Streamlining the Australian Financial Complaints Process
Making the financial complaints lodgement process easier for millions of Australians
I’ve omitted confidential information in this case study as this is currently an ongoing project. All information presented is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of the client. Protecting their privacy, processes, and customer data is my primary concern.
The Client
I had the pleasure of working on a Million dollar project with a well-known financial ombudsman client. Their role is to assist consumers and small businesses to reach agreements with financial firms about how to resolve their complaints. They are impartial and independent. They do not act for either party to advocate their position. If a complaint does not resolve between the parties, they (i.e., the client) will decide an appropriate outcome.
The Ask
We were brought in to enhance the user experience as a part of the digital transformation. Unfortunately, we did not have access to previous research done by the previously employed vendor, so we had to start from scratch.
In order to facilitate the complaints process, the ombudsman has implemented an online complaints form, which is the only entry point into the experience.
Moreover, we considered the impact of emotional factors. Making a financial complaint can be a stressful and emotionally charged experience. By treating each complaint with empathy and respect, we aimed to create a more positive user experience and encourage users to complete the process.
Stakeholders
Small business representatives, consumer representatives, Client teams, Product Owners, and Product Managers.
My Role
Role: Senior Product Designer
Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Duration: 6 months • Full-time • Jan 2023– Jun 2023
Systems: Figma, Miro, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Pages, Microsoft PowerApps
Collaborated with Cross-functional teams across Australia and India.
Ways of Working
We operated in Agile squads, utilising two-week design sprints. Typically, the design team worked one sprint ahead of the development team. These two weeks also incorporated user testing and an open feedback cycle.
The ‘Sprint week’ began every Wednesday, and ended on a Tuesday two weeks later. We utilised majority of Wednesday to work on a Sprint plan.
Our Solution
This digital transformation project necessitated replacing older systems with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Pages.
Consequently, the client’s Online Complaints Form (OCF) required a UX enhancement, along with a UI update to align with our direction.
This time around, I was able to work around the limitations of Microsoft Power Pages fairly quickly, and ran workshops with the design team to explain the same.
Discovery
In the course of our project, we conducted an audit of the current complaints form as part of our discovery phase.
This phase also included a comprehensive research into the practices of financial ombudsmen worldwide, where we observed how they assist complainants throughout the complaints process at every step.
The Financial Ombudsman Service in the UK has streamlined its complaint process by initially posing eight questions to ascertain if they can handle the complaint. Every stage in this process is designed to provide helpful and actionable information. Moreover, if a question arises during the process, a ‘Why are you asking this question’ button is provided below the question for added clarification.
On the other hand, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the U.S. offers a different approach. They integrate helpful resources throughout the complaint form and disclose the resolution time upfront on the privacy disclosures page, even before one begins filling out the complaint form. Additionally, an estimated time to complete the form is displayed before and during the form-filling process. To further assist users, a video explaining the complaint process is provided at the outset.
Additionally, I was able to apply the knowledge I had acquired from my Behavioural Economics Team Australia (BETA) training.
Understanding the principles of behavioural economics was crucial in the redesign of the online complaints form. Behavioural economics suggests that people do not always act in their best interest due to cognitive biases. For example, a user might feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the complaints process and might abandon it, even if it’s in their best interest to lodge a complaint.
Through this behavioural economics lens, we were able to design a user-friendly form that not only meets users’ needs but also guides their behaviour in a way that is in their best interest.
This understanding of user behaviour during the financial complaints process proved essential in successfully developing the forms. It’s important to note that in order to file a complaint on our client’s portal, a financial firm must first register as a member with the client.
Before we get into the nitty-gritties of the project, here are some terminologies you need to be familiar with before we proceed.
- Complainant: A person who makes a formal accusation or files a complaint, typically in a legal context.
- Financial Firm: A business organization that operates in the financial sector. This could include banks, investment companies, insurance companies, etc.
- Member of Financial Ombudsman: A financial firm that is registered with the financial ombudsman service. This registration allows the firm’s customers to have their complaints handled by the ombudsman.
- Financial Ombudsman: An independent, impartial entity that resolves disputes between consumers and financial firms. They do not advocate for either party but aim to reach a fair resolution based on the details of the complaint.
Define
Questions we posed during the definition stage of the design process:
- How might we design the online complaints form to be more intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring that users feel heard and respected throughout the complaints process, while also ensuring transparency and accessibility?
- How might we streamline the online complaints process to reduce cognitive overload for users?
- How can we incorporate empathy and respect into our design to better serve users during the emotionally charged complaints process?
- How can we make the online complaints form more accessible for users with varying degrees of technological resources and financial knowledge?
- How might we improve transparency in the online complaints form, so users are well-informed about each step and what to expect?
- How can we incorporate continuous feedback into our design process in order to constantly improve the user experience of the online complaints form?
Guiding Principles
- User-Centric Approach: We prioritise understanding the needs, behaviours, and feelings of the users. We aim to design solutions that are intuitive, easy to use, and accommodate the full range of user emotions during the complaint process.
- Empathy and Respect: We recognise the sensitivity of financial complaints. We treat each user’s complaint with empathy and respect, ensuring their concerns are heard and addressed.
- Transparency: We strive for transparency in the process, so that users understand each step and know what to expect.
- Accessibility: We design for all users, ensuring our form is accessible and usable for people with a wide range of abilities, technological resources, and financial knowledge.
- Continuous Improvement: We value feedback and use it to continuously improve the user experience. This includes learning from each complaint lodged to make the process smoother and more effective.
Develop
Based on our guiding principles, the primary goal was to reduce cognitive overload. Entering into the complaints process can often be overwhelming for users. The complexity of information, coupled with the emotional stress of lodging a financial complaint, can lead to cognitive overload. This is a state where the user finds it difficult to process and understand the information presented to them due to its volume or complexity.
To avoid this, we have designed our online complaints form with simplicity and clarity in mind. We aim to present information in a concise, easy-to-understand manner, breaking down complex procedures into manageable steps. We also provide clear guidance throughout the process, ensuring users know what to expect at each stage. This approac dh helps to reduce cognitive load, making the complaints process easier and more accessible for our users.
Deliver
As it wasn’t possible to test with end-users at this stage, we conducted tests with a small group of users. This group included small business owners and consumer representatives to encompass both ‘super-users’ and less experienced users who knew our client through family and friends.
The feedback from the testing meant that we went back to the drawing board and tweak the screens. Fun!!
My Learnings
Throughout this project, I gathered significant experience working with a talented team. I discovered that the Agile methodology may not always be effective for large teams working under tight deadlines. I also faced challenges in collaborating with tech teams unfamiliar with the design process, highlighting the importance of working in design-mature organisations.
The project taught me the importance of incorporating the principles of behavioural economics in design, and made me understand the impact of framing and emotional factors on user behaviour. I learned the importance of designing with empathy and respect, particularly in emotionally charged contexts like financial complaints.
I also realised the significance of designing for accessibility and catering to user diversity in terms of technological resources and financial knowledge. Finally, the project reinforced the necessity to prioritise continuous feedback and improvement in the design process.
Travelling for work is always a thrill! I must admit, I had the prime seat to watch the sun rise over the horizon.
