Barclays Bank is committed to providing services that cater to the diverse needs of its customers, including individuals with neurodivergent conditions, who make up 20% of the population. Many neurodivergent individuals face challenges with traditional banking apps, and Barclays recognizes the importance of addressing their specific needs.
For neurodivergent individuals, Nest is a finance app crafted with care to help users manage, learn, and grow their finances. We provide the tools needed for users to confidently build their financial future.
Most banking apps are too complicated for neurodivergent individuals to use in their daily lives, even though they may be typical banking experiences for others. Neurodivergent individuals often struggle to keep track of their finances and frequently need assistance for guidance.
Banking apps today aren’t inclusive enough for everyone, particularly neurodivergent individuals. Some people need a money management platform that is simple, educational, and motivating.
We found that few European banks consider their neurodivergent customers. While each brand offers some features to support neurodivergent users, their services aren’t convenient enough. For example, Huntington lacks motivational elements that give users a sense of accomplishment upon completing tasks, while HSBC presents information in a text-heavy format that would benefit from more visual explanations.
About 15% of the UK population is neurodivergent. The neurodiversity movement has its roots in autism.
However, it’s grown to encompass a broad understanding of neurological differences. These include conditions like dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, hyperlexia, and schizophrenia.
With limited access to neurodivergent interviewees in our network and to respect their privacy, we conducted empathy interviews with mental health professionals. We believed their insights would help us better understand neurodivergent needs and challenges. To supplement this, we also reviewed quotes from neurodivergent individuals in various articles.
“It is a challenge to get out (of a store) without spending twice as much as I intended.”
“It’s quite scary to feel not in control (of one’s finances.)”
“I save more with tangible money I can visibly see. It’s out of sight, out of money with digital assets.”
“Tracking bill due dates is a big challenge. I auto-pay every possible bills so I don’t forget.”
“Showing after every transaction how much we are accumulating in spending of that day. Weekly report of spending.”
“They may need certain concepts presented to them in a different way - like visuals or workbooks to create spending plans and manage money.”
“Push notifications with reminders and text alerts of balances after every purchase.”
We developed three personas representing our target audience, varying in neurodiversity, age, and professional position. Each persona needs assistance in a different area to improve their financial aspects in daily life
We developed simple statements that summarize each persona's point of view and defined three problem areas where we may improve their user experience.
We conducted group brainstorming sessions to discuss how we might change the status quo and explore potential product features.
After consolidating the ideas, we proposed three new product features aimed at enhancing the user experience and addressing the needs we identified.
Next, we created task flows to illustrate how users would interact with the new app
For the final step of ideation, we created low- to high-fidelity wireframes to facilitate quick iterations and feedback.
1. Although the interface seems simple for typical users, it is not simple enough for neurodivergent users. There is a need to minimize the amount of information on each page.
2. Create more pages with minimal information on each, rather than having fewer pages that contain too much information.
3. Minimize the steps and options required to complete certain tasks.
4. There’s no need to consider physical devices significantly. A vehicle interface is not necessary; a smartwatch, smartphone, and laptop are sufficient.
To ensure a seamless project handoff, we created and structured a unified design system.
- We made banking easier for neurodivergent users by creating designs that help them understand their financial data.
- Our header font, 'Lexend,' helped reduce visual stress.
- The amount of information on each page is kept to a minimum, helping users focus.
- A simple, clean, and professional look isn’t necessarily the answer.
- Even if you're not an expert, it's important to strive to become one in certain fields and for specific types of users.
- Expand the product's resiliency across platforms, such as smartwatches and browsers.
