Prepaid Banking App
A Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) is the world's largest credit union that focuses on serving the military and their families. Their pre-paid mobile banking app focusses on giving their users a digital mobile banking solution.
Overview
Project type: Mobile app feature improvements and redesign
Role: Junior designer, user and stakeholder interviews, information architecture, visual design, usability testing
Industry: Financial Tech
Duration: 5-7 Weeks
Problem
• This challenge required adapting the core of Urban FT's white-label mobile banking app to meet the needs of both parents and children, while addressing pain points such as outdated onboarding flows, limited card controls, and insufficient user engagement.
• The client sought to transform their preexisting app into a more effective platform for managing prepaid cards, enabling parents to teach their children financial management skills.
• However, their current app lacked the modern functionality and tailored features necessary to support this unique use case.
• An efficient redesign was critical to create a seamless experience for both user groups, improve usability, and support the program's goals of promoting financial literacy.
Core functionalities of the app
• The app's main functionality is for an account holder (typically a parent) to send money to the card holder's (typically the child's) prepaid card.
• The card holder can then use the funds on the card.
• The card holder can request money from the account holder.
• Lists transaction history of where the card was used and when the card was loaded.
• Users can locate ATMs and Branches to reload the card.
Original NFCU prepaid app screenshots
Competitive analysis
To start the research phase, I was interested in what other pre-paid card apps were doing. I compared other companies with similar apps and analyzed their uniqueness and additional features. In doing this research, I found myself thinking more about the connection between our users and the prospective features that can be implemented in the new NFCU app. To increase support of my research, I examined the features that NFCU did not have and evaluated those with value.
Aligning goals
After the competitive analysis, I worked on developing a clear strategy to prioritize solutions effectively. I started by defining the project goals to establish a solid understanding of our objectives. This process helped me pinpoint where business goals and user needs aligned.
Forming a proposal
Using the data I collected from the competitive analysis and understanding the user and business goals, I worked with the project manager and development team to present to our client a comprehensive breakdown of each feature the beneficial aspects of the overall experience when using the app.
Must have
• Improved onboarding flow
• Transaction history
• Send / request funds
• ATM locator
Recommended to have
• Parental/card controls
• Direct deposit
• Modern log in patterns (Face iD, biometrics)
• Category spending
Nice to have
• Chores management
• Allow / disallow specific stores
• Savings goals
• Recurring / automatic payments
Defining MVP & user stories
After proposing potential features that may be advantageous to their app, our client provided great feedback and appreciation for the research and proposal. Our clients planned and decided MVP, abiding by their current features, and releasing the app as soon as possible with minimal feature upgrades. Respecting their assessment and after further discussion with the client, we worked together to define an MVP that fulfilled their business requirements and program vision.
Key takeaways
An easy-to-understand account creation and onboarding process.
Updated log-in features, including Face ID, Fingerprint ID, and Passcode.
A dashboard and account history of transactions.
Better card controls and security features.
Category spending insights.
A system to manage funding sources.
(Above is a summary of the main MVP highlights)
(Full list of MVP features is 7 pages long)
Personas
Our client had previously formulated personas a few months before they had approached us about this project giving us a head start. To confirm their findings we had the opportunity to interview three of their users in which we did not find any surprised. The personas they had crafted had crafted were congruent to our findings.
Charlize, 47 years old (Teacher)
Pain points
• Outdated app experience
• Lack of trust with security while using the app
• Insufficient parental and card controls
• Inability to manage funding sources in-app
About
Charlize is a 47-year-old English teacher at her local high school. Her husband serves in the military and is a mother of two boys, ages 16 and 14.
Goals
• To monitor her kids spending
• To find an easier way to send her kids money
• Manage expenses and account balances
Concepts & wire framing
After defining MVP and discussing with the client, we came to the conclusion of including Send or Load Money, Funding Sources, and Locations as the quick actions and navigation items. After sketching and brainstorming I wanted to test the best way to display these actions.
Switch accounts - concept 1
The client's feedback also included that there could be multiple cardholder accounts linked. Therefore, it was essential for the user to have the ability to switch the account they were viewing. Accordingly, I implemented a dropdown menu on the main dashboard in this concept, which triggers a bottom sheet with the different accounts linked. This feature to tap on a different account reveals the transaction and account details.
Switch accounts - concept 2
In Concept 2, I added dots under the available balance, requiring the user to swipe left to view different accounts. This feature to swipe also allows refreshing the recent activity and balance for that cardholder.
Usability Test
• Method: Remote, moderated usability testing (Think Aloud)
• Participants: 4
• Age range: Gen X
• Goal: Test the simplicity of switching accounts
Key takeaways
4 out of 4 users were successfully able to switch accounts in Concept 1.
Concept 1 presented little to no friction, and users quickly completed the task.
Concept 2 presented major discoverability issues. Only 1 out of 4 users were able to switch accounts successfully. Many users tried going into the settings section to switch accounts
Card controls
In Concept 1 (shown on the left), I explored a card carousel concept that allows users to swipe to lock and unlock their cards. The user can also view other cards on the account by swiping left or right. The card status is also indicated on the bottom sheet using a lozenge.
In Concept 2 (shown on the right), all cards have their own respective lock and unlock buttons and are displayed in a list.
Usability Test
• Method: Remote, moderated usability testing (Think Aloud)
• Participants: 4
• Age range: Gen X
• Goal: Test how users interacted with card control concepts
Usability testing key takeaways
Users found the card carousel concept (Concept 1) engaging and easily digestible.
3 out of 4 users noted showing all three cards at once (Concept 2) felt overwhelmed with too many choices.
4 out of 4 users expressed that status chip preference (Concept 1) combined with the locked icon on the card complemented each other as this effectively indicated status of the card.
Card controls
Card control was one of the essential features required when discussing MVP. If the cardholder’s (child’s) card is lost or if the cardholder was simply spending too much, the account holder (parent) can control the activity of the account holder. This feature grants the account holder to lock the cardholder’s card at leisure.
Managing funding sources
One of the pain points the client emphasized the need for, is the inability to manage funding sources within the app. Previously, funding sources had to be managed online or over the phone with customer service. With the improvements, I proposed that the user can add, edit, and delete funding sources within the app as well as selecting a default funding source so the user can skip that step when sending money effectively reducing taps.
Selecting recipient and funding source
Another piece of the puzzle that was not a part of our white label solution was selecting a funding source combined with choosing a recipient. One of the key elements we wanted to address is reducing the number of taps it takes to complete this task making it as easy possible.
Usability Test
• Method: Remote, moderated usability testing (Think Aloud)
• Participants: 4
• Age range: Gen X
• Goal: Test loading money flow
Usability testing key takeaways
• 4 out of 4 users were successfully able to select a recipient on all 3 concepts.
• 4 out of 4 users were successfully able to change the funding source on all 3 concepts.
• 3 out of 4 users stated a preference for concept 1 due to its simple flow and ease of use.
• 2 out of 4 users did acknowledge they liked the visual representation of the From and To accounts in concepts 2 and 3.
Onboarding flow research
To better understand where the issues were within the onboarding process we interviewed their support team. Ideally we would have liked to interview the users directly on this subject but due to time constraints we opted to talk to their support team instead. They explained how many of the complaints regarding the onboarding process revolved around confusing copy and unclear directions and screens collecting too much information at one time. Overall a confusing experience in which they felt safer doing it on desktop or calling them directly.
Due to the lack of analytics and tracking from our client we did not have the opportunity to dive into quantitative data. However if we did, we would have wanted to understand how long users were taking to complete the process, screens that users were taking the longest on, and if there were any screens that had a high drop off rate.
Crafting the new onboarding flow
Mobile account creation was another pain point the client identified. The account creation process in the old app was confusing, with unclear copy. We worked closely with the client and the development team to understand all technical and legal (KYC) requirements and focussed on breaking up the totality of information collected into precise screens that would not create cognitive overload for the user. We also had to consider sensitive information at which point sensitive information was entered and how long and where was it going to be stored to greatly reduce the risk of data breaches. In addition, we closely collaborated with the content designer and the legal team to ensure legality.
Usability Test
• Method: Guerrilla testing, moderated usability testing (Think Aloud)
• Participants: 3
• Age range: Gen X
• Goal: Test onboarding flow
We took our concepts to the streets of NYC offering $25 Amazon gift cards in return for their user feedback. We first had them complete the original account creation flow and then had them complete the new flow.
Key Takeaways
• All 3 users were able to complete the new flow faster as well as selecting the new flow as their preference.
• Some of the reasons they stated was for easy to understand screens, illustrations, and felt the new flow was easier to digest compared to the old one.
• Users were able to work faster through more screens but with less information on each screen than having fewer screens and collecting more information on each one.
Updating the login patterns
Logging in was another piece of the puzzle to be added. Undoubtedly, the app was required to be up to date, allowing the user to not only log into their account quickly but also, securely with biometric authentication. The user has the option to opt-in to Face ID, Fingerprint ID, and passcode. These options provide the user with quick and easy access to the account without sacrificing security.
Impact
This project transformed a white-label banking app into a tailored solution for financial literacy with prepaid cards. Key updates like a revamped onboarding flow, modern login patterns, and enhanced card controls led to a 20% increase in onboarding completion, highlighting the success of the redesign in engaging users and meeting client goals.
Awards
Because of this project, I was awarded the "Customer Advocate Award" at my company's annual award ceremony. To win this award (or any mention during the ceremony), your peers nominated you, and the executives would vote for a winner for each award. I was told that usually this award is given to an employee such as customer service or team members who deal with clients daily. My managers and CEO informed me that our client was on the fence about signing with us, but after seeing the work I had done, the client was ecstatic and decided to sign. Winning this award was humbling but showed that anything is possible with hard work.
Lessons
During the research phase, I conducted interviews and gathered insights from adult users. However, in retrospect, I recognize the value that interviewing teenagers could have added to the process. Since the app is designed with two primary user groups—adults and teens using a debit card for the first time—incorporating teenagers' perspectives would have helped identify their unique pain points and behaviors. Engaging with this younger audience would have allowed me to validate concepts more thoroughly and ensure the design addressed the needs of a wider range of users.
It might also be surprising to discover how children perceive financial management tools. Instead of seeing the app as a learning tool, they might view it as restrictive or overly complex, which could create friction in the parent-child dynamic. This insight would underscore the importance of balancing empowerment and oversight in the design. Additionally, the degree to which parents would trust their children with financial autonomy might vary more widely than expected, presenting an interesting challenge for the app's feature prioritization and user experience.
Conclusion
Overall I am very happy with the way this project turned out. My team trusted me in taking on this project for one of our biggest clients and I was determined to deliver. Even though I did not have total creative control and had to use features and sections that were based on our existing product, I felt this was a great stepping stone for me. I took an outdated product and brought it back to life with a new UI and upgraded features. I learned what it was like to drive a process end-to-end while having to consider so many different factors such as client needs, tech restrictions, feature upgrades, and more. It was a complicated process but I genuinely cherish the opportunity to work with this client.