Reducing Customer Support Issues
Increasing security through feature development with the aim of reducing the number of issues raised through customer support channels.
Industry
Financial Services
My role
Principal UX Designer
Date
2021
Tools
I led the redesign of core features for the Sainsbury’s Bank Credit Card mobile app - including transaction enrichment, freeze-card, PIN visibility, and replacement card flows - with the goal of reducing the number of requests coming through customer support channels and increasing security for users. Through competitive benchmarking, prototype testing, and iterative design, we delivered clearer, faster, and more user-friendly experiences that significantly increased completion rates, reduced user error, and cut time-to-task while maintaining strong compliance and risk controls.
Scenario
I stepped in as Principal UX/UI Designer on the Credit Card mobile app when I joined the Digital team, taking over from an external agency. My role involved shaping new features in the roadmap through backlog grooming sessions, and aligning designs with brand guidelines and technical/security constraints. These features included Transaction Enrichment, Freeze Card, View Card PIN, and Request Replacement Card.
Stakeholders / collaborators: Mobile App Product Owner, App IT Analyst, Senior Business Analyst, Technical Project Manager, Credit Card Product Manager, Development Team
Discover
Working on individual features, I set out to establish what worked and what didn’t. I did this in the form of conducting competitive benchmarking across banking/fintech apps (Revolut, Monzo, Santander, etc.) to compare transaction details, freeze-card flows, PIN viewing methods, and card replacement journeys.
Since these features are universal in other banking apps, I crafted and sent out unmoderated research studies to gather more tailored user insights.
Key findings included:
Some apps offer rich transaction enrichment (merchant logos, categorisation, maps) that improves clarity and reduces user confusion.
Freeze card features are often implemented via clear toggles with immediate feedback; ambiguity in what gets frozen or how long can reduce user trust.
Viewing the PIN is universally treated as a high-risk interaction: biometric or app PIN verification is standard, often with timed visibility.
Card replacement journeys vary: lost/stolen vs damaged paths, some apps automatically freeze card before proceeding, others require phone calls; clarity and minimising steps are differentiators.
Define
From the research insights, I formulated these core problem statements:
How might we present transaction details in a way that’s rich but doesn’t overwhelm the user?
How can freezing a card or viewing a PIN be made secure yet frictionless?
What decision points must be clearly communicated (e.g. what “freeze” means, what user needs to do if card is lost vs stolen) to avoid confusion?
Constraints included security & fraud risk, compliance/regulation, and existing backend capability.
Develop
I designed several variations of these feature screens, iterating with stakeholders and usability tests:
Produced 4 versions of the Transaction Enrichment screen (for both iOS & Android), varying how much contextual data, map, merchant logo and categorisation are shown.
Redesigned the Settings screen to give clearer navigation and context for new features (Freeze Card, View PIN, Request Replacement) to avoid overloading users with CTAs without explanation.
For Freeze Card, introduced toggle & confirmation steps, and ensured immediate feedback.
For View Card PIN, prototyped different methods: a biometric/app PIN gateway, timed visibility, and switch or tap-and-hold control.
For Request Replacement Card, clarified paths for “lost/stolen” vs “damaged”, automated some of the journey, included helpful touchpoints like freezing card or linking out to FAQs.
Deliver
At the point of handoff, designs had been validated via competitive benchmarking and initial prototype feedback. Feature mockups and flows were ready for usability testing to catch blockers. Designs were prepared with spec documentation, security considerations, and edge-cases flagged (e.g. PIN exposure time, error states). The team understood where development effort would be needed (especially in security/UX alignment).
Results
Each iteration was tested and benchmarked against the previous version. Overall, users felt more secure and gained trust in the app, they felt an increase in satisfaction using the app and interactions with the customer support lines decreased.
72% → 93%
Completion rate for freeze-card journeys increased from 72% → 93% once steps and labels were clarified.
40% ↓
Time to task for viewing PIN reduced by approximately 40%, when using biometric + timed reveal rather than multiple redirections.
~50%
Replacement card requests dropped by ~50% when providing clearer distinction between “lost/stolen” vs “damaged” paths and freezing option.
50% -> 85%
Perceived clarity, as in surveys, 85% of participants said they understood “what each action will do” vs 50% in earlier versions.
