SCOTIABANK REFERRAL PROGRAM
Overview
Scotiabank initiated a project to enhance its appeal to international students, aiming to gain popularity and become the preferred banking choice for this demographic in Canada. By focusing on the unique needs of international students, Scotiabank sought to position itself as the leading financial institution for students transitioning to life in Canada.
The goal of this initiative is to streamline the onboarding process by identifying usability challenges and prioritizing key features, creating a seamless and welcoming banking experience that attracts international students and ensures their long-term loyalty to Scotiabank.
Role
Product Designer
User Research, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Information Architecture, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Wireframing, User Flow Mapping, Design Systems, Persona Development, Journey Mapping.
September 2023 - April 2024
Background
Innovatia, a dynamic team of designers, was tasked with a crucial challenge from Scotiabank: to enhance the banking experience for international students in Canada. Our project aimed at transforming Scotiabank into the premier financial institution for this demographic, ensuring a smooth and welcoming onboarding process. Our approach combined extensive user research, design innovation, and iterative testing to address the unique challenges faced by international students.
Our diverse team of designers, many of whom were previous international students, brought unique perspectives to the project. I helped lead the team and took charge of UX and product development, using our shared experiences to inform our design decisions. Key achievements from this project include:
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Turned an Idea into a Product: I led the team in transforming a concept into a tangible product, shaping the vision and strategy. Though still in development, our progress as a team has been remarkable.
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Executed End to End: We successfully executed the project from concept to final implementation, creating and refining the designs rapidly, which showcased our ability to ship features efficiently as a team.
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Overcame Challenges with Innovation: We faced and solved numerous challenges with creative problem-solving, continuously improving the product based on user feedback and evolving needs.
Understanding the problem
As international students ourselves, our team was keenly aware of the unique challenges faced by others in our situation when navigating the Canadian banking system. To validate and deepen our understanding of these challenges, we conducted focus group sessions and surveys with 32 international students. Our goal was to identify the primary pain points that hinder their banking experience and to use these insights to inform our design process.
We focused on the onboarding and banking experience specifically for international students, as this is a crucial aspect of their integration into Canadian society. Through our research, we uncovered several key frustrations:
It was revealed that:
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Unrealistic Expectations: Banks assume prior financial knowledge, causing confusion during account setup.
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Knowledge Gap: Students feel unprepared due to a gap between their financial literacy and bank expectations.
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Inconsistent Processes: Fragmented banking processes add stress and complexity.
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Cultural Barriers: Language and cultural differences hinder engagement and can lead to discrimination.
These findings highlight the need for banks to improve communication, simplify procedures, enhance security, and offer a more user-friendly online experience to better serve international students.
Respondents also emphasized the importance of family recommendations in their decisions, showing that banking is relational, built on trust and shared experiences. Banks should focus not only on practical services but also on fostering personal, trust-based connections with their customers.
User personas
Our research led to the creation of four personas: Trusted Transfer, Part-Time Player, Guidance Sourcer, and The Swifty Seeker. Each represents a unique user segment with specific banking needs. Trusted Transfer assists new students with financial navigation, Part-Time Player seeks employment and financial management help, Guidance Sourcer relies on social circles for banking decisions, and Swifty Seeker prioritizes immediate product benefits. We also developed journey maps for each persona, identifying key touchpoints and opportunities for design improvements to enhance user experience and engagement
Persona 1: Guidance Sourcer
Persona 2: Part-Time Player
Persona 3: Trusted Transfer
Persona 4: Swifty Seeker
Defining the problem statement
Problem statement:
International students struggle with complex, inconsistent banking processes that lack cultural sensitivity and clear communication, leading to confusion and distrust. There's a need for a more inclusive banking experience that not only meets their immediate needs but also supports their transition into long-term residents or citizens, fostering financial stability and building lasting relationships.
Understanding our target users
Scotiabank aims to expand its customer base by focusing on international students and long-term immigrants in Canada. The primary target demographic includes:
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International students planning to come to Canada on a student visa.
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Those currently holding a Canadian study permit.
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Potential customers looking to transition from their current financial institution to Scotiabank.
Beyond international students, Scotiabank is broadening its reach to include long-term immigrants, such as:
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Families well-integrated into Canadian society, possibly with children born or raised in Canada.
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Individuals and families with stable living situations, typically holding permanent residency or citizenship, indicating a long-term commitment to living in Canada.
This broadened target user base reflects Scotiabank's commitment to creating a more inclusive banking environment. By addressing the unique financial challenges and opportunities of these groups, Scotiabank seeks to offer personalized solutions that support their journey toward financial stability and success in Canada. This strategic approach helps build lasting relationships with a wider demographic, ensuring that Scotiabank's products and services are accessible, relevant, and beneficial to a diverse audience.
Research methods
Our competitive analysis explored the marketing strategies and interface innovations of Canadian banks, revealing a strong similarity in recruitment and user engagement tactics. Most banks, including major institutions and fintechs, offer similar packages and incentives, particularly targeting new customers like students and international newcomers. This homogeneity makes it difficult to identify unique advantages, highlighting the need for us to create a distinctive and genuinely beneficial service.
Competitive Matrix
Google Form
We distributed a Google Form survey to gather insights on our target users, which informed the specific questions for the next phase. We then conducted 11 structured interviews, focusing on the banking onboarding process for international students in Canada. Each 30-minute interview, conducted via Zoom and in person, focused on how international students choose banks, what influences their decisions, and the challenges they face. This approach provided deep insights into their banking experiences, forming a strong foundation for our research and efforts to improve their banking journey in Canada
Additional questions to consider for guiding the interview:
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Did you prioritize certain features or services during your decision-making process?
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Were there any deal-breakers or must-have criteria that significantly influenced your choice?
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How did you physically get to the bank?
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Can you describe the process you followed to research different banks and their account offerings for international students?
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Social Integration: We aim to harness the power of social media to enable users to effortlessly share referral invitations within their networks. This strategy is designed to broaden outreach and simplify the referral process.
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Enhanced Referral Mechanisms: Our goal is to streamline the referral process for existing users, allowing them to quickly and easily refer new international student clients through the app. This includes simplifying the sharing of referral links or codes to ensure a smooth user experience.
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Incorporating Rewards: We plan to introduce a rewards system that incentivizes both referrers and referees. This system is intended to boost engagement and encourage active participation in the referral process.
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Gamification Elements: To further enhance user engagement, we will integrate gamification techniques, such as leaderboards, badges, and progress tracking. These elements are designed to make the referral process more engaging and competitive.
Design goals
Our design objectives were crafted through a comprehensive evaluation of the challenges identified, supported by in-depth research, persona development, and journey mapping. These objectives are outlined as follows:
Low fidelity designs
Our team started by sketching key screens of the Scotiabank app, focusing on high-traffic sections identified in our interviews. Using a low-fidelity wireframing kit in Figma, we developed and refined the prototype through testing, with a focus on the referral process and basic page layouts
Sketches for low-fidelity
Low-fidelity wireframes
Low fidelity testing
Card sorting
We conducted two phases of testing to refine the Scotiabank app. The first phase focused on gaining insights into how users perceive and prioritize various functions and tasks within the app. The second phase aimed to identify which types of incentives (e.g., cashback offers, loyalty points, discounts) are most attractive to users, potentially influencing their engagement and loyalty. additionally, feedback from Google form surveys were also used on button placement further guided our design decisions.
Phase 1 - Incentives standardization grid
Phase 1 - Incentives similarity matrix
Phase 2 - Functions standardization grid
Phase 2 - Functions similarity matrix
Moderated usability tests
We conducted six structured usability tests, expanding participants to include international students and long-term immigrants. Participants completed three tasks using a low-fidelity prototype, and outcomes were categorized as success or failure based on engagement with the referral button. This approach helped us assess usability and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Usability test results
Results
Our analysis revealed that both international students and middle-aged immigrants struggled with the language and terminology in our app, highlighting the need for simpler language and potential multi-language support to improve accessibility. User feedback emphasized the need for clear confirmation messages after referral submissions, as the current lack causes uncertainty. Additionally, the referral process was seen as too cumbersome, with too many steps and fields.
The complex referral process hinders user experience, leading to a 100% failure rate in submissions, highlighting the urgent need for simplification to boost engagement and success.
Feedback highlights the need to:
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Simplify language.
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Improve feedback.
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Streamline the referral process to boost usability, accessibility, and user engagement.
Medium fidelity designs
Medium fidelity testing
We focused on refining the referral/onboarding process to make it seamless for users. To improve flaw detection, we split testing into two phases to catch any usability issues with the prototype.
Phase 1 - Task based
We asked users to first send an e-transfer, manage credit card payments, and check account balances and transactions. Feel free to explore, and let us know if any new features catch your interest.
Results
In phase one, 18 participants were tested on finding the referral button and onboarding someone, with a pass/fail outcome. Only 3 succeeded, resulting in a 17% success rate.
We conducted quick post-interviews with all participants. For those who failed, we asked if they saw the referral button and why they didn’t click it. Many were unaware of its purpose and didn’t find it necessary. Once familiarized, they saw its value. The issue was visibility, so we proposed adding pop-up suggestions on the home screen to improve access.
After these changes, we moved to a second phase of testing to expand on the results.
Phase 2 - Think aloud
Participants explored the app as if for everyday banking, sharing feedback on layout, ease of use, and standout features. They interacted with relevant functionalities and explained their process for discovering and choosing which features to use.
Results
In our final test, we gathered 42 participants from Laurier International College and the International Working Centre. Nine successfully referred and onboarded a fellow student, achieving a 21% success rate.
Phase 2 feedback emphasized the need for a simpler, more streamlined interface. Many participants found the design too complex and cluttered, with strong critiques of the "hub" concept, which they described as visually overwhelming and of questionable utility.
A participant's blunt feedback—"This is a banking app; I don’t need anything extra"—highlighted that users were put off by unnecessary features. The referral screens disrupted the app's flow and appeal. Many also noted the app didn’t align with Scotiabank's familiar design. This prompted us to refine the referral process and simplify navigation for a clearer, more straightforward experience.
"The hub"
Measuring success - volume
Given Scotiabank's large user base, the impact is magnified despite our lower success rates. This translates to a highly considerable amount of users affected. Meaning although our numbers are not the strongest, we were never expecting results with success rates above 75%, 50% or even 30%.
In 2024, Scotiabank serves more than...
25,000,000 +
Customers
To put this into perspective, a 21% success rate from our latest test translates to 5.25 million potential users sending referrals. This figure represents the bare minimum, as users can send multiple referrals, meaning the actual number could be significantly higher.
Final design
Home page / Refer a friend starting point
Accepting a referral request
Sending a referral request
Full video demonstration
Results and takeaways
The team created high-fidelity mockups in Figma to present our final project to a panel of judges, ultimately earning a third-place award for our work.
Some key takeaways from this project are that:
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Design is iterative and constantly evolving: User testing continues beyond development, with ongoing feedback driving improvements and refinements to better meet users' needs.
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Success isn't always 100%: Though our project seemed like a failure at first, it made a significant impact, benefiting millions by addressing key issues. Success is about meaningful progress, not perfection.
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Overcomplicating design hinders experience: Complex designs make the app harder to use. By keeping it simple and user-friendly, we ensured accessibility and better met user needs.
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