Designing a Future-Ready Consumer Fintech App: UX Strategy and Design Thinking for Barclays

In the ever-evolving world of fintech, designing a consumer app for a global financial giant like Barclays requires more than just understanding user needs. It demands foresight, adaptability, and a deep alignment with business goals. For this project, our focus on UX strategy and design thinking played a pivotal role in creating an experience that wasn’t just functional, but future-proof.

This blog dives into the approach we took, specifically highlighting how a strong UX strategy combined with design thinking laid the foundation for a transformative app experience.

The Challenge

Barclays sought to redefine its consumer app for a rapidly digitizing audience while retaining its core principles of trust, security, and simplicity. With evolving consumer expectations and a competitive fintech landscape, we faced some key questions:

1. How do we design an app that caters to both tech-savvy millennials and older generations with varying levels of digital literacy?

2. How can we future-proof the app to adapt seamlessly to emerging trends in fintech?

3. How do we maintain the trust and credibility of Barclays while integrating modern, intuitive features?

These questions became the starting point for our UX strategy and design thinking process.

The UX Strategy: A Foundation for the Future

The UX strategy for the Barclays consumer app was built around four core pillars:

1. User-Centricity
   At its heart, the app needed to serve users in meaningful ways. We started with a comprehensive user research phase, interviewing a diverse range of Barclays customers across demographics, tech familiarity, and financial needs.

   This revealed three distinct personas:

   • The Financial Novice: Seeking simple, clear guidance for managing their finances.

   • The Digital Enthusiast: Looking for advanced features like investment tracking and spending analytics.

   • The Risk-Averse User: Prioritizing security and trust above all else.

   These personas guided every design decision, ensuring the app met the nuanced needs of its varied audience.

2. Scalability and Adaptability
   Designing for the present isn’t enough in fintech. We built the UX strategy with scalability in mind, enabling Barclays to integrate future features like AI-driven insights or blockchain-based transactions without disrupting the user experience.

   For example, the navigation was designed with modularity—users could easily access current core features while seamlessly accommodating new ones as the app evolved.

3. Trust and Transparency
   As a financial institution, Barclays’ brand is synonymous with trust. Our UX strategy emphasized clear communication, particularly around sensitive features like payments and account security.

   To reinforce this trust:

   • Every action (e.g., transferring funds) was accompanied by real-time feedback and confirmations.

   • Security features, like biometric login and two-factor authentication, were made highly visible to users without being intrusive.

4. Simplification through Design
   Complexity often alienates users, especially in financial apps. We employed progressive disclosure in the UX design—only showing advanced features or information when the user needed them.

   For example, first-time users were greeted with a simplified dashboard, while advanced users could dive into detailed analytics with a few taps.

   
   

Applying Design Thinking to Solve Challenges

Design thinking brought structure and innovation to our problem-solving. Here’s how it played out:

1. Empathize: Understanding the User Journey

We mapped out the end-to-end user journey, from logging into the app to completing financial tasks like bill payments or tracking investments.

• Pain points like confusing navigation or lack of clarity in transaction status were identified and prioritized.

• We shadowed users during their interactions with the existing app to observe their frustrations firsthand.

  
  

2. Define: Pinpointing the Problem Areas

The research revealed key problems:

• Users struggled to locate specific features quickly.

• There was little personalization in the app, making it feel generic and impersonal.

• Anxiety around security features slowed adoption of new digital services.

These findings informed how we framed our goals: simplify the interface, create tailored experiences, and build confidence through design.

3. Ideate: Generating Solutions

We conducted collaborative brainstorming workshops with designers, developers, and Barclays stakeholders. By embracing cross-functional perspectives, we uncovered innovative solutions:

• A personalized dashboard that adjusted based on user behavior and preferences.

• A Quick Actions panel for frequent tasks, reducing navigation effort.

• An interactive Help Hub that answered security concerns and guided users through complex processes.

  
  

4. Prototype: Designing for Feedback

We developed low-fidelity prototypes to validate our ideas early. For example:

• A card-based navigation system that simplified access to key features.

• A predictive search bar to help users find tools quickly.

These prototypes were tested with a small group of Barclays customers, whose feedback helped refine the experience.

5. Test: Iteration and Improvement

During usability testing, we identified and addressed subtle pain points, such as:

• Confusion over icon meanings, leading us to add tooltips and labels.

• Overloaded screens, prompting us to streamline content and emphasize visual hierarchy.

  
  

Key Outcomes of the UX Strategy and Design Thinking

1. Personalized User Experience:
   The app dynamically adapted to user behavior, offering tailored insights and shortcuts, improving engagement across all user segments.

2. Simplified Navigation:
   A more intuitive structure reduced user effort, with most users completing key tasks in 30% less time compared to the older app.

3. Increased Trust and Adoption:
   Visibility of security features and clear communication boosted user confidence, leading to a 20% increase in digital adoption among previously hesitant users.

4. Future-Ready Design:
   The modular architecture ensured the app was ready for future innovations without compromising the current experience.

   
   

Lessons Learned

This project reinforced the value of embedding UX strategy and design thinking into the development process. By staying user-focused, embracing iterative design, and planning for scalability, we delivered an app experience that not only met current user needs but positioned Barclays for long-term success in the fintech landscape.

If you’re designing for the future, remember: the best solutions come from understanding your users today and anticipating their needs tomorrow.