Erste Private Banking
Private Banking Website Experience Redesign
A commercial UX project focused on improving the usability, information architecture, and visual consistency of an existing banking website while supporting the company’s rebranding.
Overview
Context
The project focused on redesigning the Private Banking section of an existing bank website. The redesign was carried out within the constraints of the existing CMS and Design System while supporting the bank's ongoing rebranding.
Challenge
The existing Private Banking section contained several usability issues that affected both navigation and content accessibility. Information was difficult to scan, the content hierarchy lacked clarity, and some user journeys required unnecessary steps.
The redesign aimed to improve the overall user experience while preserving the existing technical framework.
Project Goal
The goal was to improve the presentation of the Private Banking offering, simplify access to key information, and enhance the overall user experience while supporting the company's ongoing rebranding.
Project Status
This project was paused before completion. The case study includes both implemented improvements and design concepts prepared during the redesign process. Proposed concepts are marked where applicable.
Understanding the Users
To better understand the expectations and behaviors of Private Banking clients, I created personas and empathy maps based on multiple internal customer research reports provided by the bank. This helped me better understand the target audience and the context in which the redesign would be used.
Selected research artifacts have been omitted due to confidentiality.
Evaluating the Existing Experience
I conducted a heuristic evaluation based on Nielsen’s usability principles to assess the existing Private Banking experience. The evaluation revealed issues across several areas, with the most significant ones being:
- Navigation and information architecture
- Content structure and visual hierarchy
- Interaction patterns and consistency
- Form usability
Benchmarking the Competition
To understand current standards in digital banking, I analyzed several Private Banking websites from both Polish and international banks. The review focused on information architecture, navigation patterns, content presentation, and visual communication.
The findings helped identify best practices and inspired improvements that aligned the redesigned experience with users’ expectations.
Enhancing Information Architecture and Content Experience
Improving Navigation and Information Structure
I redesigned the navigation structure to create a clearer overview of the Private Banking offering, highlight strategically important services, and help users find relevant information more efficiently.
I revised the structure based on findings from the heuristic evaluation, competitive analysis, and the bank’s business objectives.
Original navigation
Proposed navigation
Key Improvements
Implemented:
- Improved access to contact information
Added a dedicated „Contact” section to the main navigation, making advisor contact details easier to find
In Development:
- Increased visibility of strategically important services
Added a dedicated „Family Foundations” section to the main navigation to improve access to this key offering - Simplified contact with advisors
Introduced a „Request a Call” action in the navigation bar to provide users with a more direct contact option
Design Proposals:
- Expanded visibility of the Private Banking offering
Added dedicated pages for Private Banking products that were not previously presented on the website - Improved content organization and service discoverability
Grouped core services under a dedicated „Offer” section, providing users with an overview of the full service range in one place, and reorganized them into categories based on research findings
Improving Content Hierarchy and Readability
I reorganized the content structure to improve readability and make key information easier to scan. The changes included refining heading hierarchy, shortening lengthy text blocks, and creating clearer content sections.
Key Improvements
Implemented:
- Improved content scanning through clearer heading hierarchy
- Reduced cognitive load by simplifying and restructuring content
- Highlighted the most important information through better content organization
Connecting Users with Relevant Information
I introduced additional content connections to help users discover related information and navigate between relevant sections more easily. This included internal linking and related content sections.
Key Improvements
Implemented:
- Expanded internal linking through contextual text links and banners leading to relevant internal pages
- Introduced „You may also be interested in” sections to support content discovery
Elevating the Digital Experience
Improving Interaction Patterns and Consistency
I refined the interaction design to improve consistency, clarity, and ease of use across the website. The changes included creating more consistent call-to-action patterns and making contact options easier to distinguish through distinct icons while maintaining alignment with the existing design system.
Simplifying the Contact Experience
I redesigned the contact experience to reduce unnecessary friction and make it easier for users to get in touch.
The changes included simplifying legal information while maintaining compliance requirements, removing unnecessary form fields, and creating additional entry points to contact options.
I expanded the existing “Let’s talk” section to key pages, including the homepage, and added a “Request a call” button to the sticky top navigation, keeping that contact option accessible throughout the user journey.
Applying the New Brand Identity Across the Website
I applied the updated brand identity across the website by selecting and adapting imagery, creating custom visual assets, and refining design elements to ensure a consistent visual experience.
The implementation required balancing brand guidelines with the technical limitations of existing components.
Outcome
The redesign created a clearer, more consistent, and user-focused Private Banking experience by combining improved information architecture, simplified content, and a refined visual direction.
Lessons Learned
This project strengthened my understanding of how UX decisions in financial services are shaped by real-world constraints. It required balancing user needs, business objectives, regulatory requirements, brand consistency, and technical limitations to design solutions that are both user-focused and feasible.
Reflection
This case study presents a combination of implemented improvements and proposed design concepts aimed at creating a premium, intuitive, and consistent digital experience for Private Banking clients.
Further validation through usability testing and future implementation would be needed to measure the impact of these changes.