Reviewing user experience of the banking sector we looked at whether the banks are providing an easy-to-use mobile experience and what tasks were supported.
Developing user experiences on mobile is an interesting challenge, because of things such as the small screen size and the need to make often complex steps as clear and simple as possible, all while considering that the mobile user is likely to be on the move.
We reviewed the mobile web experience of ten of Australia’s banks and financial institutions, including the ‘big four’. We found that Australian banks are mature in their provision of mobile access. All except the Commonwealth Bank of Australia render mobile versions of their websites and all but the Bendigo and Adelaide bank provide mobile apps for both iPhone/iPad and Android devices.
Very few of the banks used location based services for the seemingly obvious ‘locate an ATM/branch’ task. It was also surprising that only one bank offered calculators as this would seem to be an opportunity to help customers decide on the affordability of a purchase or calculate an exchange rate, which in turn is a likely driver for more business for the bank.
Overall, there was a mix of intuitive and simple user experiences, and some experiences that were almost too simple, as the bank had removed all but the very basic content from their mobile experience.
To find out more details on the user experience and examples including:
o ATM or branch locator
o Using mobile banking
o Find out more about specific product
o Contact the bank
o Calculators or other tools