Barclays
01 | Overview 📝
Barclays is an investment bank and financial services company that moves, lends, invests, and protects money for customers and clients worldwide
This project helped me analyze user experiences and understand how they raise awareness, provide support, and address mental well-being challenges. This research illuminated User Research's potential to shape interventions, initiatives, and resources promoting holistic mental health.
Roles
UX Research
UI Design
Prototyping
Duration
6 Weeks
Tools
Adobe XD
Adobe Illustrator
UX Methodology
Target Audience
We wanted to focus on the young adults who are becoming more aware of the mental health decline in their daily lives.
02 | Problem ❌
Mental health is a significant concern, especially among young adults. Financial matters often contribute to these challenges. Recent statistics reveal that 68% of young adults experience stress and money management issues due to a lack of understanding of banking services.
Despite using banking apps, ineffective money management skills lead to excessive spending on stress shopping and indulgent eating, worsening their mental well-being and occasionally leading to mental breakdowns.
Millennials: 25-40 years | Gen Z: 18-24 years
03 | Methodology 🔍
To grasp the link between finance and mental health, we utilized the Design Thinking Methodology. Following this systematic methodology, we leveraged research findings to inform our decision-making and develop innovative strategies addressing the intersection of banking and mental well-being.
My teammates and I prepared questions to help conduct 1-on-1 interviews. The questions were composed based on the following topics:
banking and mental health.
Qualitative Research
Empathy Interview
Do you feel that not fully comprehending all the bank services/ not being aware contributes to money management concerns?
How do your finances now affect your future plans?
What could your bank do to help you manage your money better?
In what ways do you want to change your spending habits?
How do you deal with the stress when you have issues with money?
By creating a survey, we are able to gather numerical data to further provide backup information
Quantitative Research
21.5%
Did Not Know Enough
41.8%
Knew a Few
16.5%
Expert in Banking Services
Improvement (for banks)
Spending / Balance
Reliability
Cause (Stress) Effects
Education
Care-Free
After accumulating over 50+ interviews and survey answers, my team and I were also able to see that the median age group of the survey was 21 years old. Based on all the information we received, we were able to sort out the information and group them into the categories:
The insights from empathy interviews as well as the quantitive surveys were organized into distinct categories, enabling effective processing and comprehension to help find a solution.
Affinity Map
Persona
From each category, we then created a hierarchy that further emphasized the issues, that our target audience had. This allowed us to create personas and I was able to create a common college student named Rachel.
Rachel Lee is a full time student that has 6 months to pay back $5,000 of debt. She has to juggle her student work vs her part time jobs. In the 6 months, she wants to be financially stable and pay off her credit card debt
User Story
Goals
- List & Limit her spending
- Pay back her debt in about 6 months
Then mapped out her journey towards her goals, giving real-time reactions based on her current relationship with money, the activities that she has done, and how much progress she has had towards completing her goal.
Journey Maps
04 | Solution ✅
After our Methodology process, we listed the Solutions to then Ideate it:
1. Show users different ways to manage their money for the future
2. Provide users different ways to save for different types of situations
3. Teach users about the banking services they offer on the platform they are already accustomed to.
“Barclays Talk” will function as an add-on to Barclays credit card.
Whenever the user makes a purchase they will receive a text message from Barclays Talk informing them on how much they have spent.
It will also give them a quick briefing on their financial status.
Followed by a quick, text message that is a game, quiz, or some fun fact about banking services.
If they answer the question correctly they can receive cash back from the store they just purchased from.
Ideate
05 | UI Design 📱
I sketched out the main idea of BarclaysTalk and the messaging portion of it. The sketches show how interactive the BarclaysTalk is with users.
Feature | Quantitative Research
Text Messages > Gamification > Financial Insights
Personalized Message
BarclaysTalk messages users with a personalized message and a quick update
Gamification
BarclaysTalk gives users daily trivia questions so users can learn something new, stress-free
Incentives
Users can destress with Cash Backs from user’s choosings
Easy Access
BarclaysTalk can be easily accessed on the hamburger menu of user’s Barclays app
Peek
Users can see a summarized view of their credit card account without the hassle
06 | Design System ⚙️
Reflection
THE KEY TO A SOLID FOUNDATION: DATA
During the execution of diverse UX methodologies, I gained a profound appreciation for the significance of data as a powerful tool. It became evident that data, with its numerical and statistical evidence, played a pivotal role in reinforcing our findings. By harnessing data-driven insights, we were able to delve deeper into the needs and desires of our users, gaining invaluable clarity and understanding in the process.
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci
Throughout the collaborative brainstorming process, my team and I dedicated ourselves to devising innovative approaches that would enable individuals to engage in banking activities without exacerbating any potential mental health challenges. After exploring a plethora of intricate ideas, we arrived at a remarkable realization - simplicity was the key. Rather than attempting to resolve the complex interplay between mental health and banking, we recognized the importance of making the banking experience more manageable. To achieve this, we crafted a solution that incorporated delightful mini-games and casual conversations, injecting an element of enjoyment and ease into the banking journey.
TIME IS EVERYTHING
Throughout the duration of this project, the crucial aspects of time management and efficiency constantly came into play. Given our limited timeframe and availability for team meetings, it was essential to establish effective communication channels. To prevent any member from lagging behind on their assigned tasks, we thought it best if we were to implement a system of regular check-ins, adhering to predetermined dates. To solidify the idea, I proposed the adoption of weekly schedules and to-do lists. This proactive approach not only enabled us to stay on track but also facilitated the seamless sharing of the data we had collected.