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Summary – Under pressure from neobanks and tech giants, a poor user experience undermines brand image, customer loyalty and competitiveness. Digital journeys must be seamless, personalized and inclusive, incorporating gamification and accessibility while ensuring security, consent and multichannel consistency. Continuous improvement relies on audits, user testing, data analysis and open banking (digital twin) to build modular, emotionally engaging interfaces. Solution: deploy a cross-functional UX strategy (UX-marketing-security governance), an agile roadmap and open-source modules to turn every interaction into a competitive advantage.
Since the advent of ATMs and mobile apps, the banking sector hasn’t stopped innovating technologically. Today, the race for features gives way to a new demand: user experience (UX). Institutions must prove that their digital journeys are not only reliable but also seamless, personalized, and engaging. Without this focus, brand image erodes and customers switch to neobanks or tech giants that place UX at the heart of their proposition. In this article, we explore why UX has become the number-one strategic lever in digital banking and how banks can rise to this challenge to win over new generations and strengthen trust among all users.
The Strategic Dilemma Banks Face Regarding User Experience
Traditional banks must choose between delivering an exceptional digital experience or risking increased customer attrition. Poor UX weakens brand image and puts them at a competitive disadvantage against neobanks.
From Technology to Feelings: The Critical Stake
For a long time, banking digitalization was all about adding channels: website, mobile app, chatbot… This approach ensures a digital presence but doesn’t guarantee satisfaction. Customers now evaluate every interaction based on intuitiveness, speed, and cross-channel coherence.
These criteria have become essential for loyalty. A complex onboarding process or a tedious authentication flow will discourage a customer, who will then turn to a competitor offering an optimized journey.
UX is no longer just a marketing asset but a key performance indicator. It influences not only service adoption but also the perception of an institution’s reliability and modernity.
Standards Set by Neobanks and Tech Giants
Players like a mid-sized Swiss cantonal bank found that even a slight delay in the design of mobile notifications led to a 20 % increase in support requests. This case demonstrates that smoothness directly translates into operational efficiency gains.
Neobanks have redefined expectations: a clean interface, near-instant verification processes, and built-in assistance. Tech giants minimize all perceived complexity by eliminating “friction points.”
To stay competitive, banks must align their UX standards with these new benchmarks and adopt a continuous improvement approach, integrating user feedback and iterative testing.
Reputational Risks and Business Impacts
Poor digital experiences generate frustration and distrust. Criticism spreads quickly via social networks and review platforms, damaging reputation and institutional trust.
From a financial standpoint, every lost customer represents not just forfeited recurring revenue but also increased acquisition costs to offset the loss.
Conversely, a pleasant banking journey encourages the uptake of additional services—savings, loans, advisory—creating a virtuous cycle of revenue and loyalty.
Engaging the TikTok Generation Through Gamification
Young customers expect instant, playful, and personalized interactions. Gamification emerges as a powerful lever to engage them sustainably.
Understanding Generation Z’s Expectations
Under-25s consume information on social media and demand interactive experiences. They value speed, transparency, and the social dimension of services.
These users are averse to lengthy forms or financial jargon. They appreciate clarity, spontaneity, and real-time feedback.
For banks, this means adapting the tone and format of interfaces: micro-interactions, dynamic visuals, and contextual messages enhance attention and engagement.
Gamification as an Engagement Driver
An experimental Swiss neobank introduced an animated “chat-guide” offering challenges and virtual rewards during account opening. The initiative increased completion rates by 35 %. This example shows how gamification can turn an administrative step into a playful experience.
Game mechanics—points, levels, badges—encourage exploration of services and foster loyalty. They also aid in understanding complex products like savings or loans.
By combining gamification with personalized recommendations, banks create an ongoing dialogue, boosting both app usage time and the adoption of new features.
Integrating Gamification into the Customer Journey
Successful gamification integration requires detailed analysis of key journey stages: onboarding, feature education, and regular usage.
It’s crucial to calibrate challenge difficulty and reward value to balance fun and utility. A system that’s too simple loses its appeal; one that’s too complex discourages users.
Finally, gamification must serve a clear business objective: acquisition, activation, or retention. Cross-functional governance—uniting UX, marketing, and security teams—ensures a coherent approach.
Edana: strategic digital partner in Switzerland
We support companies and organizations in their digital transformation
Designing an Inclusive and Accessible Digital Bank
Accessibility is no longer a luxury but an ethical and regulatory requirement. Designing for all strengthens trust and expands the customer base.
Accessibility Standards and Regulations
Several international directives impose digital accessibility criteria for online services, including WCAG and eIDAS in Europe. These standards aim to ensure access for individuals with disabilities.
Complying with these requirements reduces the risk of penalties and demonstrates a bank’s social commitment. It also improves the experience for all users.
A proactive approach integrates accessibility from the design phase, with regular audits and automated validation tools.
User Testing with Disabled Customers
A mid-sized institution in French-speaking Switzerland organized co-design workshops with visually impaired and hearing-impaired users. These sessions uncovered button labeling issues and insufficient contrast, which were then fixed in the final version.
This case highlights the importance of real-life testing to uncover unexpected challenges and improve usability.
Feedback from these user groups forms the basis for internal guidelines, ensuring continuous accessibility consideration in every update.
Benefits of a Universal UX
An accessible interface is clearer and simpler for everyone: better contrast, coherent navigation, and explicit labels. These qualities reduce dropout rates and support requests.
Inclusion enhances brand image and creates a competitive edge, especially with companies focused on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibility and compliance.
Ultimately, investing in accessibility yields operational savings and opens doors to new customer segments.
Personalization, Trust, and the Evolution Toward a True Banking Experience
Intelligent and responsible data usage becomes the key to personalization under the lens of security and consent. The goal: turning the bank into a financial companion.
Information Security and Identity Management
Trust is built on data protection and robust authentication mechanisms. Multi-factor authentication (MFA), end-to-end encryption, and precise role management ensure confidentiality.
A Swiss cantonal group deployed a unified identity management system providing secure Single Sign-On across all services. This example illustrates how centralization enhances experience while reinforcing security.
Access governance must be dynamic, with continuous monitoring and periodic reviews to prevent internal and external risks.
Consent-Based Open Banking and Digital Twins
Open banking offers advanced personalization opportunities, provided explicit customer consent is upheld. Open APIs enable integration of third-party services while maintaining data control.
The digital banking twin concept creates a digital replica of the customer profile to simulate personalized financial scenarios without exposing raw data. A Swiss fintech tested this model by offering budget forecasts based on a digital twin, demonstrating relevant recommendations without sharing sensitive information.
This approach builds trust and encourages adoption of value-added services while preserving privacy.
From Digital Bank to a Differentiating Banking Experience
Institutions that focus on UX secure a sustainable competitive advantage. By placing the user at the center—through gamification, accessibility, personalization, and security—they meet new generations’ expectations while strengthening trust among all customers.
This approach relies on modular, open-source, and scalable solutions tailored to the business context. Seamless and inclusive journeys translate into higher service adoption and better retention.
Our experts are ready to support your institution in defining and implementing your UX strategy to turn every interaction into an opportunity for growth and trust.
