Payclusive

Product Experience

Problem Space 

Problem Statement  

Lack of customer service, lack of knowledge in the financial services industry, and data breaches have left millions of individuals dissatisfied with their banking institutions. Creating a digital payment application that solves the barriers faced by banked, underbanked, and unbanked individuals can drastically increase financial accessibility and financial literacy and improve an individual’s overall livelihood.

Problem Background  

According to an article from Biz2X, banking institutions want to improve their customer experience to get ahead of the competition with fintech companies. Although features continue to evolve and customers increasingly find themselves online rather than in person, digital banking in financial institutions has led to plenty of adjustments, and even the best banks have been left trying to figure out what to do next.

Prominent features include lower fees, more accessible ATMs, and a robust mobile app. But the more robust features can trip up even the best banks. Customers are looking for a digital-first experience that works quickly. The longer your account opening process takes, the higher the drop-off rate is. With that said, customers are looking for their data to be validated in real time, not through a long paper process that can take hours or days. Customers want to maximize the amount of money coming in and minimize the amount of money going out. What that means is low fees, reasonable rates, and good perks for using your bank. Low fees can make all the difference in deciding which bank to use for customers on a tight budget. Providing reasonable rates will entice customers to trust your bank with their money.

As we have seen in the past few years, there has been an increase in peer-to-peer payment apps such as Venmo, CashApp, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Digital Wallets such as Apple Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and Google Wallet. These payment apps have helped individuals feel more financially stable, however, these apps still lack essential features needed to make individuals feel secure and financially educated. Payclusive will help groups that have been historically excluded from formal financial services, such as black and Hispanic households, gain access to banking through digital services, which offers lower fees compared to banking institutions, no minimum balance requirements, less paperwork, more secure, and can be accessed from rural areas. 

Research Insights

User Pain Points

Banking institutions, although helpful in establishing checking and saving accounts and some financial accessibility, lack a plethora of features customers want and need.  

Three individuals were interviewed about their current and past experiences with financial institutions and mobile payment applications. Questions about whether they have a checking and saving account, whether they like their banking institution's features and other questions regarding accessibility to mobile payment apps were asked in depth. 

All three interviewees expressed pain points and concerns about the features they would like to see in a mobile banking application that is not offered by payment apps and their banking institutions. 

• “I wish I understood financial jargon and that I could easily learn how to be financially stable”
• “It would be really cool to open a checking account at a physical or online location and not have to present my ID to get verified or other paperwork”
• “My bank does not offer any crypto investments”
• “I had to download certain mobile payment apps because my friends have one or the other”
• “It’s annoying that banking hours don’t work for me as they are during my work hours”

Supporting Data

11 individuals responded to my survey: 

• 91% have a bank account and 33% have more than three bank accounts or more than 3 banks
• 100% stated that they want mobile banking as a feature; 89% want direct deposit to be offered; 67% want free checks and withdrawals
• 44% want to minimum balance requirements, FDIC insurance on their balances, and security; 33% look for low interest rates and free ATM withdrawals 

Feedback

The preliminary research suggests that individuals want mobile payment apps that offer more than just payment options. Individuals want a mobile payment app that is secure, innovative, allows them to invest, and most importantly makes them more financially literate. 

Landing on the Solution

Based on our target users’ pain points, these are the main features to include in Payclusive: 

• Teach people how to be financially sound 
• Make financial services accessible and inclusive 
• Provide a new way of banking 
• Integrate new technologies such as blockchain
• Provide low fees if any to all customers 
• Increase global financial access through digital identification 

Explanation of Solution 

To solve for the problems and challenges discovered during user-interviews and surveys, my proposed solutions are as follows: 

• Integrate a “daily trivia financial fact of the day” onto the app so that customers can become financially literate and financially stable. 
• Have an investment section on the app where individuals can learn about investing, learn about the different cryptocurrencies and invest in crypto. 
• Securing biometric authentication through the use of blockchain technology to eliminate the time it takes to verify someone and also to allow undocumented individuals to use the app. 
• Provide digital and physical debit cards 

Future Steps

I hope to continue working on Payclusive as I believe it can change many lives, including those considered unbanked, underbanked, and undocumented. With the use of blockchain technology, historically excluded groups from financial services will now have a chance to be financially secure. 

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