Empowering users to go paperless, saving millions
Context
BNZ (Bank of New Zealand) sought to modernise a key part of its banking experience—how customers manage their statement preferences.
At the time, users could only update these settings via desktop or web platforms, and the process defaulted to paper statements. This approach was inconvenient, outdated, and costly—both financially and environmentally.
As mobile usage increased across customer segments, the bank needed a mobile-first solution that allowed all account types, including joint accounts, to self-serve their preferences easily and securely.
Problem
Limited access: Customers couldn’t manage statement preferences from the BNZ mobile app.
Inconvenient UX: The process was opt-out by default and required desktop access.
Environmental impact: High paper usage drove up costs and waste.
Compliance complexity: The solution had to support different account types while meeting strict legal and business rules.
The challenge was to design a mobile-first experience that addressed customer pain points and business priorities—without introducing complexity.
Objectives
Empower users to update their statement preferences directly from the BNZ mobile app
Support all account types, including joint account holders
Ensure full compliance with legal and business requirements
Improve customer experience while reducing paper and print costs
Deliver a consistent solution across both iOS and Android platforms
Research
To define the solution, I partnered closely with the product owner, business analyst, developers, and legal stakeholders from day one.
My research and discovery approach included:
Facilitating design workshops with the delivery team to identify edge cases and constraints
Leading guerrilla-style usability testing with early prototypes to gather real user feedback
Collaborating with stakeholders to surface technical and compliance risks early
Using low-fidelity mockups to speed up ideation and feedback cycles
This iterative process helped shape a solution grounded in user needs and legal certainty.
Design
I led the end-to-end design process, ensuring a user-centred, scalable solution.
Key design decisions included:
User-first workflows: Designed a streamlined, accessible preference flow tailored for all customer types, with special care for joint accounts
Reusable components: Used a blend of existing and new design system components, supporting faster delivery and platform consistency
Compliance built-in: Mapped legal and technical requirements early and incorporated them directly into the flow
Prototypes were tested, refined, and finalised in close collaboration with engineers and business leads—ensuring feasibility and clarity across the board.
Results
The new feature allowed customers to go paperless directly from their mobile app—removing a major pain point and delivering immediate business value.
Impact included:
$5 million saved annually through paper reduction and operational cost savings
Significant reduction in environmental footprint, avoiding hundreds of tonnes of printed paper
A streamlined customer experience that improved mobile engagement
A modular, scalable solution built with reusability in mind—ready for future expansion