The new generation of digital banking
CA Teen: User experience and personalization
ABOUT THIS SUCCESS STORY
Crédito Agrícola Group has launched the CA Teen app, focused on young people aged 13 to 17, to encourage independent financial management. Developed by Xpand IT using .NET MAUI technology, the app offers a simple and personalized experience, guaranteeing control and security for legal guardians, while promoting financial literacy among young people.
SCOPE OF THE SOLUTION
.NET MAUI
Microsoft Azure
Personalization of the user experience
Control and security
The challenge: digital offering for the youth segment
The financial market didn’t have a specific digital offer for the young segment, aged between 13 and 17, although there was an unbundled offer of means of payment, such as charge cards.
So, as this is a generation in which mobile is their primary platform for interaction, and bearing in mind that the institution already had a prepaid bank card (called Great – GR8), which allows legal guardians to load the card and the young person some freedom to manage their money, Crédito Agrícola set Xpand IT a challenge. The main strategic objective was to materialize, through a mobile application, an innovative and appealing concept for the target group in question, with an engaging user experience and a substantial visual impact.
With a short time-to-market, the primary focus was to offer young people an app that would give them the freedom to perform specific actions on the app, such as asking for money, checking their movements, or charging their phone.
Specific digital offer
There were no specific solutions for young people aged 13 to 17 on the financial market.
Mobile experience
App that aimed to captivate this younger target.
Ease and control
Request money, check your balance and charge your cell phone easily.
The solution: custom application in .NET MAUI
Idealizing the Experience
The CA Teen app aims to give young people the chance to manage their money, gain independence, and get tips on managing their savings (financial literacy). It also offers their legal guardians the security of guiding them in this freedom in a controlled environment.
The Xpand IT team prioritized creating a concept centered on the target audience and their application use. Using a survey of users in the age group in question,
Xpand IT’s UX team developed a “zero clicks” concept, i.e., users should be able to use the mobile application almost exclusively with their thumbs.
Observing how young people interact with their favorite apps allowed the team to realize that this needed to be a simple, effective app that adapted to the way these users live – they typically interact with their phones in a mobile context, with friends and in a very dynamic way and, as such, the app had to keep up with their pace.
While on the one hand it was crucial to guarantee the utilitarian aspect of the application (giving young people the chance to carry out different financial operations), on the other, it was necessary to create an emotional connection. To this end, Xpand IT’s UX team focused on personalizing the experience:
- Young people can personalize their own names and those of their parents and other contacts (mom, dad, friends).
- They can add a photo to their avatar, edit the application’s background, or customize it by choosing different visual themes, making it tailor-made for them.
Realization with technology
In addition to devising the experience, the team had to ensure that the application had a robust technological foundation that would keep pace with the evolution of the product. It was developed with .NET MAUI, which allows you to create cross-platform applications for Android and iOS. With this Microsoft technology, we could guarantee usability, performance, and access to all the APIs provided by the different operating systems. With .NET MAUI, we were also able to reduce time-to-market without compromising quality.
The benefits: innovation and simplicity
Building an innovative, irreverent and daring application
One of the first in the Portuguese financial market.
Independence and financial literacy
The application allows young Portuguese people to work on their independence and financial literacy.
The first iteration
Allows young people to ask for money, check their movements and charge their phones.
Easy and quick to use
The application was designed to follow a “zero clicks” approach.
“The relationship of trust and partnership with Customers is built over time and, to this end, Crédito Agrícola intends to have digital solutions that support the strengthening of this relationship, with the support of our partner Xpand IT.”
Lídia Oliveira Sá
Director of Direct Banking, Crédito Agrícola
Technologies used
About Crédito Agrícola
Headquarters: Lisbon, Portugal
+627 agencies in Portugal
Mission and values
- Contributing to the social and economic progress of the regions, practicing proximity banking, with purpose and sustainability;
- Technological evolution and innovation to invest in solutions that mitigate the displacement of people.
Type of solution
- Project focused on user experience and personalization
- Flexibility for young users and parents
- Focus on security
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