01. Overview
About the client:
The Co-operative Banking Group comprises 179 Co-operative Banks and SGB-Bank S.A. forming an extensive network of nearly 1200 outlets and 4000 commission-free ATMs serving over 1,5 million customers.
Challenge:
Designing a mobile banking application accessible to all SGB banks working on different core systems and with different internet banking platforms.
02. Solution
The project has been implemented in the agile methodology, and its initial concept was created through the Design Sprint. It is a dynamic, five-day process used to create, prototype, and test a new product concept to meet the needs and expectations of a specific target group.
Actions we took:
1. Building the design team
For the UX Design Sprint, we involved specialists from the SGB-Bank (Affiliating Bank) side with different specializations and areas of responsibility. This diversity of participants allowed us to combine all the necessary competencies and points of view in one team.
2. Identifying problems and solutions
We started the UX Design Sprint by defining the problems to which the mobile application should respond. Joint research, benchmarking and then brainstorming generated plenty of ideas.
3. Evaluation
After discussing and selecting the best ideas, the participants started working on the sketches of their visions of the application. From these, we chose the concepts that became the basis for the final storyboard and prototype.
4. Prototype
After creating the storyboard and agreeing on the app's look, our UX specialists proceeded to create an interactive prototype. At this stage, above all, we put quality and usability first.
5. Usability tests
Once the functional prototype was in the hands of end users, we could verify whether the assumptions set during the workshop met their expectations. The results of the tests were the basis for us to make changes to improve the User Experience.
How the solution has affected the business:
Thanks to the implementation of the SGB Mobile app project, customers of the SGB Group's cooperative banks gained access to mobile banking within just six months after the project's launch. In addition, the release of the SGB Mobile app accelerated the digital transformation at SGB Group, which, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly impacted business development.
The SGB Mobile users, above all, were able to:
- access their current FX and savings accounts;
- review transaction history with a filtering function (type of operation, date range, amount);
- make internal and domestic interbank transfers (including instantaneous interbank transfers);
- use a range of BLIK services;
- access digital wallets such as Google Pay/Apple Pay.
The app also includes a set of functions for managing payment cards, such as:
- payment card activation;
- online transaction limits changes;
- requesting immediate blocking of cards;
- temporary blocking/unblocking;
- the first module on the banking application market for managing subscriptions, cards linked to e-commerce shops and digital wallets.
03. Effects
After the Design Sprint:
- Integrated team motivated to achieve success
- User-tested prototype
- Graphic application concept with innovative features
SGB Mobile in numbers:
- Over 200,000 users
- 145 banks using the application
- 58 million logins
- 132,000 - average daily number of logins
- 1,528,278 mobile transactions and transfers performed in June 2022
Awards and accolades for the SGB MOBILE app:
Early 2021 nomination for the Mobile Trends Awards in the Finance and Banking category as one of the top 5 apps in Poland.
June 2021 distinction in the Banking category in the 19th prestigious technology competition "Leader of the Year 2020", organized by Gazeta Bankowa.
12 October 2021. SGB-Bank SA was nominated for the Fintech Awards in the BankTech category for developing a mobile banking application for SGB cooperative banks.