Three Factors To Consider When Designing A Banking Website
Today most consumers in Kenya spend most of their time on the internet therefore banks in Kenya like any other businesses and institutions must have a solid banking website.
However this doesn’t mean they should simply just put up a quick banking website just to be present online. Banking websites must have appealing web designs with essential elements that capture and retain their users’ attention.
In this article I will discuss three important things web designers in Kenya should consider when developing a banking website.
1. Who Is the Banking Website Targeting as Their Customers?
It is important to understand who the target audience of the banking website is. Who they are, why they will be visiting the website and what they intend to do on the website. A majority of the consumers will visit the banking website with a specific objective.
While some will visit the banking website to find out information on a banking product others will visit to access online banking. Therefore you need to understand that every user will definitely want their area of interest to be given priority.
This can be achieved by grouping information on a banking website targeting a specific group separate from information targeting another group.
As seen in the example above taken from the Commercial Bank of Africa website, they have separated information in 3 sections: Personal Banking, Corporate Banking and Investment Banking to target the 3 types of customers who may visit their website.
2. Visual Appeal and Brand Consistency Of The Banking Website
The look and feel of a banking website is very important to the users. It needs to appeal to them and achieve a balanced look and feel of the bank’s corporate identity.
This can be achieved by having a consistent design layout, good contrast for easy readability and use of visual imagery used in other media e.g. magazines, Television, Billboard so as to give the site an instant and familiar appeal with customers.
As seen on the above example taken from NIC Bank website, the bank has worked hard to achieve visual and brand consistency by using their corporate color (blue) and using video that they have been using on their T.V commercials. This immediately gives visitors to their site an instant appeal of familiarity when they land on the site.
3. Online Banking Should Be Easy To Find and Feel Secure on a Banking Website
Some of the users visiting the banking website will do so just to access their online banking. Therefore it is important to make this as simple as possible for the users. This can be done by making the option visible and easy to find throughout the website.
As seen on the above example taken from Diamond Trust Bank, they have made it very easy for people interested in online banking by placing the Login to DTB Online Banking on the sidebar of every page making it visible and easy to find when a user is on any page.
A Banking website must also remind the online banking users of how secure the site is. This is very important especially for the less-regular web users. They should also ensure that new users find information about the service and how they can register.
As seen on the above example taken from Diamond Trust Bank, they have achieved this by having a Learn more button at the top so that new customers can find information about the online banking service. They also make a great effort of assuring and advising users of their security before login to their online bank account.
Of course there are many other factors to consider when designing a banking website but the three highlighted on this post should never be ignored by banks in Kenya to ensure they have a solid online presence.