Building trust and financial confidence
for newcomers to Canada
Simplii Financial
UX Design Intervention
This was a seven-week senior-level project where my team and I were tasked with designing a new feature for Simplii Financial’s new customers, particularly newcomers to Canada. Our goal was to identify a problem space within the existing website and create a solution that simplifies the onboarding process for these users.
My primary role was in content strategy, focusing on content layout and interaction design. I researched and implemented UI features to ensure clear information delivery and increased engagement through effective call-to-action elements, benefiting all stakeholders.
🏢 Conceptual Client
Simplii Financial
📅 Year
Oct 2023 - Dec 2023
💪 Team
Chris, Muhan, Vito, Andy, Kristen
🔧 Tools
Figma, Adobe AE, Google Docs
Identifying the problem space
Through research, we discovered that many new Canadian immigrants, particularly in their first two years, struggle with low credit visibility, which hinders their ability to build financial security. (Statistics Canada, 2023) The complexities of the Canadian banking system further add to these challenges, leaving newcomers feeling overwhelmed and unable to establish credit histories. (Scotiabank, 2022)
Given that nearly 1 in 5 people in Canada are immigrants, our team recognized this as a key problem area where financial institutions could develop digital solutions to benefit both newcomers and themselves.
To present this opportunity, our team created a 1-minute video to pitch the problem space to teaching staff and invited UX designers from the industry.
Selecting the client
Simplii Financial allows newcomers to open a bank account even before arriving in Canada. We identified this as an opportunity to introduce a digital solution that offers accessible resources, helping immigrants better prepare for the financial landscape ahead of their arrival.
Additionally, Simplii Financial’s target audience aligns with the majority of immigrants, who primarily fall within the 20-34 age demographic.
Design sprints
We utilized The Design Sprint method from Google Ventures, which involved mapping out the challenge, sketching ideas, creating a mock prototype, and conducting user testing to refine the solution based on feedback.
Mapping the challenge
Sketching prototype ideas
Creating a mock prototype on Figma
Value to stakeholders
Business value
This intervention contributes to the business by educating newcomers about the Canadian financial system, showcasing expertise, and building trust with potential customers. It also acts as a compelling tool to attract new clients, encouraging them to open an account and start their credit journey with Simplii Financial.
Customer value
Newcomers gain valuable insights into the Canadian financial system, enabling them to make more informed financial decisions. The solution also provides a seamless entry point for choosing Simplii Financial as their primary bank, allowing them to open an account before even arriving in Canada.
✨ Final presentation
and key takeaways
Our final presentation was very well received by the teaching team and industry UX designers who were invited as critics. They were particularly impressed with how clearly we presented the problem space and found our design intervention highly appropriate. The multi-language support stood out as a key feature that resonated with the audience, as it effectively addressed the needs of our target users.
💪 The team
Participants didn’t like it!
In our user testing with nine recent newcomers to Canada, participants found the initial prototype ineffective. They felt the information was too shallow, the interactions were difficult to navigate, and the design's disconnect from Simplii Financial’s brand raised concerns about trustworthiness.
However, many participants resonated with the problem space and provided valuable insights into the type of information they would prefer to see in this experience.
So we went back and pivoted
A major pivot we made was integrating the new content directly into Simplii Financial’s existing website, rather than creating a separate microsite. This decision enhanced trust, a critical factor for financial institutions.
As the lead for content strategy, I was responsible for addressing the issue of shallow information by diving deeper and ensuring the clear delivery of the now more detailed content. My focus was on identifying the essential information newcomers need and structuring the content around key pain points, such as unfamiliarity with credit systems and financial tools.
I researched interactive UI elements to help simplify complex financial concepts, making it easier for users to engage with and absorb the newly incorporated content.
From the user testing, the team recognized the importance of making this intervention multi-language friendly. We identified the most common languages spoken by Canadian newcomers and developed a prototype to showcase the design's flexibility in accommodating different languages.
The responsiveness was also an important factor. Research showed that our target age demographic prefers to bank via mobile devices, so we created a mobile prototype to visualize this experience.
The “Simplii Stories” section in our initial prototype was well received by user testing participants. It was designed to showcase stories of Canadian newcomers and their financial journeys.
We expanded on this idea to foster relatability and empathy, providing valuable insights for potential customers of Simplii Financial.
Understanding the real user needs
Reiterating value to both stakeholders
As the content design lead, I aimed to implement call-to-action UI elements throughout the page to enhance the business value of this design intervention. This approach not only supports Simplii Financial in promoting its offerings to newcomers but also provides an accessible pathway for new customers to explore and engage with these services, making it easier for them to start banking with Simplii Financial.
