Emma Buckland
← All work

Commonwealth Bank · 2014–2017

Staying ahead of bills, inside the payment moment

BPAY View lived in a separate sign-up flow that people didn’t trust or couldn’t find, and paying a bill happened somewhere else entirely. It wasn’t delivering a return for the business, and Australians were paying late fees on their bills.

Better Bill ExperienceCommBank appBPAY View
Payment confirmation screen: Sydney Water paid. We've added a reminder for Sydney Water, is that ok? Buttons: OK, No thanks.
Opt in at the moment of paying
Upcoming bills and payments screen: $100 still to pay this month, $1,300 next month, and a timeline of upcoming bills including a predicted phone bill and a car loan.
Then a reason to come back

The 20-second version

My roleMobile UX Designer

  1. Signing up for BPAY View and paying a bill were two separate flows, so people didn’t find it or trust it.
  2. I designed what happens straight after someone pays a bill. The app asks if they’d like a reminder next time, and it’s their call.
  3. Since launch in late 2016, bills paid via BPAY View grew more than 700%, and primary bank retention rose 10 points.
700%+More bills paid via BPAY ViewSince launch in late 2016
+80%Mobile bill enrolmentSetup became the next step after paying
+10ppPrimary bank retentionA daily reason to come back

Impact

Bills paid via BPAY View since launch

Indexed, with launch as 100. That means fewer missed payments, fewer late fees and less money stress.

The problem

Why people didn’t sign up

People didn’t understand the benefit, and signing up took effort. They couldn’t see what was in it for them, so they didn’t sign up.

My part

UX for the payment moment

I owned the mobile app UX, exploring the point right after someone pays a bill, where the app offers to add a reminder for that biller. That made setting up BPAY View a natural next step instead of a separate sign-up.

I worked collaboratively with a team on the wider Better Bill Experience, which launched in late 2016.

Research & testing

Uncertainty equals drop-off

We tested different wording and trust signals to find what removed doubt at each step.

ControlWe did the setup for them, but left the final say with them. One tap to keep it, one to say no thanks.

Design

Finding the right moment

Mapping the journey showed where sign-up fitted naturally: straight after paying. The confirmation then made it clear exactly what had been set up.

The design drew on the endowed progress effect: people are more likely to follow through when part of the work is already done for them. So instead of asking people to set up a reminder, the app set it up and simply asked, “Is that ok?”

ContinuityMeet people inside a task they’re already doing, instead of asking them to start a new one.

Strategy

Earning trust by giving control

We worked with legal and compliance on an opt-in model, retired the old sign-up flows, and did a lot of stakeholder negotiation.

ControlOpt-in meant customers chose it, which is why they kept using it.

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