Instant Bank Account Verification - FinTech Product Prototype

The Challenge

Dwolla's customers were in need of a reliable and efficient method of connecting and verifying their end users’ bank accounts through their websites and mobile applications (think personal finance applications, like Mint, where you add your bank account to track expenses etc.). The traditional method, micro-deposits, was a painstaking experience with an average clearing time of 2-3 days.

I was tasked with designing this new product to expedite the process by entering online banking credentials. This product would verify a bank account in seconds by searching for the financial institution and correctly entering the appropriate information. It used a client-side Javascript library that came with options to fully customize the CSS to fit within the experience of the customer's application but I crafted the UI/UX with delightful and neutral aesthetics so it could be used straight out of the box.

My Process

Competitive Analysis & Research
Sketching / Wireframes
Review with Stakeholders
Mockups & Prototyping
Usability Testing
Iterate on Feedback
Finalize Designs

Low-fidelity Wireframes

After the research phase, I got started with quick sketches to get some ideas documented.

Interactive Prototypes

After initial brainstorming and sketches, I moved on to mockups and prototyping. Check out the prototypes below and follow the on-screen hot spots that appear when you click/tap on the screen. The prototypes are mostly interactive, but some interactions have been purposefully skipped to cut time.

The end functionality would have several different paths you could take as a user, but for the prototype, I created the four main paths below.

Search or Select Bank

Desktop Prototype | Mobile Prototype

Bank of America

Desktop Prototype | Mobile Prototype

USAA Bank

Desktop Prototype | Mobile Prototype

Connect with Routing/Account Number

Desktop Prototype | Mobile Prototype

Final Result

I used the prototypes to do some in-person usability testing by presenting them to various inter-department team members and observing as they went through the various flows. I noted situations where they got tripped up and then iterated on improvements until issues were resolved.

Ultimately, this product was shelved due to a competitor in the space becoming a partner with the company. Although it didn't go to market, it was a great learning experience and work that I'm proud of still today.

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