UX UI Design Case Study: Transforming Santander’s Banking Experience
The primary goal of this project was to redesign any app that we use or have used, for which I’ve chosen the Santander Banking App to improve their user experience, accessibility, and visual appeal. Given the two-week timeframe and the fact that this was an individual project, our approach was methodical, leveraging several UX/UI design techniques and tools that helped us accelerate the research process, in this case without the need of going through interviews, surveys or user testing phases.
Introduction
In today’s digital age, the usability and design of banking apps are more crucial than ever. With an increasing number of users relying on mobile banking, it’s essential to ensure that the app not only functions smoothly but also provides an exceptional user experience. We were asked to employed various methodologies to enhance its overall usability and aesthetic appeal.
Methodologies Used
- Heuristics Analysis: I conducted a thorough heuristics analysis to identify usability issues and areas for improvement in the current app. This method helped me understand the pain points from a user’s perspective and set the groundwork for my redesign strategy. You can take look at it a the link to the Figma file, where I go in detail about several sections on the heuristic evaluation.
- Visual Competitive Analysis: A visual competitive analysis was performed to benchmark Santander’s app against its competitors. This analysis provided insights into industry standards and trends, helping me identify features and design elements that could give Santander a competitive edge. As you can see on the Figma file I used Capital One and N26 as competitors since I really enjoy the experience I have had in those two apps.
- Style Tile: Since Santander is such an established franchise, I decided to retain their existing style tile. This decision ensured that the redesign remained realistic and true to the brand’s identity, providing a cohesive and familiar experience for users.
- Hi-fi Prototype: The project involved quick research and the redesign of four screens and a screen state, such as the loading page seen when opening the app. Take a look at it on the Figma file.
Conclusion
The redesign of Santander’s Banking App was a comprehensive project that combined various UX/UI methodologies to create a more user-friendly and visually appealing experience. By leveraging heuristics analysis, visual competitive analysis, style tiles, and a hi-fi prototype, I was able to develop a design that meets user needs with a cleaner, more minimalist approach that aligns with industry standards.
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I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. As part of the redesign I was able to reuse Santander’s existing branding resources like their app icons, colors and even the textures from their physical debit and credit cards, animating them and bringing them to life in the welcome screen, which makes the branding on their digital platform feel more integrated and connected to their tangible products.
