works

Strong Customer Authentication

Redefining User Authentication for a Seamless Shopping Experience

Client • 

Lloyds Banking Group

Project Overview

In this case study, I will discuss my method for designing an app authentication experience for Lloyds Banking Group. My goal was to create an intuitive, user-friendly, and secure experience by incorporating the latest authentication technologies, including biometrics and multi-factor authentication. The result is a seamless shopping experience that enhances customer confidence and

My Role:

  • Product Designer
  • User Research
  • Interaction Design
  • Visual design
  • Prototyping & Testing

Discover

To begin, I collaborated with my researcher and conducted four rounds of usability research. We decided to split the study across four locations: Halifax, Ilford, Edinburgh, and London. I led the sessions in London and Ilford, while my researcher covered the other two locations. My plan was to create the initial design and then make iterative changes based on the feedback from the testing dates.

Before starting any research, I needed to map out the user flow and touchpoints. To do this, I created a service blueprint, which allowed me to visualise the overall journey flow and understand the connections between different parts of the experience. This also involved considering the technology rules and capabilities for the backend services (NDA'd). I had to meet with various stakeholders, product owners, business analysts, and solution architects to fully understand the end-to-end experience. This also helped in identifying how App sign-in integrated with other available authentication methods.

Next, I had to create wireframe designs based on the service blueprint, which included designing screens for both desktop/mobile browsers and the app. Once I was satisfied with the content layout, I moved on to working on the user interface. I worked on both the ideal user paths and all known error scenarios, which could range from technical failures to assisting customers in identifying fraudulent transaction attempts.

UX methodologies used

  • Interaction Design
  • Visual design
  • Prototyping
  • User Research & Testing

Research Objectives

Duration: Lab sessions lasted approx. 45mins

In-branch sessions under 10mins

Locations:

Halifax Lab - 7 Participants

Ilford Branch - 6 Participants

Edinburgh Lab - 7 Participants

London Lab - 7 Participants

Research Objectives

Validate the design of the end-to-end eCommerce verification process and failure points ahead of September 2021 release

Identify any outstanding experience issues so that they can be reported, discussed and implemented before the end of the development phase

Outcomes from testing - ( View Prototype )

The in-branch gorilla sessions were typically very short, and we could only go through the full prototype with a few customers. However, these sessions were beneficial to gather insights on:

Recommendations

  1. Review the copy to make it clearer that users need to check their mobile app only after clicking 'continue.'
  2. Introduction of an animation that suggests the verification process is now shifting from desktop to mobile. (Users might need to do this on mobile, but in that case, they already have their phone in front of them).
  3. Ensure that the verification process is easy to follow and understand for all customers.

Define

The discovery research phase played a pivotal role in our design process. By meticulously analysing the results, we gained valuable insights into the areas that required improvement and iteration in the overall design. The data collected from user testing and interviews provided a clear roadmap for enhancing the user experience. This data-driven approach ensures our design decisions are rooted in user needs and preferences. My next crucial task was to develop the next iteration of the design, which would be subjected to another round of research and testing. This iterative approach is fundamental to user-centred design, ensuring we address issues identified in the initial rounds and continuously refine the product based on user feedback.

I created a custom animation to address one of the key pain points identified in the research—users' confusion about when to open the mobile banking app. This animation was designed to provide a clear visual cue, guiding users on when and how to launch the app. The animation was crafted to be intuitive, engaging, and aligned with the brand's visual language.

In addition to this, I developed a more comprehensive animation for the Mobile Banking App itself. This animation served a dual purpose: it visually represented the end-to-end journey of the user's interaction with the app. It tied together various user experience elements into a cohesive narrative. Both animations were meticulously created using Adobe After Effects.

Once the animations were perfected, I exported them as Lottie files. Lottie is an open-source animation file format that allows for small file sizes and high-quality animations that can be easily implemented across different platforms. Using Lottie, I ensured that the UI developers could seamlessly integrate these animations into the desktop and Mobile Banking Apps, maintaining consistent quality and performance across devices.

The next critical step in refining the user experience was a collaborative effort with our Copy Writer. Together, we meticulously reviewed and refined the wording used throughout the interface. This collaborative process, involving multiple rounds of revisions, A/B testing of different phrasings, and seeking feedback from other team members, ensured that the copy was as effective as possible. Our goal was to ensure that all instructions were clear and concise and easy to follow for users of all levels of technical proficiency. We paid special attention to eliminating jargon, using active voice, and breaking down complex processes into simple, actionable steps.This collaborative process involved multiple rounds of revisions, A/B testing of different phrasings, and seeking feedback from other team members to ensure the copy was as effective as possible.

Combining refined visual cues through animation with clear, user-friendly copy, we aimed to create a more intuitive and engaging user experience. This holistic approach to improving both the visual and textual elements of the interface demonstrates our commitment to creating a product that meets user needs and provides a delightful and seamless interaction.

Develop


It was finally time to launch our eCommerce journey, diving deeper into customer behavior and evaluating the performance of our user experience with a broader audience. This crucial step would allow us to gather real-world data, validate our assumptions, and pave the way for future improvements.

I meticulously prepared all necessary assets and documentation for the development team:
Prototype handover:

The collected data would be instrumental in identifying pain points, optimising the user flow, and uncovering new opportunities for feature development or refinement in subsequent iterations.
For this initial implementation, we adopted a phased rollout strategy:

This methodical approach to launching our eCommerce journey would provide valuable insights, allowing us to iterate rapidly and create a more refined, user-centric experience in future versions.

Deliver

I'm often cautious when things are going smoothly, and it turned out to serve me well.

Unbeknown to me, the 'Push Team' that control the notifications for the App were unable to deploy at the same time as us. This meant that the app sign experience would be degraded, as the push was a pretty integral part of the journey and held it all together. Without it, customers would have to navigate to the Banking app manually, which was less than ideal.

However, I was still confident with the tweaks I had made with the copy and the addition of the animations; it was still clear what the user needed to do next. I decided that although the experience was degraded, we would be still able to gather valuable analytics whilst we waited for push notifications to be enabled which was about a month away.

July-August 2021

Total Step Ups

2.2M steps up where there was an authentication method available to the customer

Used AppSign to verify themselves

49 %

Used SMS to verify themselves

51 %

2FA step up success

94 %

August-September 2021

Total Step Ups

2.8M steps up where there was an authentication method available to the customer

Used AppSign to verify themselves

52 %

Used SMS to verify themselves

48 %

2FA step up success

96 %

September-October 2021

Total Step Ups

4.4M steps up where there was an authentication method available to the customer

Used AppSign to verify themselves

56 %

Used SMS to verify themselves

44 %

2FA step up success

98 %

December 2021

Total Step Ups

7.1M steps up where there was an authentication method available to the customer

Used AppSign to verify themselves

59 %

Used SMS to verify themselves

41 %

2FA step up success

99 %

Outcomes and the future

From going live in July 2021 to January 2022, we stepped up 31.4M customers. Of that, 55% opted to use App sign. As you can see from the stats, our app users outweigh customers using SMS month on month, which is excellent progress but a long way from perfect.

My focus is on identifying failure points in the overall authentication journey and working with value streams to identify solutions to fix these problems.

I'm also worked on alternative authentication opportunities that strengthen our existing authenticators, exploring biometric capabilities and new authentications that cover our vulnerable customers, where phoned based auth is not an option for them.