BACKGROUND
Why setup a centre of excellence for design?
Before we started, each subsidiary brand had a different online brand, UX maturity level and technology architecture. This meant that it was difficult to join them up and provide a common service across Bank, Securities and Insurance. It was also becoming costly and challenging to develop and maintain with the fragmentation. We partnered with Frog design to get the ball rolling while we recruit talents to build up our design capabilities in-house.
We used a mixed of tools from Design Thinking, Design Sprint and Lean UX to establish the centre in just 12 months.
We used a mixed of tools from Design Thinking, Design Sprint and Lean UX to establish the centre in just 12 months.
Personas developed post contextual enquiry
FIELD RESEARCH
Understanding the users' context
The convenience of having a physical branch near their home was still one of the main driver for customers to have an account with a bank/securities company in the cities in Taiwan. But it was not possible for us to scale our branches. We needed to find services we can deliver via digital to acquire and retain customers.
We interviewed stakeholders and performed competitive benchmarks of our services against local and international leaders and disruptors such as Cathay Financial, eSun, DBS Bank and Revolut.
We ran field research with over 60 customers and a select group of experts to understand what new needs we can address. This led to the definition of 8 personas with specific journeys and needs of their own.
We interviewed stakeholders and performed competitive benchmarks of our services against local and international leaders and disruptors such as Cathay Financial, eSun, DBS Bank and Revolut.
We ran field research with over 60 customers and a select group of experts to understand what new needs we can address. This led to the definition of 8 personas with specific journeys and needs of their own.
CUSTOMER JOURNEYS
Jobs to be done
We audited and reviewed all of our product features, mapping them to the user goals to form new journeys and interaction designs that rise to meet user needs in a more intuitive way.
We used lean UX to refactor our existing features quickly as these are well known journeys that we can either make simplier and more intuitive, or are compliant with regulations.
We used lean UX to refactor our existing features quickly as these are well known journeys that we can either make simplier and more intuitive, or are compliant with regulations.
Journey framework streamlined all our UX into one common blueprint
Design system
Creating a scalable system
The group is made up banking, securities, investments and insurance. Our customers range from consumers to private and institutional investors. However, we wanted our interactions to be consistent across the board.
A shift to a React and Cloud-based technologies provided us an opportunity to build a new Design System that will allow us to scale quickly while keeping consistency and quality across teams. We used a combination of Figma, ZeroHeight and React to build out our new system that considered both Mandarin and English typography- which added a new level of challenge to building it.
A shift to a React and Cloud-based technologies provided us an opportunity to build a new Design System that will allow us to scale quickly while keeping consistency and quality across teams. We used a combination of Figma, ZeroHeight and React to build out our new system that considered both Mandarin and English typography- which added a new level of challenge to building it.
Design system that unify all our interaction and interface designs
Design sprints
Creating moments of delight
Armed with the insights and opportunities uncovered from our field studies, we tasked a cross functional team to concept and test new ideas that will solve customer needs and create moments of delight in their journey with us. For this task, the team adopted methods from the Google Design Sprint.
React Apps & Website
Native app feel to responsive applications
One of the strategic decision made by the Engineering team was to move to a fully React and API driven stack. It will reduce our technical debt and allow the engineers to focus on supporting a narrow set of technologies to build new capabilities.
What this meant for design was that all our mobile app designs has to scale gracefully to a desktop application. Responsive design for marketing websites is the standard nowadays. But responsive apps are few and far between. How do we deliver a native feel on all digital form factors? Every design component in our design system had to flex to cater for responsiveness.
What this meant for design was that all our mobile app designs has to scale gracefully to a desktop application. Responsive design for marketing websites is the standard nowadays. But responsive apps are few and far between. How do we deliver a native feel on all digital form factors? Every design component in our design system had to flex to cater for responsiveness.
Research & Usability Testing
Explorative, Generative and Validation
I've been very fortunate to have the support and funding to implement many aspect of the research toolkit for CDF. Design research is transformative in the way it affects company culture and refocus the attention on the customers.
• Contextual enquiry
• Concept testing
• Dog-fooding with staff using Maze.co
• Usability studies with Tobii eye tracking
• Surveys with customers
• Contextual enquiry
• Concept testing
• Dog-fooding with staff using Maze.co
• Usability studies with Tobii eye tracking
• Surveys with customers
Team leadership
Leading through COVID-19
We were off to a good start and then COVID-19 reached the shores of Taiwan. Teams had to quickly move to remote working, face to face research came to a halt. We had to run all our research remotely. Dog-fooding of the new services ran on Maze.co and also serve as a way to inform staffs of the changes coming for them and customers. New joiners had to onboard having never met their managers or team mates in person.
Adding to the challenge, I moved back to Scotland halfway through 2021 to be with my family. This intensified the opportunity for me to learn and grow as a leader in leading teams remotely and across different geographies. My view now is that remote teams can work with the right support, activities/rituals and appropriate time-zoning.
We collaborated across teams in Taiwan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and U.K. in an agile way that enabled us to design and deliver 5 new pre-login websites for Bank, Securities, Insurance, Capital investments and the holding company; 2 new React mobile applications for Bank and Insurance that are fully responsive for desktop servicing. This was a new achievement for me as a leader.
Sadly, I was not able to continue with the company due to time zone challenges. However, I made sure that the group has a solid human centred design foundation laid for the future ahead.
Adding to the challenge, I moved back to Scotland halfway through 2021 to be with my family. This intensified the opportunity for me to learn and grow as a leader in leading teams remotely and across different geographies. My view now is that remote teams can work with the right support, activities/rituals and appropriate time-zoning.
We collaborated across teams in Taiwan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and U.K. in an agile way that enabled us to design and deliver 5 new pre-login websites for Bank, Securities, Insurance, Capital investments and the holding company; 2 new React mobile applications for Bank and Insurance that are fully responsive for desktop servicing. This was a new achievement for me as a leader.
Sadly, I was not able to continue with the company due to time zone challenges. However, I made sure that the group has a solid human centred design foundation laid for the future ahead.
