Visualizing Cash Flow

I helped form the vision that won the US Bank mobile banking app project and conceived the core belief that All the moments that matter in our lives have financial ramifications and banking is no longer a discrete activity that drove our approach and resulted in an app with a 4.8-star app rating. We built “life moments” into the core of our interaction model and design process, creating an app that earned a central role in customer activity and financial health. It also went on to earn the top spot in Forrester’s 2024 Digital Experience Review.

Challenge

  • Massive, from-the-ground-up redesign of the U.S. Bank mobile app as part of company-wide digital transformation

  • Transform banking into a central activity by supporting life’s key moments not just transactional banking

  • Create a flawless experience customers will trust in and that improves their financial performance and literacy

Approach

  • Built “life moments” into the core interaction model and design process

  • Led visionary pitch through year-long production that included ideation sketching through prototyping

  • On-location, co-creation team of 300+ agency and US Bank people across 3 time zones for closer alignment and stakeholder buy-in
  • Led 3 of 6 sprint teams + served on the enablement team for design system and accessibility leadership
  • Agile process with bi-weekly design reviews, user testing, and code delivery

  • High visibility project with frequent reviews with Sapient and U.S. Bank national leadership

Impact

  • Established a transformational design vision that became the backbone of the experience
  • Pre AI boom explorations into how AI could find efficiencies in customer cash flow
  • Positioned U.S. Bank as an innovator in fintech by integrating life moments into banking

I

Client

U.S. Bank

Project

Mobile Banking App

Agency

SapientRazorfish

Timeline

2018-2019

Creative Team

Creative Direction

Establishing the vision

To unlock the full project budget we had to convince bank leadership we had a vision for a next-level app and a plan to get there. After many meetings with very smart people, and late nights with Keynote we'd assembled a compelling vision with six facets — each of which would be pursued by a dedicated journey team. We also had an idea of what the UI/X might feel like (designed in Sketch and visualized in After Effects).

Creative Direction

Realizing the vision

The most remarkable thing about the vision creative is how true to it we were able to stay through the course of the project as demonstrated by this prototype build in Framer using approved Sketch files. The small team involved with the vision had bloomed to six journey teams and an enablement team focused on translating all the design solutions into a system. We debated every aspect from cards and copy to color and accessibility. The first release launched on schedule and well aligned to the vision.

Creative Direction

Finding the flow

The three sprint teams I lead were responsible for figuring out entry flows (facial recognition log-in, etc.), account screens, and new products (mortgages, credit cards and the like). Rapid, team-based ideation happened on paper and white boards before jumping into Sketch for high-fidelity wire framing.

Creative Direction

UX design

Starting in the vision phase and throughout the sprints we produced stacks of high fidelity wire frames as we worked with numerous stakeholders and product owners to strike the perfect balance between form and function.

Creative Direction

Visual design

The new app had to feel on brand while pushing the look far enough forward that the entire experience feels fresh and exciting while also increasing clarity. An easy to consume AI-driven, card-based system delivers content to customers that is personalized and specific to their accounts, actionable and intended to help them advance their financial situation.

Creative Direction

Design system formalization

The enablement team oversaw (including sprint team representatives, accessibility expertise and two talented designers in the LA office) took all the design work produced by the six journey teams, perfected it, resolved inconsistencies and communicated the final design elements for ongoing use and development. The exhaustive Sketch files (including the "cards" section below) would fuel the upcoming DAM project.