2023-24
Research | UX | Journey map | User Testing
Depositors Compensation Scheme
Background
In response to concerns about financial stability and safeguarding depositors, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand plans to launch the Depositors Taker Act by the end of 2024. This proactive initiative aims to establish a Deposit Compensation Scheme amidst global economic uncertainties. Its introduction signifies a deliberate effort to enhance depositor confidence, manage risks associated with bank failures, and uphold the integrity of the financial system
Delivering to the Act’s purpose and Westpac priorities
Promote safety and soundness of deposits
Promote confidence in financial system
Mitigate the impacts of crisis on the broader economy
Top priority project
Improving banker experience
Understanding customer impact, and Improving NPS
What did I do?
Nine workstreams—tech, data, change management, risk, etc.—ran in parallel to manage the impact and develop strategies and solutions. The XD team's responsibilities included developing customer experience and bank experience, communications, and content strategies.
Heade of Enterprise Design x1
Head of Research x1
UX Researcher x1
Senior UX Designer -My role
Content Designer x1
XD Team
My Key Contributions
Participated in customer interviews and synthesised the findings.
Co-facilitated workshops such as Empathy, (Desirability) Viability and Feasibility workshops, and generated various materials and ideas for the sessions.
Led the identification of impacted customer journeys, conducted journey mapping exercises, and created maps outlining customer needs and risks.
Co-led the "crazy 8" workshop, facilitating the narrowing down of concepts.
Led ideation, developed prototypes, conducted testing for customers and staff, and communicated test results to the programme team.
Conducted sessions for programme leads and team members about UX practices and artefacts at each stage of the design process.
Worked with BAs to identify requirements.
Design process
The process we followed was not linear; we continually improved and experimented with various aspects. This iterative approach allowed us to refine our methods and better understand customer needs throughout the project.
Customer interviews
We’ve planned and executed various activities to understand the pain points
We spoke to 30 people
We carried out 30 in-depth qualitative interviews with customers aged 18 to 82, representing various banks and a range of net deposits. Observers from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. I actively participated in the interview synthesis process.
Quantitative Survey
We received 2,200 responses from the survey conducted among both individual and business customers.
Synthesis
It was a Herculean task for the research team to synthesise such vast data within the given timeframe. Therefore, we all actively assisted the Research team in comprehending the customer's mental models and responses.
I analysed and identified impacted journeys
After thorough consideration, using westpac’s unique experience framework, I narrow down the customer journeys to 6.
existing customer with less than 100k balance seeking information
existing customer with more than 100k, labelled as complex customer
dormant customers reactivating accounts to be prepared
new to bank customers product origination
our bank customers in crisis
other bank customers in crisis…
Journeys
Digital -un authenticated
Digital - Authenticated
Non Digital (branch, contact centre, Rms etc)
Channels of engagement
Desirabilty workshop
I created 30 customer profiles with questions and answers, ensuring the protection of their true identities to safeguard their privacy. I co-led an empathy workshop to synthesize the data, selecting 30 participants from the programme and providing them with these profiles a couple of days before the workshop. This enabled them to empathise with the customer and represent their voice during the workshop. We split the participants into groups and extracted key insights into each customer's needs, concerns, and expectations from the bank
Journey map with customer needs
I mapped and segregated customer needs, then integrated them into various journey maps based on scenarios, with variations depending on the channel of engagement. For example, I analysed the needs of customers when they start or renew their deposit accounts.
Shared the journey maps with the programme and effectively communicated the identified customer needs. This ensured that everyone involved had a clear understanding of the customer perspectives and could incorporate these insights into their work.
Educating the Program Team on Experience Design
The majority of the program team had not previously worked with the Experience Design team. As a result, we needed to educate them on the processes, artefacts, and specific needs at each stage of the design process. I played a key role in advocating UX practices and consistently shared artefacts with the team to ensure they were aligned and informed throughout the project. This continuous education and advocacy helped integrate UX principles into the program and fostered a collaborative approach to achieving our design goals.
Shots from journey map playback
Crazy 8
We conducted Crazy 8 workshops with the program team to quickly identify potential solutions. We generated almost 200 ideas. Although the majority of the ideas were not directly useful, the activity provided numerous insights and sparked creative thinking, contributing valuable perspectives to our overall strategy.
Viability & Feasibility
We held multiple workshops with various departments to assess the viability and feasibility of different solutions, along with expected costs, requirements, and priorities.
Key journeys to test
Hypotheses and script
Based on the identified needs, I formulated hypotheses to test and developed various prototype iterations. I also created testing scripts aligned with these hypotheses to ensure thorough evaluation and validation. This approach allowed us to systematically test our assumptions, refine our prototypes, and ultimately create solutions that effectively addressed the customer's needs.
Prototype
Usertesting
My content designer and I conducted extensive testing with customers and staff. The testing took place remotely via Teams, where participants engaged in one-on-one sessions. Users shared their screens to interact with the Figma prototype, taking control to complete three payment scenarios. Throughout this process, participants were encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences.
To engage program teams and stakeholders, we invited them to participate as observers. This involvement helped educate them on the value, process, and benefits of directly listening to customers, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the user experience design process.
Mapped the risks
All of the artefacts produced by the XD team were constantly updated. The journey map was a prime example. Initially, I only had journey steps and needs, ss the project progressed, I added swimlanes to the map, incorporating channels, touchpoints, and other elements. A major focus was identifying risks. during conversations, workshops, and customer and banker testing, I continuously identified risks and updated the maps accordingly.
Customer and Banker Solutions
We locked down various solutions and defined messaging strategies for different channels. The business initially considered setting up a specialised contact centre to handle calls about eligibility and other queries. However, after speaking to customers, we realised they wouldn't call us; they just needed information. So, we decided to create a dedicated section on the website with all scenarios, examples, etc., complemented by timely communication in simple, plain English. For bankers, we will update our knowledge base with the same content as the website so they can easily point customers to the right places.
Navigating Stakeholder Conversations: Managed tough conversations, educated stakeholders regularly, and set clear expectations early.
Customer-Centric Approach: Benefited from listening to diverse customer voices, highlighting that all individuals prioritise basic needs in a crisis.
Managing Customer Anxiety: Recognised that people are frightened by hypothetical crises, so avoided including crisis scenarios in customer journeys.
Providing Information over Advice: Learned that people prefer information to make informed decisions over advice.
Awareness: Realised that vulnerability is widespread and comes in many forms.