Multi-Currency - Nomo Bank App
Providing users with multiple currency accounts to receive funds in various currencies.
My Role: Product Design (UX/UI) | Tools: Figma
Challenge
The Multi-currency feature was introduced to address the challenges Nomo customers faced with international transfers and to remain competitive as a digital bank.
As Nomo Bank continued to grow, it became essential to provide customers with the ability to conduct cross-border transactions, including sending and receiving international payments in multiple currencies.
Initially, only UK and US accounts were available.
Nomo users expressed dissatisfaction from the difficult process of transferring or converting funds between existing accounts.
Also, customers couldn't use their cards like locals while travelling.
Ensuring designs are accessible to diverse users and takes into consideration the cultural needs of our customers
Who I worked with
Main Squad - Multi-Currency Squad
Product Owner - Main Stakeholder
Technical Lead & Engineers
Head of Design
Head of Product
Copywriter
Arabic Translator
Solution
Introduced a broader range of currency accounts, which users can add when needed. - Multiple accounts in one place makes it easier for users to keep track of their spending.
Developed seamless currency conversion between accounts and streamlined international transfer journeys.
Created a Pay & Transfer area to handle all multi-currency transactions in a centralized place.
Updated the homepage with a sleeker, less cluttered design for easier navigation.
Enabled customers to use their Nomo card abroad in local currency once they’ve opened a new currency account.
Multilanguage support, clear use of iconography eg country icons, simple step by step processes to avoid cognitive overload
Benefits
Users can now send and receive funds in multiple currencies.
Real-time exchange rates are available for all supported currencies.
Customers can link a currency account to their Nomo card, allowing them to spend like a local when traveling abroad.
Design Process
-
Collaborate with stakeholders to clarify business goals.
Catch up with engineers and developers, to keep them well informed from the very beginning of the process.
-
I dive into understanding the problem and user needs through user research, competitor analysis, and gathering qualitative data.
Benchmarking also plays a key part
-
Next I would brainstorming solutions. I create wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes to explore potential layouts and features.
During this phase, I also collaborate with stakeholders to generate and refine ideas.
-
I create prototypes and conduct usability testing to gather feedback from users.
I iterate based on this feedback to ensure the design is intuitive and user-friendly.
-
Iterations & High Fidelity UI
Design Critique & Feedback
Collaboration with developers to ensure smooth handoff
Delivery & Design System sync
Presentation
My approach
User Research:
I engaged in interviews and surveys to understand user frustrations, particularly around currency conversion and international payments.
In our research with users from the GCC region, we identified a strong preference for simplified, step-by-step navigation, which directly influenced our design decisions to create an accessible, globally friendly multi-currency experience.
Benchmarking
Feedback revealed a demand for clearer processes and efficient multi-currency features, prompting a competitive analysis of similar banking solutions.
Proptotypes & Usability Testing:
I developed wireframes and prototypes of the new multi-currency features, iterating based on user feedback to ensure the final solution effectively addressed their pain points.
Benchmarking
What was my strategic thinking behind my design decisions?
Listening to how our users currently use our product
Gaining qualitative research, which included direct conversations with customers in the GCC region, we determined that users preferred simpler, step-by-step methods for adding new currency accounts and navigating through the app.
This insight allowed me to significantly shape the design of the multi-currency feature by simplifying the interface and flow, making it easier for users to manage their accounts and conduct international transfers.
Proactive decision making
I introduced the Pay & Transfer hub to unify all payment and transfer actions in one central location.
This design decision was backed by competitor analysis and research, which showed the value of a centralised hub for users handling multiple currencies.
The simplified navigation reduced confusion and enabled quicker transactions, which led to increased user retention and boosted overall app engagement.
Collaboration with Product & Engineering
I enjoyed working closely with the product and engineering teams. This ensured the design was aligned with any technical capabilities.
The collaboration really helped making implementation an easier process, which helped to ensure that we delivered on time, and also had time for any thing didn’t go to plan.
Ideation & Exploration
Prototyping & Testing
Usability Testing
Following the development of our initial prototype, we conducted usability testing on UserTesting.com to validate design clarity, ease of use, and accessibility. Key insights included:
Users found it intuitive to click on the multi-currency card to create a new account.
The flow for adding an account was described as easy and accessible by all participants.
Three out of five users found the green success box particularly helpful for confirming actions.
Feedback indicated that expandable lists were only necessary for managing three or more accounts, guiding us to simplify interactions for users with one or two accounts.
This testing allowed us to make essential refinements to improve usability and accessibility in the final design. While perfecting the design details, we collaborated closely with the copywriter and legal team to ensure clarity and compliance in our content.
Finally, we adapted the design for Arabic, further enhancing accessibility for our GCC users.
Visual UI & Flow
Selected ‘Before’ Screens
After
Entry Points & Pay & Transfer Hub
Improvements
Consistent Colour Scheme: Utilised a cohesive colour palette that aligns with Nomo Bank's branding while ensuring visual clarity and accessibility.
Country Icons: Integrated country flags next to each account to clearly indicate the currency associated with it, improving clarity.
Feedback Mechanisms: To show loading states, errors, and successful actions, ensuring users are informed about their interactions.
New Homepage with Multiple Currency Accounts & Dropdown
Add a new currency account
New Homepage with multiple currencies
Exchange Currency (Transfer between accounts)
International Transfer Flow
Outcome
The Multi-Currency feature was successfully launched, receiving strong user feedback for its intuitive design and seamless functionality. This enhancement significantly boosted user engagement and satisfaction, particularly among Nomo Bank’s global customers. The feature also positioned Nomo Bank as a more competitive player in the digital banking space.
Learnings
For me personally, this project highlighted the value of thorough user research and iterative design. I was able to successfully collaborate closely with developers, ensuring that the final product was both user-friendly and technically feasible. Certain bumps in the road, such as us underestimating the amount of additional error handling screens that was needed was a learning curve including extra sprints for anything extra that may coming during the process.
Overall, the success of this feature highlighted the impact of a user-centred approach on both customer satisfaction and business outcomes.
Key Results
We were able to achieve a 25% increase in account openings between February and April 2023 due to the introduction of multi-currency accounts and the ease of adding them.
Also, 90% growth in account balances between February and September 2023, as users felt more comfortable holding and converting multiple currencies within the app.
The combined increase in accounts and balances contributed significantly to Nomo Bank’s revenue.
Like what you’ve seen?
Feel free to reach out, and let's see how I can help meet your design needs or fit into your team. Let's chat!
