Lloyds Bank

Reimagining the Account Opening Experience

Lloyds Banking Group embarked on a mission to transform its digital services, aiming to modernise the way customers open bank accounts. A key focus was to simplify the in-branch account opening process by replacing traditional methods, reliant on computers, printers, and scanners, with a streamlined, iPad-based system. This shift provided greater flexibility for both colleagues and customers, creating a more efficient and seamless experience.

Year

2016 - 18

Agency

Publicis Sapient

Role

UI Design, Motion Design, Illustration

Awards

FS Tech, 2019 - Partnership of the Year

Cover image of the redesigned Personal Current Account interface, showcasing key visual elements.
Cover image highlighting the refreshed design of the Personal Current Account interface, featuring a modern and user-friendly layout.

A thorough analysis of the current process was conducted to identify pain points and map opportunities for improvement.

Post-it board highlighting pain points and opportunities in the account opening journey.
Key pain points and improvement opportunities were mapped out to visualise the entire customer journey.

To provide a clearer perspective, the insights from the initial workshop were consolidated and transformed into an illustrative experience map.

Experience map showing the end-to-end bank account opening process.
The experience map highlighted digital touchpoints and stages in the account opening flow, guiding the design of the iPad interface.

The experience map was segmented to highlight digital touchpoints and outline the various stages of the account opening flow. This visualisation provided clarity, enabling the design of an intuitive end-to-end UI journey for the iPad used in branches.

iPad user interface for the account opening process, showing key steps.
The streamlined iPad UI guides customers through each stage of the account opening journey.

Seamless document capture on iPad

Doc capture cover

Document capture was a key feature that underwent a major transformation. The traditional desktop-based system was replaced by integrating the native iPad camera app into the custom web application. This innovation eliminated the need for traditional scanners and significantly reduced the overall appointment time for both colleagues and customers.

iPad interface for capturing documents via the camera.
The new UI made document capture faster and easier with the iPad camera.

Introducing informative motion to make things intuitive.

At a key point in the journey, bank colleagues need to hand over the printed draft account agreements to customers before they sign. Ensuring this happens at the right moment was essential for a smooth process.

Step-by-step visual showing the process of summary, document handover, and signature during account opening.
A sequence depicting the key steps in the account opening journey: 1. Summary > 2. Hand over documents > 3. Customer signs the agreement.

Research revealed that colleagues were often missing the correct handover moment due to an ineffective checkbox trigger. This presented an opportunity to introduce animation as a subtle reminder for the next action.

Comparison of the old design with the new animation that prompts colleagues to hand over documents at the right time.

Animations were tailored to reflect the distinct brand personalities of Lloyds and Halifax. Lloyds maintained a serious and professional tone, while Halifax adopted a more playful and energetic approach.

Caption: Personalised animations for Lloyds and Halifax, reflecting their brand distinctions.

Outcome

The impact of the new features was measured after launch. An illustrative chart was created to summarise how the enhancements improved both customer and colleague experiences.

Illustrative chart showing key improvements in customer and colleague experience post-launch.
Chart summarising the key improvements in customer satisfaction and colleague efficiency after implementing the new features.

Key milestones

  • Transitioned to new technologies for flexibility and consistency across digital and in-branch journeys.
  • Reduced appointment times, allowing colleagues to serve more customers.
  • Enabled colleagues to use tablets for greater flexibility in customer interactions.
  • Established Lloyds Bank branches as showcases for digital banking.