Context
Community Savings Credit Union is a well-established financial institution With over 30,000 members and managing assets worth $800 million, Community Savings plays a significant role in supporting both local unions and individuals within the community with a variety of banking products and services.
Overview
1. Problem
The issue of an aging client base is a common challenge faced by many credit unions. As baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond, many credit unions find that their existing customer base is not being replaced with younger members at a fast enough rate to sustain growth.
2. Challenge
We were tasked to redesign the user experience of the credit union's digital platform to resonate with and attract younger members, while ensuring usability and accessibility for all users.
3. Research
Our research highlighted a few areas of improvement: Users perceive the design as dull and boring, with a monotonous color scheme. They find the website visually cluttered and complicated, leading to difficulty in navigating and locating desired information. The overwhelming layout contributes to confusion and frustration, particularly for first-time visitors.
4. Stakeholder Alignment
We held multiple meetings to share our discoveries and ensure alignment of expectations with CSCU executives. It became evident that the project would require a complete brand new identity. Some areas identified for improvement include the color scheme, imagery selection, copywriting style, overall layout design, and information architecture.
5. Deliverables
We were tasked with delivering samples and a selection of redesigned pages, along with a project estimation detailing the time and resources required for implementation.
6. Outcome
80% improvement in task completion, 90% of users preferred the new style. Through usability tests on prototypes, comparing before and after assets, we observed an 80% improvement in user task completion accuracy. Additionally, 90% of users found the updated color scheme more inclusive and appealing.
Opportunity
Imagery
Website was cluttered with large, tall images that consumed valuable screen space and slowed down page loading. Unfortunately, these visuals often lacked relevance to users and were unclear, diminishing their impact on engagement.
Copywriting
During our random user testing, individuals tended to overlook crowded content areas, potentially missing important information. Additionally, participants consistently struggled to interpret page headers, spending excessive time on this task.
Information Architecture
The website's navigation was seven levels deep, but most users didn't explore past the third level. So, some pages at the seventh level hardly got any visits, as users had to click through six other pages to reach them. As a result, lots of content went unnoticed for months.
Accessibility
The website falls short in terms of contrast, making it difficult for some users to read content. This issue is particularly problematic for our elderly clientele, who may struggle with low contrast text. Additionally, inconsistent interactive elements further complicate the user experience.
