Discovery
User Testing
UX/UI Design
Design System
Client
Eko Digital Bank
Team
1 Design Lead (my role)
2 UX/UI Designers
Tools
Figma, Miro
A 100% digital banking experience
Eko is Paraguay’s first fully digital banking platform, designed to provide easy access to financial services for the unbanked population.
Overview
The project’s goal was to create a digital banking platform, enabling users to easily open a bank account and perform transactions via an intuitive interface.
This case study outlines the journey from concept to launch, highlighting the design process for an inclusive and user-friendly app.
Key Results
Over 100,000 accounts created within the first year, representing 2% of Paraguay’s adult population.
Achieved a 25% average monthly growth in 2022, surpassing the growth rate of traditional banks in Paraguay.
The Challenge
How might we facilitate access to financial services in an easy, trustable and 100% digital manner?
With only 30% of the adult population banked, Eko sought to address the barriers to digital banking adoption in Paraguay. Our focus was on overcoming three key issues:
User Trust: Building confidence in banks and digital financial services among a traditionally cash-reliant population.
Behavioral Shift: Encouraging users to transition from cash-based transactions to digital payments.
Inclusion: Designing for users with varying levels of digital literacy, using smartphones with limited capabilities.
Process
Research and Discovery: Gathered initial insights from an outsourced firm’s research, identifying key user pain points and mistrust in traditional banking.
Team Alignment: Facilitated workshops to align the team on the vision and goals, creating proto-personas and refining the problem statement.
Design Sprints: Conducted iterative design sprints to prototype and test features, ensuring alignment with user needs and business objectives.
Feature Prioritization: Prioritized key features for the MVP using a risk/impact matrix, linking user needs, business goals, and metrics.
Prototyping and User Testing: Developed and tested high-fidelity prototypes with users to gather feedback and refine designs.
Team alignment
Hypotheses definition
Feature prioritization using an effort/impact scale
Proto-persona definitions
Mapping the user experience
Low-fidelity concepts
Thoroughly documented Design System
Outcome
Our work with Eko resulted in a novel digital banking platform that significantly impacted financial inclusion in Paraguay with over 100,000 new bank accounts created.
The user-friendly and modern UI set Eko apart from traditional banks, conveying friendliness and trust while ensuring a secure experience.
A streamlined, guided onboarding process, combined with intuitive user flows for essential actions like sending money and making payments, turned users into enthusiastic supporters.
© 2024 Alberto Samaniego