From Friction to Flow: Improving the Brightside Experience

by Case Study

From Friction to Flow: Improving the Brightside Experience

Brightside, a financial wellness app by ATB Financial, aimed to attract users wary of traditional banks and appeal to younger demographics. Despite a strong foundation, user feedback revealed engagement and usability challenges. This case study explores how we reimagined the experience for a more intuitive and seamless product.
  • Role

Senior Product Designer
UX / UI Design | User Research | User Testing | Information Architecture

  • Company

Brightside by ATB

  • Year

2019-2022

The Challenge

Brightside faced the challenge of attracting and retaining users in a competitive market. To boost engagement and reduce drop-offs, we aimed to streamline onboarding and introduce intuitive savings tools.

User research revealed key issues:

  • Users wanted more control over savings goals.
  • Unclear onboarding led to underused saving features.
  • Lack of gamification reduced motivation.
  • Many dropped off during sign-up.

Approach & Contributions

1

Mapping the Customer Journey

I worked with another designer to map the full customer journey, highlighting key pain points. Using user interviews, surveys, and tests, we uncovered key insights:

  • Users wanted faster, clearer onboarding.
  • A goal-based approach made budgeting more engaging.
  • Personalized insights and nudges boosted retention.

2

Refining Saving Features

I improved two key tools to boost engagement:

💰 Round-Ups – Rounds up purchases, saving the difference.

📂 Saving Buckets – Helps users organize savings by goals.

Clearer visuals on total savings, deposit dates, and transactions increased user motivation and app engagement.

3

Redefining the Onboarding Experience

User activation was key to Brightside’s success. I helped refine onboarding by:

  • Using progressive disclosure to avoid overload.
  • Adding personalized setup questions.
  • Offering a quick-start mode for minimal setup.
  • Allowing flexible exit points for users to return anytime.

4

Designing the ‘Back Up’ Borrowing Feature

We explored a new lending feature, Back Up, to prevent declined transactions and ease financial stress with a fee-free borrowing solution.

As the lead designer, I collaborated with research to map user journeys, refine wireframes, and create high-fidelity mockups, ensuring feasibility with product and engineering teams.

5

Enhancing the Website

I optimized Brightside’s website to clearly communicate product value and improve the onboarding experience.

Impact & Results

🚀 30% increase in account openings within six months due to onboarding refinements.
📉 55% reduction in user verification costs by streamlining onboarding.
💰 Users saved 25% more on average using Round-Ups and Saving Buckets.
📊 Customer journey mapping became a key decision-making tool for the company.
🌐 Website improvements increased conversion rates and enhanced the onboarding experience.

Final Thoughts

By combining user insights, intuitive design, and iterative testing, our team transformed Brightside into a more engaging and effective financial platform. Through close collaboration with researchers, product managers, engineers, and marketers, we created a seamless user experience that empowers financial well-being.

This project reinforced my belief in the power of UX and cross-functional teamwork, and I continue to apply these principles in my work today.