Personalising Digital Banking

A woman smiling next to a green sign with white text about adopting digital banking personalization to grow customer base.

Background

A Statista survey of 59,000 banking customers across 28 countries revealed that trust is the number one factor influencing their relationship with a bank. But how can banks build that trust?

According to Believe In Banking (2021), five key strategies help achieve customer trust and satisfaction:

  • Increased personalisation

  • Customer-centric services

  • 24/7 support and consultation

  • Strong market presence

  • Transparent operations

Challenge

Suncorp wanted to move beyond generic digital services and deliver personalised banking experiences that made customers feel valued and understood. The goal was to reinvent the mobile app to address real-life financial pain points while building deeper trust with customers.

Research & Insights

We began with user research and competitor analysis to uncover key opportunities. Customers highlighted frustrations in everyday banking and expressed the need for more relevant, personalised touchpoints.

Key insights included:

  • Customers wanted digital experiences that felt human and tailored to their financial needs.

  • Competitors like CommBank and even non-banking platforms like Spotify offered inspiring personalisation examples.

  • Customers prioritised:

    • Making the app useful – providing features that address real financial needs.

    • Attractive appearance – a visually appealing interface that feels modern and professional.

    • Supports users in their language – ensuring the app communicates clearly and inclusively.

These findings shaped the design direction and guided our early concepts.

Approach

I applied the Double Diamond design process to drive this project:

  • Discover – Conducted research and gathered customer insights.

  • Define – Identified pain points and mapped opportunities for personalisation.

  • Develop – Created wireframes, prototypes, and validated solutions through iterative testing.

  • Deliver – Refined the designs, ensured accessibility compliance, and aligned with brand standards.

Three smiling men with short hair and casual clothing, each with a speech bubble containing advice about usability and design: "Make it useful," "Let it be clear," and "It must take care."
Diagram of the Design Thinking Double Diamond Process Model showing four phases: Discover (red), Define (green), Develop (blue), and Deliver (purple), with the stages Diverge and Converge in each diamond shape and descriptions of each phase's focus.

User Personas

Based on our research, we created user personas to better understand customer needs, goals, and pain points. These personas helped guide design decisions and ensured that every feature addressed real user challenges.

A profile overview of Bree, a 26-year-old single social media influencer and intern with a degree in Communications. She uses multiple social media platforms, emphasizes online privacy through full name and biometric security, and faces challenges like remembering passwords and dealing with trolls. The profile includes her goals, motivations, hobbies, and social media habits, with a picture of Bree making a peace sign, wearing glasses and a beanie.
Profile slide of a man named Dave, age 49, married with two children, a senior engineer, with hobbies like family time, fishing, cycling, and tennis. The slide includes his quote on digital identity, online characteristics such as cautiousness online, password security, and privacy concerns, along with goals, motivations, and a trust/security slider.

Impact

  • Brought customer voices directly into the design process, ensuring solutions addressed real needs.

  • Shifted the product strategy from transaction-focused to customer-focused.

  • Positioned Suncorp as a bank that not only provides services but builds trust and connection.

Outcome

The first releases included personalised nurture messages (such as birthday greetings) and tailored communications for home loan customers. Usability testing confirmed that these features improved engagement and laid the foundation for a scalable personalisation framework.

Key Takeaways

  • Always listen to customers — their needs reveal the real opportunities.

  • Don’t be afraid to challenge industry norms and innovate.

  • Adopt a customer-centric mindset over a product-centric one.

  • Upgrade digital strategies to meet customers where they are.

  • Delight customers with simple, intuitive, and engaging experiences.