In this project I designed the UI and branding for an online banking app by the name of “Just.”. This project was a part of my coursework on my first year on the UU Digital Design course. The desired outcome was to create a unique and fleshed out brand and UI for a digital banking app, from the ground up. I was tasked with designing an accessible online banking app for the intended user base of 18-23 year olds. I wanted to design an alternative to competitor banks.
I conducted surveys within the target demographic to gage their opinions on their mobile banking apps. Based on this user research, I found that the target demographic were unhappy with existing mobile banking apps, as they didn’t prioritise their direct needs. Users were looking for a straightforward banking app which was easy to use. I created the following:
This project was carried out over the course of a semester, working within a deadline.
Once I received the brief for this project, I immediately researched other banking apps. I gathered reviews, good and bad, and analysed them. Next I conducted primary research, using a survey to gather the opinions of users within the target demographic. Using this research, I created a user persona. This helped me determine what core values I wanted present in my brand- simplicity, straightforwardness and ease of use. An app lacking “bells and whistles”, prioritising function.
Once I had established my brand values and tone of voice, I went on to brainstorm a name. I settled on “Just.”, as it reflected my brand values and established a strong brand identity. My online bank is ‘Just’ what users need. After this I moved on to the visual identity of my brand. I chose sans-serif typefaces for the logomark and UI. For the colour scheme I went for just black, white and grey- keeping in line with my brand values of simplicity. I felt this made the most sense for Just.
With my branding established, I was able to move on to creating a UI. I looked at Revolut- a banking app which many users in my demographic used, and one that I encountered during my research. I based my early sketches and wireframes on the Revolut UI, before making changes that suited “Just” better. UX teradown
In this process I had to constantly edit down my designs to be as simple as possible, removing unnecessary decorations which over-complicated the designs. I was not used to designing so minimalistic. I went through many iterations before finishing up my designs. I constantly made adjustments to perfect the UI.