Experience strategy / Financial services
Transforming Digital Banking for AAA / Auto Club Trust
Helping People Choose a Bank Account with Confidence
AAA Banking set out to help people feel confident choosing a bank account, whether they were long-time AAA members or new to the brand. The real questions customers faced were simple and human: Which account is right for me? What will it cost? What happens next if I open one? These are the moments that shape trust and drive decisions.
01 / Creative leadership
My Role and the Team
As VP and Executive Creative Director at Enlighten, I led a team of eight across UX, visual design, research, and business analysis. My focus was on shaping the creative direction and building the frameworks that made the customer journey clear and actionable. I kept the team connected from discovery through design, making sure we stayed aligned and moved forward together. I took direct ownership of the journey mapping and segmentation strategy, ensuring our work reflected both the needs of real people and the goals of the business.
Discovery and Problem Framing
We started by listening, mapping out what mattered most to three groups: AAA members considering banking, people new to AAA, and current bank customers. I turned insights from interviews and analytics into clear design criteria that shaped how we compared accounts and guided people to the right starting point. When we saw that most visitors left the homepage within a minute, and that we lacked data on what happened after login, it became clear: we needed to make choices simpler and journeys more visible.
Design Strategy and Execution
The real challenge was to make things clear, balancing what regulators require with what customers actually understand and need. We broke down the complexity into decisions that made sense to real people. For checking, we focused on what matters: how much to open, monthly fees, ATM access, interest, and how easy it is to get started online. For savings, we made the differences between accounts visible and practical. I made sure our designs put benefits and requirements side by side, so people could make informed choices without confusion. Every tradeoff was about supporting better decisions while staying fully compliant.
From choosing an account
to knowing what comes next.
Product detail
Put benefits and requirements together.
The product page connects the offer with account details, fees, common questions, and a clear opening action.
- Explain the benefit before the detail.
- Keep account requirements within reach.
- Make the opening action easy to find.
Switching accounts
Make the next steps feel manageable.
The switching guide turns a substantial change into three practical steps, with supporting instructions for each.
- Switch automatic payments.
- Move automatic deposits.
- Close the previous account.
Customer questions
Answer the questions that shape confidence.
The FAQ design organizes practical questions about opening and using an account, with service support and an opening action close by.
- Explain account-opening requirements.
- Support everyday account questions.
- Connect self-service with personal help.
05 / Connect strategy and delivery
Keep the thinking intact
through execution.
We faced the realities of technology and operations head-on, bringing together content workflows, calculators, and the demands of platforms like Fiserv and Ektron. I led the team through key transitions, making sure we kept our momentum and delivered quality as we moved from early sketches to final designs.
06 / The result
Deliverables and Client Outcomes
Increase in Apply Now clicks
and completed applications
We delivered a clear, client-approved direction and designs that made the differences between products and the steps for customers easy to see. Even with some tracking gaps after launch, early feedback showed that both customers and service staff felt more confident in making and guiding account choices. In the months that followed, Apply Now clicks and completed applications rose by 25 percent. By making actions clearer and reducing friction, we set AAA Banking up for continued growth and stronger service.
07 / Perspective
Reflection
A banking experience earns trust in the details: the fee someone can find, the account difference they can understand, and the next step they feel ready to take. My role was to give the team a clear framework for those decisions and keep that thinking intact as the work moved from discovery into design. AAA Banking shows how customer understanding, product clarity, and disciplined creative leadership can work together to make a financial decision easier.