Empowering users to go paperless, saving millions

A new mobile feature that improved customer experience and delivered measurable environmental and business impact.

A new mobile feature that improved customer experience and delivered measurable environmental and business impact.

Final iOS screens
Final iOS screens
Final iOS screens

Client

Client

Client

BNZ, New Zealand

BNZ, New Zealand

BNZ, New Zealand

Role

Role

Role

Lead UX / UI Designer

Lead UX / UI Designer

Lead UX / UI Designer

Team

Team

Team

UX lead, product owner, business analyst, developers, legal advisor

UX lead, product owner, business analyst, developers, legal advisor

UX lead, product owner, business analyst, developers, legal advisor

Tools

Tools

Tools

Figma, Jira, Confluence, Miro

Figma, Jira, Confluence, Miro

Figma, Jira, Confluence, Miro

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 This approach was inconvenient, outdated, and costly—both financially and environmentally.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.

Design system used in the building of feature
Design system used in the building of feature
Design system used in the building of feature

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

  1. Empower users to update their statement preferences directly from the BNZ mobile app

  2. Support all account types, including joint account holders

  3. Ensure full compliance with legal and business requirements

  4. Improve customer experience while reducing paper and print costs

  5. 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.

Customer journey workshops

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.

iOS mobile screen of final feature
iOS mobile screen of final feature

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

© Nicole Rush 2025

Senior Product Designer based in Ontario, Canada

© Nicole Rush 2025

Senior Product Designer based in Ontario, Canada

© Nicole Rush 2025

Senior Product Designer based in Ontario, Canada