When we were building the Trust App, our customer research showed that existing banking apps were too clunky and there was a gap for an easy-to-use and simple experience. Users told us that many other banking apps were complicated, and it was hard to find what you wanted. So we built an innovative interface around this gap, with a clean, simple design, so your key balances are easily viewable on the landing page that uses an innovative horizontal scroll feature.

So far so good – the Trust App had become the top-rated finance app in the Singapore Apple App Store and the range of customers using our app showed us that it is very accessible and easy-to-use.

But as our range of products has expanded (for example, we now have loans and several insurance products), it was becoming difficult to stay simple. And feedback from our senior customers showed us room for improvement in how they navigate around the App.

Some told us that they wished the landing page font was smaller and they were concerned someone would sneak a peek at their savings balances. Others, who suffer from issues with finger dexterity, said that they struggled with the horizontal scroll.

This feedback made us look for ways to not only make their banking experience more delightful but even more accessible too. We engaged customers by conducting co-creation workshops, 1-1 interviews, usability tests and tested several prototypes and concepts. This way of working reflects one of our four core values – iterate for 10x better.

Here are just some of the design iterations that we did in this process.

We tested with a wide range of our base, exploring and developing different iterations of the home screen design. We learned what our customers liked and didn’t like by studying how they responded to new visuals and navigation journeys. And importantly, this testing showed that the new approach did appeal to a wide range of customers.

In the end, our customers’ top choice (and ours) was unanimous: a clean “Bento Box” home screen design which is neat and modular. The design does away with the horizontal scroll, displays everything a customer needs right at the top with quick tappable links. It builds on the usual scrolling experience on any social media app and is also effortless to access coupons, stamp cards as well as track Linkpoint progress.

We see a huge advantage of the Bento Box design in its ability to scale for customers who have multiple products and of course, for Trust as we continue to develop new innovative products and services.

But it’s not just about function it’s also about delight. So our App has many hidden delights which come up when you least expect it but make you smile. There are small delightful moments when we introduce new promotions and a more immersive experience for occasions like your birthday.

Naveen Sethia, Head of Design at Trust, said: “Understanding how our customers use our App is key to helping us create an even better experience. It’s a privilege to work so closely with our community to develop the App, and we hope this refreshed home screen will make their experience faster, easier and even more seamless.”

Trust customer Mr T. Tang, who was involved in the user research said: “The new home screen is a significant improvement over the old design with its streamlined layout and enhanced organisation. Accessing vital information has become effortless and navigating through the features is now smoother and more intuitive too. This has made the overall user experience better for me.”