Reimagining Santander's branch-centric business banking experience into a market-leading digital solution - from discovery, vision, and concepts to production-ready designs.
Research & competitive analysis
We analysed the UK’s competitive banking landscape, from traditional institutions to modern challengers, to identify market trends and opportunities for differentiation. Our user research confirmed that customers expect a simple, guided onboarding experience using clear, jargon-free language.
A critical insight was the strong preference among business customers for opening accounts via a mobile app. This pivotal finding shaped our channel strategy, allowing us to define the distinct roles of the app, website, and branch.
Design workshops
Exploring conceptual journeys & requirements
We facilitated a collaborative two-day workshop to define the customer journey. Using research insights and user profiles, we explored two distinct approaches: a traditional flow and a forward-thinking journey that used AI to automate data entry and significantly reduce user effort.
The result was a core journey that represented the desired, ideal-world, experience.
Design concepts
UX, UI, and Behavioural design
We translated the user flow into high-fidelity wireframes and screen designs to create a dynamic, interactive prototype.
We embedded principles from behavioural economics, designing intuitive “nudges” to guide users and minimise drop-off.
This served as a powerful tool to communicate the vision to stakeholders and, crucially, was used by Santander’s in-house team to validate the experience with real users to help guide subsequent design iterations.
Design production
Refining concepts into development-ready screens & interactions
Guided by direct user feedback, and Santander’s brand guidelines, we finessed the core journey and individual screens, ensuring that all paths, states, and edge cases were considered.
Working in close collaboration with Santander’s Risk, Compliance, and Technology experts ensured that every interaction and feature met strict regulatory standards and technical best practices.
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
