In September 2018, polish Bank Zachodni WBK underwent a rebranding process and transformed into Santander Bank Polska. As a part of the global financial holding of Grupo Santander, the bank is the third largest asset owner in Poland and, at the same time, one of the leaders in terms of the use of modern technologies in banking services - its clients can use, among others, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Blik or contactless mobile payments (HCE).
The most important challenge of this project was to create a scalable and secure web application that would meet the rigorous requirements of the leading polish financial institution. The previous version the platform was very popular - users submitted almost 9,000 ideas - so the newly created website had to be adequately efficient.
At the same time the new application had to allow for an even easier and even more user-friendly exchange of client's ideas and communication with the Bank.
A limited time frame was also quite challenging, as the implementation of this project had to be precisely synchronized with the bank's rebranding on the polish market.
We’ve started the project by carrying out series of workshops with bank employees. Based on the insights that we have acquired, we developed the new concept of the platform and prepared clickable mock-ups. We did put a strong focus on the aspects of usability and ease of use, which is why the registration and idea submitting processes have been simplified to a minimum.
Having in mind previous security and reliability issues, we have created from scratch a completely new back-end system that perfectly matched client's requirements. The CMS is based on the open source PHP Laravel framework. We tested the performance of our solution by conducting a series of tests.
Agile work methodology, which assumed continuous communication with the client, enabled us to deliver the project in the given time frame.
The result of our work is a modern and friendly web application that meets the needs of users and the business objectives. The attractive user interface has been adapted to the new branding of Santander Bank Polska. The front-end layer, based on the Vue.js, ensures reliable and smooth use of the platform on mobile devices, which is visited by hundreds of bank customers every day.
Users have gained an innovative and easy to use tool, thanks to which they can have a real impact on the shape of banking services - by submitting and evaluating new ideas they build a committed community around the Bank.
Santander Bank Polska in turn can shape its image of a friendly, accessible and strongly client-oriented brand.
Currently, we work with the client to expand the platform and constantly adapt it to the changing needs of the community.
Timescale: July 2018 - now
Bank Zachodni WBK (BZ WBK) is one of the largest banks in Poland in terms of asset value and number of branches. Since 2011 it has been a part of the Spanish Santander Group.
Providing a tool popularizing the use of BZ WBK cash deposit machines. Our goal is to provide users with the opportunity to choose how they would like to learn about capabilities of the cash deposit machines, guide them through the process, and then help them locate the nearest machine.
We have provided a tool showing customers that it is easy to deposit cash into their BZ WBK bank accounts. After analyzing competitors and defining the needs and preferences of the target groups, we have developed a service model that included three alternative paths. In this way, the user decides how he or she will learn about functions of a cash deposit (cash mono) or a cash dispenser (cash dispenser).
Customers wishing to learn quickly can watch the instructional video or go through the tutorial by clicking on navigation arrows (steps). For those who prefers detailed instructions, we have enabled real-life simulations (including, entering pin number, inserting banknotes). After going through each path, the user can search for machines in his immediate vicinity.
The interactive payment transaction simulator is available to users as part of the official BZ WBK web site .
As a result of our work we launched a fully functional microsite promoting the use of cash deposit. The simplicity of operation is evident through the clear visualization of each screen and actions taking place around the cash deposit process. Additional prompt messages appear on the side panel to guide the customer throughout the deposit process. With such visual tutorial the customer is prepared to any unexpected situations. The cash deposit process became equally easy for seniors as they are guided by clear messages and intuitive buttons.
The dedicated mobile version takes into account the specifics of the smaller displays which has contributed to the high convenience of use.
Timescale: May 2016 - September 2016