Nest by Barclays

Innovate banking in the name neurodivergence

Project Duration

2 months
UX Research, UI Design, Prototyping, Design System

Team

Alexandra Molta, Mariko Dreifuss, Suebin Kang

Tools

Figma, Miro, After Effects, Protopie

☕️ Sit Back, sip some coffee, and enjoy

📖 Context

Barclays Bank is committed to providing services that cater to the diverse needs of its customers. This includes individuals with neurodivergent conditions, which make up 20% of the population. Many neurodivergent individuals struggle with traditional banking apps, and Barclays recognizes the importance of addressing their specific needs.

⚡️ The challenge

According to a study by the National Autistic Society, 60% of autistic adults find online banking difficult or impossible to use.
Neurodivergent individuals often face challenges when it comes to using online banking platforms. The complexity of these platforms can make it difficult for them to manage their finances and keep track of their transactions. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and a lack of financial independence for those who need it most.

Empathy Interview

We asked neurodivergent people about their experiences with banking, both positive and negative. We wanted to understand their needs and challenges, and how we could make our banking services more accessible and inclusive for them.

May feel a loss of control when using online banking because they are not able to see and interact with the physical objects involved in banking, such as money, checks, and bank statements.
Difficulty keeping budgets because they may have difficulty tracking their spending or they may have difficulty sticking to a budget.
Hard time understanding data and financial terms because they may have difficulty processing complex information.

ideate

Idea Generation

These questions were based on the insights we gathered from our Empathy Map, which helped us understand the needs and concerns of Venmo users. With these HMW questions, we were able to focus our ideation and generate creative solutions that put the user's needs first.

q.

How might we provide alternative text/image content for people with dyslexia/dyscalculia/dysgraphia to reduce their confusion and minimize stress?

a.

A money dashboard with different visualization styles for users to choose from

q.

How might we calm users impulse buying right before they want to spend/splurge

a.

Notification systems to remind users of their budget status and help prevent overspending

q.

How might we convert the complicated financial terms into something digestable

a.

Bite-sized financial education for users to learn at their own speed

Value Proposition

Diverse banking for diverse minds

Barclays reimagines banking for the neurodiverse community. We make sure everyone understands the status of their balance, spendings, and savings. With Barclays, you can understand your money better.

Proposition Statement

For neurodivergent individuals, Nest is the finance app crafted with care to help users manage, learn, and grow their finances. We provide users with the tools they need to confidently build their financial future.

feature 01

Data Visulization

A dashboard with different visualization styles for users to choose from to manage their money

feature 02

Budget watch

Notification systems to remind users of their budget status and help prevent overspending

feature 03

FinEd

Fun, bite-size financial education that allows users to learn at their own speed

FinBadges

The badges are meant to motivate users to continue their financial education and make progress towards their financial goals. Users can earn badges for a variety of achievements, such as saving money, paying off debt, investing wisely, and making smart financial decisions. By earning badges, users can build a track record of their achievements and demonstrate their financial literacy to others.

design system

Understand your money better

The design system was created with a specific focus on the neurodivergent community and their unique needs. Our goal was to help them better understand their finances in a way that is clear and concise. Taking inspiration from online banking platforms, we crafted a minimal yet functional design that reflects the community's desire for a clutter-free, trustworthy, and guided experience.

Next Steps

✨ Your financial journey

The next steps for our app Nest involve further incorporating the FinBadges feature into the financial journey aspect of the app. We want to make it a collaborative effort by allowing users to share their financial journey with someone else and co-earn badges together. This will not only create a sense of accountability and motivation for users to achieve their financial goals, but it will also foster a community that encourages financial literacy and responsibility.

Additionally, we plan on expanding the variety of badges available to cover a wider range of financial accomplishments, such as saving for retirement, creating a budget, or investing in stocks. These next steps will take our FinBadges feature to the next level, making it an integral part of the overall user experience in the app.