Challenge
Serving over 9 million customers and displaying a commitment to vulnerable customers, the bank approached Centre for Inclusive Design (CfID) to complete an important initiative set out in their vulnerability framework. This initiative aims to promote fair and inclusive banking by creating a visual easy read guide about the fee-free, everyday personal transaction account and information on how to use it.
Solution
Utilising concepts of inclusive design and user experience we designed a solution aimed at understanding and then responding to the needs of customers with low literacy. This approach would ensure basic banking information was accessible to as many people as possible.
The solution consisted of three elements.
- An evaluation of existing content with users to identify areas of difficulty.
- CfID co-designed a new guide with various types of vulnerable customers.
- User testing was performed throughout the iterative design process for validation.
Impact
The bank now has a guide for customers who experience low literacy. This will allow the participation of this cohort in an important and essential part of community life.
The organisation is complying with the Banking Code of Practice which aims to ensure banks “take extra care with customers who may be vulnerable”.
The guide is also appropriate for CALD communities, dyslexic and or other neuro divergent customers.
Banking can be confronting and confusing, and to have information that is presented in a way that is understandable and easy to follow makes a real difference not just to people that experience vulnerability but all customers generally.