Discovering new areas: The fascination of being part of early processes at the bank.
Another experience that sparked my passion was being part of processes from the early stages. At one point, we were assigned the task of designing a flow to perform transactions with the money desk, which is where transactions are carried out internationally with different currencies. We were called by the team in that area and I had the opportunity to interact directly with them, witnessing how they were relentlessly answering calls and detecting specific areas of improvement. (Yes, I felt like the wolf of Wall Street) Immersing myself in this phase of the design, when there was only a need and no clear solution yet, and then observing with caution and devising a solution represented an extremely interesting challenge for me. Listening to the users in real time, observing how they carried out their tasks and understanding their needs helped me to clearly visualize how the flow should be developed, what aspects should be prioritized and how it should be presented visually for ease of use, I even had an idea in my mind of how it would look. This turned out to be key in then creating a success case of a flow to be able to make this process digital in a simple, easy and autonomous way.
The crucial role of handoff and the relationship with other areas
But not everything was external. Also another important process was the synergy between the design team and its relationship with the other areas. An important element we implemented was the creation of a unified handoff with the UX writing team, in order to simplify the transfer of information and corrections within the Figma files. This involved standardizing the delivery elements by creating cards and tokens to facilitate delivery to the people in charge of the content, adding the date and status of the correction. This was to decrease delivery times and make the handover more efficient. It was a process that required several iterations, as it is always important to discuss it transversally between the team and the members of the other areas. At the same time, the whole team is working in the same ecosystem that is constantly growing and adapting: the bank's design system. Although it was already established when I joined, it behaves as if it had a life of its own as it is always updating and improving. This is why there is always the option of creating improvements and incorporating new elements that simplify the task of the designer and his environment. Establishing synergies and points of contact within the UX team became fundamental to create consistent and simple designs.
Working as a UI designer in the banking world led me to challenge my own expectations and discover the transformative potential of user experience design within large organizations. As I explored this new environment, I realized that my job was not only about creating engaging designs, but also about building connections between different areas and establishing seamless communication (which I believe is the key to effective design). At the end of the day, I discovered that my job goes beyond c
reating engaging interfaces, it's about building meaningful relationships and improving the way people interact with financial services.
