CASE STUDY – Stanbic Bank

Rethinking digital banking.

Cementing Stanbic's brand as an innovative and progressive bank, through digital transformation and being responsive to meet customer needs.

Digital TransformationService DesignProduct DesignBrand Creation & NamingDigital StrategyUXInteractive & Applications
2015 - 2016

In 2015 we received a brief to redesign the user interface of CFC Stanbic Bank Kenya online banking platform.

Opportunity

During the planning phase of the project, the brief grew to leverage opportunities presented by technology and the market to develop a strong digital banking brand for the bank’s digital channels that will differentiate the bank in the market. This would cement the bank’s position as an innovative and responsive brand by creating true value for current customers and attract new customers.

Systems Audit & Digital Product Strategy

Our audit activities focused on customers’ banking experiences, with the aim of understanding their expectations in regard to the role banks play in satisfying their needs as they engage in financial transactions. The understanding of our target audience and the brand experience across the bank’s digital channels, informed the strategy of positioning CFC Stanbic Bank as an innovative and responsive bank by moving their internet banking platform from personal finance management to personal financial advisory.

Experience Mapping

Digital banking is about leveraging digital technologies to provide an enhanced customer experience that fits the lifestyle of the increasingly digital consumer. Internet banking transactions are intangible, the banking experience should facilitate automated advisory as the value driver for the customer.

Banking User Flows and Product Wireframes

Brand Identity

Naming

We set out to develop a sub-brand for Stanbic’s digital banking ecosystem – beyond today’s internet banking platform, or mobile apps. Who knows what banking would look like 10 years from now? Whatever it was, we wanted this brand to be future-proof. Inspired by the parent brand’s flag icon, our WAVE sub-brand was borne. It fit perfectly. We’d just watched Minority Report a few weeks ago, and seeing how gesture control was now more commonplace, we waved all other shortlisted options goodbye, and got ready to ride this wave into banking’s digital future. We’re out of puns.

Iconography

We developed a unique set of icons for use in dynamic interfaces. These were optimized for clarity when used in small screen devices.

Design System

A complete graphic language was developed to guide future WAVE user interfaces, including typography, information hierarchy, data visualisation, and their corresponding dynamic responses to haptic feedback.

Interface

Working within the bank’s current back-end systems, the design of the interface incorporated the banking functions captured in the experience mapping and wireframes sessions, as well as the brand design language to deliver an intuitive banking experience for CFC Stanbic’s internet banking users.