Itai Steinberg UX Research & Design
Tranquser - Banking Integration Features
Project life cycle
Starting - March 2026
Ending - June 2026
Tools - Figma, Gemini and Maze
First, Some Backround
Today there are many applications for managing financial information. From banks that operate entirely through computers and smartphones without physical branches, to credit card apps and personal finance management and expense-tracking apps. While technology makes money more accessible, it also seems that the abundance of products creates confusion.
The More Is Not The Merrier
Multitasking creates cognitive load, making it harder for us to complete tasks or notice the important details needed to finish them. In addition, information that is scattered across multiple places makes it difficult to track and monitor. Financial apps that present information in several different locations make it harder to keep track of money.
Financial avoidance
Although money is an important part of our everyday lives, many people avoid talking about it or trying to understand it. On the few occasions when people open their banking app, they often don’t fully understand what’s going on.
The Problem So Far
The amount of financials
apps cause cognitive load
and losing track of spending
People are having lack and discomfort of financials subjects
Let's Dive in a little - part one
In the final section, I showed and explained that people generally do not like talking about money, which, among other things, turns financial management into a pain point. But do the many interfaces and products on the market actually help reduce this pain? Online research suggests that people expect financial products to reflect their economic goals and help them achieve them. Motivation toward these goals is sometimes driven through nudges.
One study aimed to highlight that tools designed to encourage saving and expense tracking—such as gamification—are often based on excitement. However, over time, this sense of excitement fades, and its effect diminishes, which creates an additional challenge.
Second Dive - lets talk about the bank
In Europe, bank customers (29%) reported that their primary use of banking apps is to schedule appointments with their banker or request documents related to their quarterly cash flow, while also noting that the large number of actions within these apps, combined with a lack of knowledge, makes them difficult to use; additionally, research suggests that inherently complex banking systems lose effectiveness when adapted to mobile platforms—where usage is higher—because reducing interface space significantly limits usability, especially when dealing with financial information.
Notification Overload
Connecting multiple banks often leads to double alerts—one from the bank and one from the app. This creates 'notification fatigue,' causing users to feel spammed and eventually mute all alerts or delete the app to get some peace
Open Banking in 2026
What is open banking ?
Open Banking has completely changed how we manage money, making it easier than ever to pay, shop, and track our finances in one place. While many apps now use credit and bank data to give us more control, research from NN/g and OBIE 2025 shows that the real UX challenge isn't just showing the data—it's making it clear and trustworthy so users can actually use it.
What are the problems that may come with it -
The Actionability Gap
Most apps show you a problem, like a low balance, but don't let you fix it right there. Having to leave the app and log into your bank just to move money creates a 'broken' experience that adds stress instead of solving the issue
There is lack of consistency in the app according to users which may cause high bounce rate
Finale problem statements
Around 29 % of European banks clients
reported they are using the bank's app only
for contacting and meeting appointments
There's a complexity in the system which feels
like it does not fit for mobile
Lack in errors preventions (as will explained in the next paragraph)
Money transfers - story
About a year ago, while reviewing my banking app as I do monthly, I noticed a strange ₪20,000 transfer from an unknown person. After confirming it wasn’t familiar, I secured the funds and contacted the bank. It made me question why banks lack confirmation features like apps do, reducing errors and improving transparency.
Unified financial hub
What we can do ?
Financial habits are unlikely to change as long as financial information remains fragmented across multiple platforms. A more effective approach would be to create an integrated experience within banking applications, bringing together credit systems, money transfers, and expense tracking into a single, mobile optimized interface. By reducing fragmentation, such integration can lower cognitive load and enable users to better understand and manage their financial situation.
Equally important is the ability for users to define and reflect on their own financial goals. Over time, individuals can develop stronger control over their finances, but this process requires clarity and a sense of ownership. Providing customizable tools and clear goal visualization can foster greater engagement and commitment. When users are able to set, track, and adjust their financial objectives, they are more likely to adopt sustainable financial behaviors.
Goal driven personalization
Financial Users - who ?
Easy money transfer
Recurring transfers
Defying soloution
To fix the mess of scattered data and endless alerts, I’m building an Integrated Assistant for Discount Bank. It brings all your money into one place, replaces noise with simple controls, and lets you manage everything through one easy, personalized app. The suggested features are -
Quick pay
Checking account Balance
Spending overviews and control
User Journey
Some Screens Before user testing
Design Guide
Inputs
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Background: #F5F4EF
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Border: 0.5px solid #D6D4CC · 8px radius
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Padding: 10px 14px
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Label: 12px above field · muted gray
Cards & Sections
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Section header: #E8E7E1 bg · centered · 14px medium
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Card: white bg · 0.5px border · 10px radius · 14px padding
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Insight rows: 12px text + 💡 emoji · muted color
Bottom Navigation
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Background: #1A2240
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Active: white icon + white label
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Inactive: #8A92A8
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Badge: 8px red dot · top-right of icon
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Height: ~64px · 4 items
Layout Notes
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Direction: RTL (Hebrew)
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Page BG: #F5F4EF
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Numbers are the hero — always large, always bold
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Teal icon anchors top-left on every screen
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Tab toggles: active = navy bg pill · inactive = transparent
User testing
To validate the initial design, I conducted unmoderated usability testing using Maze. Focusing on the screens presented earlier, the primary task required participants to navigate to the "Schedule a Banker Appointment" screen, which was originally placed within the main menu.
While all participants successfully completed the task within 30 seconds, their post-test feedback revealed that the feature's location lacked discoverability. Based on this insight, I iterated on the design and relocated the "Schedule Appointment" action to the Bottom Navigation bar and made the homepage "cleaner" to reduce cognitive load,
Survey results after testing and feed back
The change i have applied after the testing