In my role as Experience Design Director, I oversaw the reimagining of Santander’s commercial banking experience - facilitating stakeholder workshops, leading the research phase, and providing the creative direction required to turn complex requirements into a sophisticated, production-ready digital product.
Research & competitive analysis
I led the initial discovery phase by undertaking competitive market analysis and direct user interviews.
By auditing both traditional and challenger banks and speaking directly with business customers, I identified a critical demand for mobile account opening.
These insights to architect a multi-channel strategy that clarified the specific roles of the app, website, and branch, ensuring a frictionless experience regardless of touchpoint.
Design workshops
Exploring conceptual journeys & requirements
I facilitated a two-day strategic workshop to map the future customer journey, anchoring the session in behavioural science principles to address the psychological barriers business owners face during onboarding.
I led the exploration of two paths: a refined traditional flow and an AI-driven journey. I focused on how we could use choice architecture and ‘nudges’ to build trust while automating data entry.
By demonstrating how we might drastically lower the cognitive load required to complete a complex task, I moved stakeholders toward a ‘North Star’ journey – a ideal-state blueprint for an intuitive, low-friction experience.
Design concepts
UX, UI, and Behavioural design
I directed the creative exploration, translating the strategic user flow into high-fidelity designs and a high-fidelity, interactive prototype.
By embedding principles from behavioural economics, I oversaw the implementation of intuitive ‘nudges’ designed to guide user behaviour and proactively minimise drop-off points.
This prototype served as a critical alignment tool for senior stakeholders and provided Santander’s in-house team with a robust framework to validate the experience through real-user testing, directly informing subsequent design iterations.
Design production
Refining concepts into development-ready screens & interactions
I directed the transition from prototype to final design, ensuring seamless integration with Santander’s established design systems and governance frameworks.
By working alongside their in-house design team, the core journey was finessed to account for the full spectrum of user states and edge cases.
I also led the cross-functional alignment with Risk, Compliance, and Technology teams, ensuring that the high-fidelity execution was as legally and technically sound as it was user-centric.
Results
This comprehensive transformation from a slow, branch-only process into a streamlined digital experience empowered customers with a faster, more intuitive way to set up and manage manage their accounts, boosting both confidence and satisfaction.
4.7
app store rating
25%
increase in CSAT scores
85%
same-day application processing
