Prototyping pathways for navigating financial uncertainty
**For this exercise BMO was changed to “BNO”, (Bank of the North) and Bank of the West was changed to “Mountain Bank”
My role: Product designer
Project type: Transition experience
Year: 2023
Company: Bank of the West
Garnering trust and guiding customers through financial uncertainty
The purchase of Bank of the West by BMO Bank North America was not one bank rescuing the other from financial ruin, however, it came at a time when bank failures was the latest story making headlines. We needed to guide customers to move their banking over to BMO, a bank most of them had never heard of, while maintaining customer retention.
To do this our Head of Design gave the design team a challenge: split into two teams (Team Blue and Team Yellow) and within two weeks, compete to produce a well researched and fully executed transition prototype.
Team Blue
Check out the slides below to see how things went over two week sprint.
And the winner is… Team Blue!!
We prioritized simple and clear language with lots of reassurance, highlighting what was staying the same, what was changing, and what they could expect, emphasizing the benefits. We used clean design to eliminate noise and confusion and familiar styling so customers knew this messaging was coming from their bank they have entrusted thus far. We included friendly imagery and elements of delight to portray the occasion as a safe and beneficial hand-off.
See the finally prototype and a case study slides below.
