Enhancing customer experience for small business banking
Client
Scotiabank
Sector
Banking
Platform
Responsive Web Application
Role
Timeline
4 months
Scotiabank's small business digital application had a completion rate as low as 45%, driven by long, overwhelming forms and confusing product selection. I redesigned the core application flow, from form structure to confirmation, to make it easier for small business owners to complete their application without dropping off.
The problem
Application forms were long, poorly organized, and cognitively overwhelming, especially on mobile. Product selection used an unfamiliar interaction pattern that didn't match how users expect to browse and add products. The confirmation page buried key information with no clear hierarchy, and loading screens gave no feedback during long waits, leaving users unsure if anything was happening at all.
Old app hides key banking actions in the side menu, adding extra steps to complete common tasks.
I redesigned the application flow to break long forms into manageable steps, replaced the unconventional product selection pattern with a cart-style interface familiar from e-commerce, and rebuilt the confirmation page around a clear visual hierarchy that surfaces only what matters most. I also added engaging feedback during long loading states so users always know the system is working.
New homepage brings key actions and account insights into a single surface.
These changes focused on reducing cognitive load and restructuring how small business owners complete their banking application, from initial form entry through confirmation.
1
Simplified long-form applications
Broke overwhelming, single-scroll forms into manageable steps to reduce cognitive load and improve mobile usability.
2
Redesigned product selection as a familiar cart experience
Replaced an unconventional selection pattern with an e-commerce-style cart interface, improving familiarity and ease of use.
3
Rebuilt the confirmation page around clear hierarchy
Focused the congratulations page on the most essential information, cutting visual noise.
4
Added feedback during long loading states
Introduced engaging content during background processing so users understood the system was still working.
My role
Senior product designer
Led design direction for the homepage and accounts experience, two of the highest-traffic surfaces in the Online Business Banking (OLBB) experience.
Owned end-to-end design decisions including interaction design, information architecture, and cross-flow consistency across shared banking experiences
Worked closely with a peer senior designer leading adjacent domains (payments and money movement) to ensure system-wide consistency
Collaborated with product, research, and engineering teams to validate feasibility within a complex banking environment
Mentored a junior designer, supporting execution across supporting flows to maintain consistency across the broader experience
Our team
1 UX Director
2 Senior Product Designers (including myself)
1 Junior Designer
BMO
1 Product Manager
1 User Researcher
Engineering Team (Mobile Developers)
Deep Dive
This section highlights five product decisions that shaped the mobile banking experience, spanning system design, navigation architecture, user behavior, and technical constraints.
Reducing Perceived Effort in Long-Form Applications
The challenge
Usability testing on the existing application revealed that shorter sections were completed quickly, while longer sections saw users dropping off. Pages without a progress indicator also caused users to hesitate or abandon the flow, since they had no sense of how much was left.
Decision & Rationale
I broke the long-form application into smaller steps with a persistent progress indicator, without removing any required fields. The product manager initially assumed this meant cutting content, which would require compliance re-approval. I clarified the change was purely structural, referencing similar patterns from other banking applications, and the proposal was reviewed and approved by compliance.
Validation & Impact
We tested the original and redesigned versions with the same user group. Users didn't notice that both versions asked for the same information, but consistently preferred the step-based version. This confirmed that reducing perceived effort, not actual content, was the key driver of drop-off.
2. Redesigning Product Selection as a Cart Experience
The challenge
In the existing design, users couldn't go back to change their product selection once they'd moved past that step. No one on the team had a clear reason why, it seemed carried over from the previous tech stack. In usability testing, users who changed their mind had to close the browser and restart the entire application.
Decision & Rationale
I redesigned product selection as a tabbed, cart-style interface, letting users move freely between categories and change selections at any point. A persistent cart panel kept all selections visible throughout, rather than only at a final summary.
Validation & Impact
Testing the new design confirmed it solved the original problem, users no longer needed to restart the application to change a selection. Users found the new flow easier to work with and responded well to having full visibility and control over their choices.
3. Cheque Deposit Placement
The challenge
Cheque Deposit originally lived under Move Money, aligned with information architecture and grouped with other money movement tasks. However, product feedback suggested increasing its visibility, with a proposal to elevate it to the bottom navigation due to its perceived importance and frequent use in discussions with users.
Decision & Rationale
I kept Cheque Deposit within Move Money to preserve logical grouping of financial actions in the primary navigation. Instead of promoting it to the bottom bar, I introduced Quick Actions as a secondary access point on the homepage. This approach improved discoverability without overloading the primary navigation or breaking the existing mental model of where money movement tasks belong. It allowed users to access Cheque Deposit quickly when needed, while still keeping it within its logical category.
Validation & Impact
Users naturally discovered Cheque Deposit through Quick Actions for quick access, while still expecting and finding it within Move Money for structured workflows.The dual-entry model supported both behaviors without increasing navigation complexity or fragmenting the primary navigation system.
4. Alerts Section Technical Constraint
The challenge
A toggle-based model was initially designed for simplicity, but SMS alerts introduced cost implications and required account-level configuration, creating risk with instant updates.
Decision & Rationale
I replaced toggles with a step-based configuration flow. Users selected an account, chose alert channels, and confirmed changes before applying them. This ensured control, prevented accidental changes, and aligned with backend constraints.
Validation & Impact
Users felt more confident with the step-based model, especially for SMS alerts. The confirmation step improved perceived safety without reducing usability.
Before: Simple toggle-based alert controls per account
After: Account-specific alert configuration
5. Quick Filters on the Accounts Page
The challenge
Users frequently switched between currencies and countries but had to use a full filter flow each time, creating friction for repetitive tasks.
Decision & Rationale
I introduced quick filter chips for currency and country while keeping the full filter for advanced use cases. This separated high-frequency actions from complex filtering.
Validation & Impact
Users immediately adopted quick filters for daily switching, while continuing to use the full filter for advanced needs. This reduced interaction cost without limiting flexibility.
When User Testing Challenged Our Assumptions
This section highlights moments where initial design assumptions were challenged by user behavior or system constraints, leading to revised interaction models and improved outcomes.
1. Balance Summary Placement
Users expected immediate balance visibility on the homepage for daily financial decisions. I moved balance summaries to the homepage despite initial IA assumptions.
This shifted the homepage from purely task-based to both awareness and action. Users reported improved clarity and reduced need to navigate elsewhere.
2. Cheque Deposit Flow
Two versions of the cheque deposit experience were tested: an all-in-one experience and a guided step-by-step flow.
Users preferred the all-in-one experience, as it provided upfront understanding of the entire process and greater control over execution. The guided step-by-step flow increased perceived friction and reduced confidence.
I adopted the all-in-one approach, reinforcing that task-driven workflows benefit more from visibility and control than progressive guidance.
All-in-One Experience
Users can upload cheque images, enter the amount, and review all information within a single screen before submission.
Guided Step-by-Step Experience
Users are guided through the deposit process sequentially, completing one task before moving to the next step.
Quick Actions held up across both user groups.
Corporate users consistently found Approvals within Quick Actions without perceiving it as misplaced; small business users naturally focused on their own relevant actions in the same space. Neither group needed a separate path.
Pinned accounts were adopted with zero instruction.
Users immediately understood and used the pinning model to manage large portfolios. A full list alternative was also tested and slowed scanning and increased cognitive load by comparison, confirming pinning as the stronger pattern.
Dual entry Cheque Deposit removed friction without adding navigation complexity.
Users found Cheque Deposit through Quick Actions when they wanted speed, and through Move Money when they expected structured workflows. Both paths were used as intended, with no added confusion.
Quick filter chips were adopted immediately for daily use.
Users switched to quick filters for repetitive currency and country changes while still using the full filter for advanced cases, validating the two tier approach.