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Post-event round up, Research

We’re open for inclusion

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By Christine Hemphill, Open Inclusion

Retail banks have been providing enormous convenience to customers by developing their mobile personal banking functionality which is increasingly available in our pockets. As uptake by customers grows, a recent event at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 15 January 2019 considered who may be being left behind by this wave of new digital applications. Are these apps providing fair and equitable access and experience to all users, including those with sensory, physical or cognitive differences and impairments?

In front of a packed room of financial service providers, digital product designers and regulators, Business Disability Forum brought together a great range of speakers providing fresh new insights into retail banking digital inclusion. The morning saw Open Inclusion present some of the key findings of its Mobile Banking Inclusion Report conducted last year. The report assessed and compared the inclusiveness of 10 UK banks’ iOS and Android apps.

The session was kicked off with Shelley Cross from the FCA who outlined the importance that the regulator places on inclusion of all customers, especially those with vulnerabilities to receiving poorer services or exclusion, including those with lived experience of disability.

Steve Tyler of Leonard Cheshire talking about inclusive innovation in digital banking - past, present and future

Steve Tyler from Leonard Cheshire

Steve Tyler from Leonard Cheshire provided an enlightening talk on the power of technology and inclusive design in retail banking in the past, present and future. He motivated organisations to look to inclusive design to better understand and leverage emerging technologies. Not only will the 20% of customers with permanent specific access needs benefit, but in consideration of more extreme customer needs, organisations will likely generate insights that make for far more innovative, cost effective and durable products benefiting 100% of customers.

Business Disability Forum’s Diane Lightfoot outlined some paths that banks could take to practically improve the customer experience of their digital products and benefit from the value of the £265 billion purple pound market segment. This included gathering regular insight from their customers who have disabilities and embedding the skills, capabilities and internal governance needed to ensure that every product iteration maintains or extends inclusive design, accessibility and usability by the broadest audience.

Christine Hemphill of Open Inclusion introduced research that they conducted in 2018. None of them were fully inclusive to users with common access needs. The research found significant differences in inclusion across the apps of the 10 different brands tested. Sometimes there were also significant differences between the iOS and Android version of the same brand’s apps.

The leading brands, led by Lloyds Bank, got results in the high 80s. A score of 100 would mean that core online banking journeys were all inclusive to most user groups. The lowest came in at a very poor 50 showing half of the functionality tested was not accessible to one of more significant user group. The average of all apps was 77.

Christine Hemphill speaking in front of a slide that reads "Difference is all we have in common" and an image of a person dancing The slide headline reads "We are all different - normal is a flawed concept. Some differences are visible. Most are hidden". In the foreground are the attendees at the event

Christine Hemphill from Open Inclusion

This research clearly shows that there is still a very long way to go to ensure that the needs of users with physical, sensory or cognitive impairments are supported by current retail banking mobile offerings.

A survey with consumers with access needs was also conducted as part of Open Inclusion’s research. It identified what disabled and older customers appreciate and what they are currently unsatisfied with in relation to mobile banking. In it, 44% of customers with access needs covering all the major impairment categories and all major assistive and adaptive technology categories, noted that they would like their mobile banking app to be more accessible to them. More than 50% of respondents also wanted their provider to make it easier to do simple updates such as to personal information on the app and to find help / contact information when required.

The expert review and authentic usability testing assessed in a comparative way, the post-authentication functionality (what you can do after you have signed in) of the iOS and Android versions of the 10 brands. Open utilised their digital maturity model for assessment of the apps across 5 key competency areas:

A slide that has the 5 capabilities listed each with an associated icon 1. Interactions 2. Visual design and media 3.Personalisation and assistive technology support 4.User assistance 5.Simplicity

Capabilities

  1. Interactions
  2. Visual design and media
  3. Personalisation and assistive technology support
  4. User assistance
  5. Simplicity

Business Disability Forum is proud to note that Open Inclusion is an expert partner of Business Disability Forum for market and user research and insight. This means that members can be confident that should they wish to engage them for inclusive research, customer insight, design and innovation services that they will get excellent quality work at the best prices on offer. Open provide a 15% discount on all inclusion services to all Business Disability Forum partners and members.

 

Tags:
Business,
Events,
IT,
Leadership,
London,
Research,
Technology

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