COMERICA RETAIL BANKING APP: REDEFINING EXPECTATIONS

Background

Comerica’s Retail mobile banking app faced widespread criticism from customers and external research providers due to lacking key features, low usability, and an outdated design. Upon my arrival, the Retail Domain CIO challenged my team to modernize the app, not only as a standalone project but also as an opportunity to foster collaboration and support within my team.

Process

Taking on the roles of Product Owner and Creative Director, I spearheaded a year-long user research initiative involving hundreds of current and non-customers. This deep dive aimed to comprehensively understand the space, considering features, user preferences, and business opportunities. Utilizing a design-thinking process, we drove decisions around feature selection and prioritization.

In exploring Retail mobile banking, we identified the need for quick tasks like depositing checks and checking balances, coupled with a desire for more insightful information about spending habits and assistance in reaching savings goals. Our exploration led to the creation of unique and highly useful features, informed by a comprehensive competitive review that extended beyond banking apps to include leading applications from various industries like streaming services (Netflix, Apple, etc.).

The culmination of our efforts resulted in a fully functional prototype developed in Protopie. Testers and internal colleagues could utilize their personal devices to experience the product, showcasing a customizable home screen with content widgets. Some features were accompanied by a wizard-like setup process for creating savings goals or budgets.

Outcomes

Notable user testing quotes included expressions of admiration and preference for the prototype over competitors like Chase, Visa, and American Express. One actual Comerica customer expressed a desire to bank with the institution after experiencing the prototype, stating, “I wish I knew which bank this was so I could bank with them.” Another participant mentioned, “This is really rare, but I don’t dislike anything, and I’m not a big fan of mobile apps when it comes to important stuff like finances, but I really like this!” Such positive feedback solidified the app’s status as an innovative and user-friendly solution, becoming the cornerstone of Comerica’s mobile Design System standard and setting a new benchmark for the banking experience.