People First Bank
Quick Overview
People First Bank sought to enhance user engagement while addressing significant usability issues in their online platform.
My role was to identify these challenges and create a user-centered design that meets both client and user needs.
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About
Heritage and People's Choice Bank are merging together to form People First Bank. This abitious merger will result in People First Bank being Australia's largest mutal bank with over 700,000 members.
This project is gearing People First Bank up for it's new era of targeting a younger audience For the People First Bank project, I started the project at the design phase, taking over from a previous group that had completed the foundational research.
My task was to pick up where the research left off, focusing on creating a homepage that would align with the bank’s goal of attracting younger users while maintaining usability for the existing older customer base.
The research, including user interviews and competitor analysis, had already been completed, allowing me to concentrate on synthesizing the findings and guiding the design forward.
People First Bank wanted to kick start their new bank by gearing toward a younger user base.
But how do you do this without alienating 700,000+ active users who are mostly aged 45+?
Designing a User-Centric Banking Experience
Who are we solving for?
People First Bank has over 700,000 members who are mostly aged +45 years old. The new bank will be geared towards aquiring a younger user base.
- Teenagers opening their first bank account
- Young adults looking for additional features with their banking
- Existing older user base of older Australians
What are we solving?
I was tasked with designing a new hompage that will entice a younger generation of Australian's to start their banking journey with People First Bank.
I needed to gear the homepage toward the aquisition of new users but I also need to ensure I didn't affect the usability of the older existing users.
What are the user's needs?
Younger - prospective users need to see the value in the service before committing to signing up. They need details on specific features in easy to digest forms and the ability to quickly access further information when nessesary.
Older - existing users just want to access their core banking functions. A
Research
To set the foundation, I reviewed previous research, conducted informal user interviews, and studied current user behavior.
I focused on the two key user segments:
Curious younger users evaluating a new bank
Older returning users who just wanted to log in and get on with their day
Despite different goals, both groups wanted clarity, ease, and modern design — but they defined those terms differently.
Highlight value
Early
Younger users weren’t willing to dig. They needed a quick, compelling reason to switch banks — delivered right on the homepage.
Without clear benefits up front, they bounced.
Existing Users Avoid Homepage
Most older users didn’t visit the homepage at all. They went straight to login, often through bookmarks.
When they did land on the homepage, any delay felt frustrating.
Visuals
Drive Engagement
Across all ages, users responded positively to clean, engaging visuals. Accessible contrast, minimal text, and clear system feedback made users feel safe and welcome.
Personas
While not backed by large data sets, these proto-personas clarified the tension between acquisition and retention — and helped focus me around who we were designing for.
High-Fidelity Prototype
Animated Hero Banner
A high-impact animated hero section that visually communicates the benefits of joining a member-owned bank.
Why it matters?
Younger users needed immediate clarity on why this bank was different. Without obvious value up front, they bounced. This banner hooks attention and builds curiosity.
What changed?
Instead of a static image or brand slogan, the homepage now leads with real benefits — like low fees, ethical banking, and digital tools — all communicated within the first few seconds.
Highlight Features
A modular, scrollable section that introduces key banking features through storytelling — with minimal text, engaging visuals, and plain-language copy.
Why it matters?
Younger users were turned off by financial jargon and dense feature lists. They needed something that felt accessible, modern, and easy to explore.
What changed?
Every feature block now tells a story — from savings accounts to digital budgeting tools — with a clear “why it matters to you” approach instead of tech specs and banking jargon.
Story-Style onboarding
An interactive, swipeable onboarding flow designed to quickly introduce the bank’s unique selling points in a familiar, mobile-native format.
Why it matters?
Gen Z users expected instant understanding, and the traditional “Why Choose Us” page felt outdated. This mobile-friendly approach meets them where they are. This reiterates the value of joining the bank before onboarding.
What changed?
Borrowing the format of Instagram Stories, this onboarding highlights 3–5 key reasons to join People First — making discovery feel natural and quick. This deviates from traditional bank onboarding that can be quite slow and boring.
Feature Four
A lightweight scroll-through component where users can preview and “choose” their preferred bank card design during onboarding.
Why it matters?
Personalisation is a small but powerful trust builder, especially for younger users who love to express themselves. Choosing their card adds a sense of ownership right from the start.
What changed?
Instead of a generic sign-up flow, users are invited to scroll through cards and pick their favourite — a simple interaction that humanises the banking process.
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Project Conclusion and Insights
Stakeholders responded positively to the final prototype, with particular praise for the clear messaging, modern tone, and mobile-first design.
This project reminded me that designing for “everyone” doesn’t mean compromising — it means prioritising. By understanding what each user group valued most, I was able to create a homepage that addressed the contrasting needs of both user groups.
Upon reflection I would focus on implementing more rounds of User testing. Getting the prototype infront of users earlier would be ideal in setting future iterations up for success. The tight timeframe for this project unfortuantly didn't allow for this.
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