Invented the only credit card customers will ever need
Multiple payment cards are a paradigm of modern banking, with nearly every customer controlling numerous accounts through a range of cards. Westpac partnered with us to challenge that paradigm by creating one credit card with such a variety of utilities that it would become the only payment option their customers would ever need.
Building a cross-channel customer profile
Westpac is one of Australia's big four banks and operates Australia's largest branch network, with almost 1200 branches. Westpac initially partnered with Proto to perform a deep dive into their credit card service offerings and build an understanding of their customer's experience across a diverse number of channels.
Through our research, Westpac aimed to discover transformative insights into why customers hold and use multiple credit cards. That vital data would then be used to identify what key features would be required for a customer to use only one Westpac credit card and further distilled into the design of a 'Westpac One Card,' representing the ideal credit card experience.
Isolating the fundamental factors of credit card use
Reassessing the current credit card paradigm would require relevant, insightful data from a wide range of customers. To collect this project-vital data, we undertook a vigorous research program taking into account campaign of social media reviews, customer interviews, product testing and the analysis of over two thousand customer survey responses, all in a matter of a few weeks.
In addition to gathering a comprehensive spread of consumer feedback, we worked with Westpac's staff, gaining critical insights into system and process challenges through interviews with key stakeholders.
Distilling data into design
Having used innovative data gathering and analysis techniques to build a compelling picture of why customers carry multiple credit cards, and why existing offerings were not meeting customer needs, Proto moved beyond the initial research brief. We embarked on a four-week sprint that distilled data into a coherent design for a single credit card that would disrupt the multiple card paradigm.
Creating a singular card for multiple accounts
The Westpac 'One Card' was designed to prioritise customer needs, creating a simple but engaging product and service experience that provided the control, flexibility, and utility required to control multiple accounts through one card. With a design based entirely on what credit card users wanted from the perfect card, the 'One Card' eliminates the need for multiple cards without impacting account access or utility.
Creating a new credit card paradigm
The Westpac One Card represents an engaging new style of credit card that is built purely around the customer's needs, giving them one product with such a range of utility that it displaced all other offerings. Through the use of innovative data gathering and deep-dive customer analysis techniques, Proto was able to design over 25 new, customer-centric credit card features, 16 of which were immediately prioritised for a six-month rollout across Westpac premium credit cards.
Delivering phenomenal outcomes
“Working with Proto was a leap of faith, but they have become a major strategic partner in our CX evolution. The work they've developed and the way we've been able to embed it in the organisation has been absolutely phenomenal, and we're getting the outcomes we want.”
Felicity ClarkCustomer Experience ManagerEvery week 5k+ business leaders get three pragmatic and actionable tips to help understand their customers and employees to accelerate business growth.
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