Westpac Originations Transformation
Over my time at Westpac, I've been involved in designing and refining digital credit card application, balance transfer request, and credit limit increase experiences. These were released as part of the Originations Transformation program within Consumer Finance.
The following will focus on the credit limit increase experience, for which I was the sole Experience Designer. In a nutshell, the current state credit limit increase experience was outdated and not optimised for mobile devices. I was challenged with designing a seamless and responsive multi-device credit limit increase application experience that leveraged existing modules.
Success metrics included Straight Through Processing rates and Application Completion rates.
Please note some details and prototypes have been redacted due to privacy limitations.
★ Discovery
Early on, project stakeholders outlined high level scope, business requirements, and timelines. I conducted competitor analyses, a heuristic evaluation of the current customer experience, and workshopped early concepts with the cross-functional team whilst requirements were being firmed up.
Competitor analysis
★ Design & Refine
Low fidelity wireframes were created and shared with the design community during forums called Design Clinic to gather feedback. Making use of the excellent design system, I then created high fidelity prototypes aligned with organisational Visual Design, Customer Experience, and Accessibility standards using Figma.
This was sometimes challenging, as there were business requirements which were still being discussed and finalised whilst deadlines were looming. I approached these situations by keeping up constant communication with the Business Analysts during Agile ceremonies and sometimes preparing options ahead of time.
Usability testing on Askable
Two rounds of moderated qualitative usability testing were conducted. This involved preparation of a research plan, prototype and script, recruiting participants, and facilitating interviews on a platform called Askable. I then synthesised the findings and played back insights to stakeholders, with the intention of getting buy-in for certain design recommendations. My storytelling and communication muscles were flexed here, with the understanding that certain optimisations had to be weighted against technical feasibility.
★ Delivery
I continued to support the cross functional team during delivery and testing by performing shoulder checks and clarifying design intentions with developers. Occasionally, small accessibility announcement concerns were also raised during testing. This was resolved by discussing together with our Accessibility and Inclusion Manager.
Several Quality Assurance audits were also conducted, which involved inspecting the build quality in test environments and comparing to Figma designs. Discrepancies were documented, prioritised, and discussed with developers.
Quality assurance audit example from a previous release (the credit limit increase application isn't live yet)
★ Final Prototype
The credit limit increase prototype is can't be shared yet as it's not released yet. I'd be happy to show you one for the digital credit card application or balance transfer request if we chat.
★ Key Takeaways
1. Raise risks and raise them early!
I identified a few customer experience and delivery risks as the project progressed, such as insufficient time to run usability testing and incorporate subsequent changes alongside delivery. With the support of my Design Leaders, we were able to talk through those risks and mitigation tactics with the project leaders. As a result, we agreed on a research timeline and allocated a delivery sprint for potential changes. It was important that they were raised and done so in a way that ensured everyone was informed and comfortable.
2. Strong working relationships are key
Having an open visible approach to work allowed for all parties to better collaborate and create the best solutions. Even small things like letting developers know that "I'm always available to answer any design questions" promoted regular communication and resulted in smoother delivery with less defects.
This project reaffirmed for me that a safe environment for asking questions is always a good thing.
