BMO Bank Kiosk Interface
BMO – Bank of Montreal
CLIENT:
UX/UI Designer
Visual Designer
Service Designer
ROLES:
6 Months
PROJECT DURATION:
Overview
As the 8th largest bank in North America by assets, BMO (Bank of Montreal) provides personal and commercial banking, global markets and investment banking services to more than 12 million customers. Whilst I worked for their UK Investment arm BMO Global Asset Management, I also worked on projects briefed in by Bank of Montreal too.
Problem
As part of the project to welcome customers back in branch, a review was done of all the existing customer touch points. A key area for improvement was in the welcome zone of each branch and the reduction of the line of customers waiting to speak to one of their ‘greeters’ at the welcome desk. A solution was needed that would help reduce queries to the greeters and reduce the unsightly queue at the bank entrance.
Solution
I worked within a team of UX designers in Canada to design an internal customer kiosk interface that customers could use as a virtual help desk tool upon entering a branch. The user research role was shared between myself and a UX designer in Canada. I helped strategise and devise interview and survey questions. I also led on the ideation and prototyping process.
I used the Design Thinking Process and various ux research methods during this project. This was an iterative rather than sequential process.
Empathise
Stakeholder interviews
User surveys
Contextual inquiry
One-on-one interviews
Define
User flows
Problem statement
Personas
Ideate
Brainstorming
Sketches
Prototype
Low-fidelity wireframes
High-fidelity prototype
Testing
Usability testing
Results
Next steps
Empathise
I conducted stakeholder interviews to determine the goals and scope of the project.
Through conversations with subject matter experts (SMEs), I was able to set meaningful goals for this project.
5 key stakeholder interview insights and goals
To reduce the time customers spend at the entrance of the bank branch
To reduce the queue at the greeters desk
To create a solution that can be tailored/ customised to each branch
To create an interface that customers have the ability to book key banking services appointment in branch
To enhance the branch’s customer satisfaction score and improve the customer experience overall
We surveyed customers about their in-branch experience to help gather more insights.
To uncover bank customer’s perspectives and opinions, we partnered with the online survey company ‘Asking Canadians’ to interview almost 600 people. We asked them about their experiences in branch’s; the existing challenges they face and what improvements could be made to create an ideal banking experience.
Key takeaways:
Technology upgrades – Customers want banks to feature modern technology like automated ATM machines, product demonstrations and/or virtual reality banking that can create a better customer experience.
Faster transactions – Customers are often left waiting in long lines due to slow processing times. Banks need to prioritise faster transaction times so customers do not have to wait unnecessarily in order for their needs to be met.
Enhanced personalisation – Customers want banks to provide personalised experiences when they enter the branch rather than one-size-fits-all service models.
Improved security measures – Security is always at the top of customer’s minds when it comes to banking. Banks need to ensure that their branches have updated security measures in place such as enhanced authentication processes, visibility of security personnel, and secure storage for confidential documents.
Seamless integration with digital banking channels – Customers expect the same level of service across all channels (branch, online, mobile). Banks should strive for consistency between physical and digital experiences with more opportunities to connect between them.
Improved customer service – Customers want banks to treat them with the same level of respect and care that they would expect from any other business. Banks should make sure that their staff are trained in understanding customer needs, providing helpful advice, and building relationships with customers.
Streamlined processes – Customers want banks to streamline processes so they can complete transactions quickly and efficiently. Banks should reduce paperwork, minimise wait times, and design better systems for problem-solving so customers can save time during their visits.
I carried out secondary research on BMO’s current online ‘bank by appointment’ system and the visual branding of their bank branches.
We carried out a contextual inquiry – observing and interviewing customers at a BMO bank branch.
To gain a better understanding of our customers and their experience with BMO bank branches, we conducted an observational study at three branch locations in Toronto. We interviewed 10 customers to get feedback about their experience that day and what could be improved for future visits. By visiting these banks ourselves, our goal was to learn exactly what banking experiences real BMO customers encounter.
Summary of key observations and interview insights
Define
I defined the four most common user tasks, so I could design user flows of their journey.
To gain valuable insights into the customer experience and understand how customers could interact with the kiosks, I created a visual task flow based on my primary and secondary research of the four most common tasks/ services the users need to do in branch.
As a BMO customer, I want to…
1 | Open a personal account
2 | Book a mortgage appointment
3 | Pay in or withdraw money
4 | Speak to a business advisor
Problem Statement
Sarah walks into her local BMO branch and is not sure which direction to go or who to speak to. She needs to quickly find out where she needs to go because she finds the experience overwhelming.
I developed three user personas to represent the experiences, goals and needs of our users.
I created three personas based on primary and secondary research above. Understanding the users, their motivations and their requirements helped us build user-centric products and helped keep the whole team aligned with the design process.
Ideate
I sketched ideas to visualise the basic framework of the interface.
Prototype
I designed mock-ups of the interface for copy input and approval from copywriters and senior stakeholders.
I developed the idea further in the brand style and colour palette of BMO. Placeholder text was incorporated to give more context of how the screen flow would work and aid the copywriters when devising the text to add.
The final product
High-fidelity prototype of kiosk interface
Home screen menu – 4:3 touchscreen display
Open a personal account
– interface flow
Book a mortgage appointment
– interface flow
Pay in or withdraw money
– interface flow
Speak to a business adviser
– interface flow
Testing
We carried out further usability testing and validation in branch.
Before the public release of the kiosk, we conducted live user feedback sessions with selected BMO customers in branch.
The BMO customers were asked to complete four different tasks and gave their feedback on the user interface, content and overall process.
Key takeaways
90% felt the portal was simple to use and that it would make managing and completing tasks easier and faster for them
97% liked the continuity of the look and feel of the BMO branding on the kiosk, which made them feel comfortable and reassured it was a safe place to add their details to book an appointment
100% users found the font size sufficient and the layout clear
Areas for improvement / considerations for phase 2
Include information regarding customer documents needed for appointments where appropriate
Option to send a calendar invitation to a mobile number or email address
Option to retrieve an existing banking appointment booking to reschedule or cancel it in branch
Results
Launched kiosk in six pilot branches initially and then it was launched in a phased roll-out to branches in Toronto
643 appointments created in first quarter of launch in first pilot branch – target was 500
Outperformed KPIs in user adoption and user satisfaction
Excellent CSAT score – 85% average score in pilot branches, in first quarter since launch
Next steps
Phase 2 of the project approved – based on the success metrics achieved