JT Anderson
jamestoddanderson@gmail.com773.251.6096

Brand & experience strategy / Financial services

Farmington BankFraming a Local Bank’s
Digital Experience

Challenge

Farmington Bank wanted its digital presence to feel as local and welcoming as its branches, bringing its community-first values into every online interaction. The RFP called for a proposal that could turn that brand promise into a real customer experience, with early concepts and a clear story.

My roleExperience design leadership
AgencyEnlighten
ScopeBrand and experience proposal
The proposed bank promise translated into story, product clarity, and useful access.View diagram ↗

Direction & collaboration

My Role

I led the experience design and shaped the story at the center of the proposal. My first step was to bring the team together, including designers, writers, and architects, at one table. We planned how every detail, from the first headline to the last navigation link, could create a sense of home and build trust with customers. My main goal was to make sure the bank’s values were present in every digital touchpoint.

From story to interfaceThree proposal concepts

Process and Concepts

We developed annotated sketches for:

A proposed banking homepage connected account access, branch finding, checking, mobile service, and BankU education.

Proposal concept · 01

Everyday banking, within reach

We presented it as a "personal financial hub," bringing together online account access, branch and ATM finding, checking information, and personal and business product navigation. Supporting modules introduced mobile banking and BankU.

We shared these early sketches to start a real conversation with the client. My job was to make sure every concept connected the bank’s story to something customers could actually use, and that design, content, and navigation worked together as one experience.

Narrative and Storytelling

This is your home.
This is your bank.

The story we told was simple: This is your home. This is your bank. I worked to bring that promise into every headline, every message, and every user flow. The goal was to create a real sense of welcome, so customers would feel at home and ready to take action.

Connecting the details

Design Rationale

We pursued visual and UX approaches that would:

  • 01

    Use full-screen regional imagery and warm color palettes to reinforce local identity.

  • 02

    Emphasize clear hierarchy, with bold, friendly headlines and easy-to-scan calls to action.

  • 03

    Integrate narrative and functional navigation so that every page reinforces trust and clarity.

  • 04

    Open each service area with a story or user benefit.

My job was to bring story, brand, and usability together, and to anchor the experience in something people could trust and understand.

The team and the proposal frameworkExplore the design materials
The proposed team placed experience design oversight alongside strategy, content, design, and technology.
The proposal established a shared role for the sketches: discussion, discovery, and refinement.

Proposal-stage work

Outcome and Reflection

We put the bank’s promise at the center of every digital touchpoint. Even though the work ended at the proposal stage, the process showed what can happen when strategy, team alignment, and customer experience come together in a regulated space. It reinforced what I’ve seen many times: a bank’s digital experience only matters if it makes its promises real for people, in every detail and at every step.

Strategy, design, and the experiences they make possible.Explore more work ↗

Original proposal