Digital Bank Navigation Research

Overview

A UX research and audit study evaluating the navigation and information architecture of a digital banking platform. The goal was to assess how easily users could find and use core banking features, identify navigation barriers, and understand how users mentally group banking functionality. The research was conducted for a leading digital banking platform serving both Georgian and international users.

My Role

Sole UX Researcher responsible for end-to-end research execution — from planning and recruitment through to analysis, report preparation, and stakeholder presentation. Managed the full logistics of participant recruitment including incentive coordination with the marketing team and delivery to participants.

Timeline

Total duration: 10 working days

• Recruitment: 3 days
• Research sessions: 5 days
• Analysis & report preparation: 2 days

Research Goals

• Evaluate the ease of navigation within the digital banking platform
• Identify barriers and points of confusion users encounter during navigation
• Understand how users mentally group and label banking functionality
• Provide evidence-based recommendations to improve information architecture

Research Methodology

Two complementary methods were chosen to answer both behavioral and mental model questions:

Usability Testing was selected to observe real navigation behavior — seeing where users succeed, hesitate, and fail when completing actual banking tasks. In-person moderated sessions allowed for think-aloud observation and follow-up probing.

Open Card Sorting via Optimal Workshop was chosen to understand how users naturally categorize banking features — independent of the existing structure. This method provided quantitative grouping data from 30 participants remotely, giving statistical confidence to the information architecture recommendations.

Combining both methods allowed behavioral observations from usability testing to be validated and enriched by the mental model data from card sorting.

Recruitment

Participants were recruited through two channels: existing digital banking user data and targeted social media groups with relevant audience members.

8 participants were recruited for usability testing — a mix of 3 Georgian and 5 international banking users, ensuring findings reflected both local and global user expectations. 30 participants completed the card sorting study remotely.

Incentives were provided to all participants. Incentive budget was coordinated with the marketing team, and logistics for delivering incentives to participants were managed personally.

Getting genuine participant consent during recruitment is always one of the most critical stages of research. People are often reluctant to participate — they don't want to waste time or feel stressed by being observed. It's equally important that their motivation goes beyond the incentive itself. First contact with each participant is crucial — the goal is to make them feel comfortable, valued, and genuinely part of the process. Participants are always informed that we are testing the product, not them. Communication style, tone, and terminology are adapted to each individual's personality and context.

Screener Criteria

• Active users of the digital banking platform
• Mix of Georgian and international users
• Range of banking experience levels — new and experienced users
• Variety of age groups and digital literacy levels

Tasks Tested

• Transfer money by account number (IBAN)
• Pay a utility bill (electricity)
• Find consumer loan conditions
• Find loyalty program offers
• Open a savings deposit
• Buy company shares (investments)
• View bank notifications

How I Conducted the Usability Testing

• Planning — Defined research goals with the product team and identified the key tasks to test based on core user journeys
• Screener & Recruitment — Recruited 8 participants ensuring a mix of Georgian and international banking users
• Scenario Writing — Wrote 7 realistic task scenarios that reflected genuine user goals without leading participants toward specific navigation paths
• Moderated Sessions — Conducted in-person sessions, observing participants as they completed each task while thinking aloud
• Data Collection — Captured navigation paths, hesitation points, errors, and verbal feedback for each task
• Analysis — Synthesized findings across sessions to identify recurring patterns, navigation failures, and usability barriers
• Recommendations — Delivered prioritized findings and design recommendations to the product and design team

How I Conducted the Open Card Sorting

Conducted using Optimal Workshop to understand how users naturally group and label banking features:

• Card Preparation — Identified and prepared 30+ feature and content cards representing the key sections of the platform
• Study Setup — Configured an open card sorting study in Optimal Workshop, allowing participants to create their own category names and group cards freely
• Recruitment— Recruited 30 participants from the platform's user base
• Remote Data Collection — Participants completed the sorting task independently through Optimal Workshop
• Analysis— Used Optimal Workshop's similarity matrix and dendrograms to identify which features users consistently grouped together

Analysis & Synthesis

Data was analyzed using a combination of methods:

• Excel for organizing and structuring behavioral data across sessions
• Optimal Workshop built-in analysis tools — similarity matrix and dendrograms — for card sorting results
• AI-assisted synthesis for pattern recognition across qualitative notes
• Affinity mapping in Miro to cluster findings thematically across sessions

Sessions were debriefed immediately after each one to capture fresh observations. A key challenge during sessions was encouraging participants to think aloud naturally — questions were used to guide them into verbalizing their thought process without leading them. An important part of experienced research practice is recognizing when participants provide fabricated feedback to appear helpful. Clarifying questions were used to test the reliability of such responses, and unverified insights were flagged rather than included in the final report.

Deliverables

A complete research report was delivered including:

• Research goals and context
• Methodology rationale — what methods were used and why
• Target audience definition and participant profiles
• Scenario descriptions and task flows
• Core insights and key findings
• Complete result analysis per scenario and per pain point identified
• Summary of navigation barriers
• Next steps and recommendations
• One core insight highlighted for executive attention

Key Findings

Key Findings Summary

Four main navigation barriers identified:

• Banking products are not mentally associated with "Offers" — users look for them under "Products"
• Utility payments lack category grouping — electricity, gas, water, and cleaning should be separated
• "Loyalty Offers" and "My Offers" were difficult to distinguish from each other
• Personal number and account number transfers should be visually separated from the start

Impact

The research directly influenced product decisions at the platform. Two critical issues identified were resolved following delivery of findings:

Transfer initiation — The plus button for starting a new transfer was not discoverable. A dedicated transfer button was added based on research findings. Successful transfer initiations doubled following this change.

Banking product activation — Users could not find how to activate banking products. A dedicated products page was created based on the research. Product activations and sales increased measurably after launch.

The team's rapid adaptation of research recommendations was a strong indicator of research quality — the findings were clear, actionable, and trusted by stakeholders.

Next Steps & Recommendations

• Build a prioritization matrix for all identified issues to separate quick wins, long-term improvements, and low-priority items
• Prepare prototypes addressing the key navigation barriers
• Conduct a follow-up usability test on the redesigned flows to validate improvements

Reflections

The research process ran smoothly from start to finish — all research questions were answered within the 10-day timeline without requiring additional research rounds. The quality of insights was validated by the outcomes: both transfer initiations and product activations doubled following implementation of recommendations, which exceeded expectations.

The biggest recurring challenge in this type of research is recruitment — getting participants to genuinely engage rather than participate purely for the incentive. Managing first contact carefully, adapting communication style to each individual, and ensuring participants feel like valued collaborators rather than test subjects makes a significant difference to data quality.

Skills Used