Maple Bank's Bloom - your mortgage made easy companion

Maple Bank was seeking to invest in novel digital products in order to boost engagement with their brand and bring in new clients.

Problem statement

One of the biggest financial fears of young generations is the inability to purchase a home. Statistics Canada affirms this fear, as younger adults are less likely to own their own homes compared to previous generations. How might we inspire young people to consider home ownership?

Users and Audience

Maple Bank’s pre-existing clients are 18-30 years old, reflecting a tech-savvy, youth driven audience. Members of the working class, only 21% reported the use of the bank’s online mortgage services, highlighting a key service gap. We developed the pre-established persona of Monique, a forward-thinking mother who is committed to long-term savings goals.

Roles and Responsibilities

Our team consisted of myself, Ana Formentuvic, Daniel Salim, and Leanne Blais. I was responsible for administrative affairs within our team, such as drafting our operational agreement and coordinating team meetings. I maintained the meeting agenda, ensuring that questions and conclusions were recorded for future reference. I participated in competitive analysis, and was responsible for low and high-fidelity wireframes of survey results screens and end-to-end development of the greenhouse education feature.

Design Process

Competitive analysis

In conducting a screen-by-screen competitive analysis, we concluded that onboarding consisted of too many steps, making simple forms feel long and tedious. Home screens presented excess features simultaneously, and many apps we investigated lacked personality that may alienate younger users.

However, competitors had a number of strengths that we wanted to implement into our own design. Gamification engaged users, and these features were especially prominent in indirect competitors, such as in the education industry. Localisation features allowed users to tailor services to specific regions, and upon completing key forms such as pre-qualification, visual representations of homes matching the user’s rate makes financial outcomes feel tangible.

Low fidelity wireframes

We began brainstorming through the development of low-fidelity mockups, and followed this up by establishing a style guide that inspires growth and playfulness while still keeping in mind personality and accessibility. We created a central mascot feature, Sprout, to support users throughout emotionally challenging processes.

User testing high fidelity wireframes

Running 5, 20-minute rounds of online user testing facilitated a thematic analysis. Primary feedback with regards to the Greenhouse Education feature was that the financial knowledge was a reward within itself, and that the gamification mechanism of collecting unique potted plants for Sprout appealed to some users more than others.

Final iteration

The application as a whole acts as an onboarding process into homeownership. The initial onboarding of users into the application is brief in requiring minimal information from the user, making it even easier for pre-existing clients of Maple Bank. Sprout is featured right away, and follows users throughout the various forms they can complete. Autofill is enabled throughout pre-qualification and pre-authorisation to reduce unnecessary repetition. Upon form completion, Sprout grows, representing user’s own growth through the mortgage application process.

The feature I was responsible for developing, Greenhouse Education, facilitates customer support without the need of additional workers. The lessons contained within this feature are simple and enable users to test their knowledge, enhancing confidence throughout the home-buying process. When users complete lessons, they can customize Sprout with a new pot, adding a level of customization and gamification. The theming of the Greenhouse adds an element of placemaking to the application, enhancing the sense of emotional groundedness users may feel.

Scope and Constraints

Our objective was to develop high-fidelity wireframes for features that would inspire new generations to pursue homeownership as an actionable objective. Through the implementation of these features by working with developers, our application acts as a pathway for new clients of Maple Bank to achieve their financial objectives. By implementing a key social issue at the crux of our approach and considering how competitors address complex emotional problems, we are able to create a product that meets both user and business needs.