Simplifying Life's Admin
In 2018, Barclays launched Barclays Ventures to innovate beyond traditional banking by acquiring, investing in, and creating solutions using emerging technologies.
I joined the ambitious team in 2019 to lead product design and creative direction, establish processes and standards, and transform the venture’s first in-house idea into a fully functional app.
Life admin
Barclays Ventures aimed to use Open Banking to launch an app that would save users time, cut costs, and help them control their finances. A simple digital solution for all consumers to manage subscriptions, compare and switch providers, and have a holistic view of monthly expenses, all powered by machine learning and data science.
Success would highlight Venture's capability to rapidly conceive, design and execute digital experiences at a pace unlike Barclays bank had been able to before.
Consumer Insights:
The Driving Force Behind Life Admin was addressing key pain points faced by everyday users. Through extensive research, we identified three crucial consumer insights that shaped the app’s design and functionality:
Personalised Approach
Consumers want a tailored experience that fits their financial situation. They expect personalised help that reflects their spending habits and goals.
Always the best Deal
Common frustration and time sink is the complexity of comparing and switching. Consumers want to be on the best deal a hassle-free.
Clear view
Managing multiple subscriptions can often feel overwhelming, leaving users struggling to keep a clear, holistic view of where their money is going.
Funding
Barclays Venture's initiatives were developed through a series of funding gates, similar to startup funding rounds. Each milestone needed to meet specific objectives, keeping to legal and compliance standards and proving the feasibility of the product.
To report the design impact. I aligned our design process to capture and present direct customer feedback and used smoke tests to gauge market size and interest as supportive evidence to meet KPIs.
Design
The core of the Life Admin experience is built on users' open data, automation, and machine learning, which do not inherently create a customer-facing solution. To overcome this, I made the Insight cards, a user-friendly way to show simple actions to present clever tailored ways to help when based on individual user's circumstances and products,
The rest of the dashboard design focused on surfacing upcoming outgoings.
Onboarding
Set up and and bank connection was a pivotal process., if users didn't connect to a bank the app wouldn't work. To encourage and support users I designed a colourful and playful onboarding flow with delightful animations and graphics supporting each step.
Energy Switching
Energy Switching was the first end-to-end feature we built, giving users the ability to compare and switch effortlessly with only a few interactions.
We used 3rd part ratings powered by Citizens Advice to ensure we were offering impartial advice to consumers and reinforce trust in the service offered by Barclays for free.
