Benefits of UX

User experience design isn’t exclusively the domain of app developers and web designers. Creating a successful UX can differentiate your firm, no matter how old fashioned the business. Banking giant Capital One Financial Corporation is a large bank in the United States, with ATMs and many credit card offerings has shown they believe in the business benefits of UX. This bank is investing in online user experience as a way to differentiate their services and offerings, as they have announced the acquisition of Level Money. This recent acquisition positions Capital One as a hub for assisting users with their finances through an intuitive app that helps users organize and keep track of their spending as well as their savings.

The acquisition is interesting, because the Level Money app works with many different banks – not just Capital One accounts. It allows users to see all their accounts, even if they are at different institutions, and keep track of all their transactions. The app makes it easier for users to create a budget and to understand where funds are being spent, and how much is available across different accounts. At the time of the acquisition, the app had already helped customers keep track of more than $12 billion in transactions, with more than 700,000 users of the app. The app will remain available, and the team will continue its work as part of Capital One.

This is the second time that Capital One has made it clear they see a business value in providing a strong user experience.  Previously, the bank showed their emphasis on user experience when they acquired UX consultancy Adaptive Path, who is now exclusively providing their consulting services within Capital One. Acquiring a full-scale UX consulting firm shows a core emphasis on valuing how user experiences contributes to the bottom line of a business.

Despite this approach from Capital One, many other businesses continue to place user experience as either an afterthought, or as a small portion of the overall app or website development process. While there are clear advantages, including the ROI of UX, the direction taken by Capital One remains in the minority amongst most large organizations. If you are interested in learning about ways in which UX can provide value for your organization or team, consider these UX training programs, which range from two-day workshops through longer-term UX Certificate programs. They provide a way to enhance your organization’s digital presence through a solid user experience.