Banks have had to deal with a lot over the last few years. The pandemic jump-started a mass exodus from branch banking, forcing millions of customers to move to online banking, confused and frustrated. The banks had to focus on getting everyone relief payments, which took time and effort. While they were rushing to get everything online, the rise of the fintech startups quickly made competition that much harder. Your bank might be online… but is it enough?

Here are six design trends expected for 2022:

1. Designing for real people

There is a reason traditional banking websites all look the same. It’s called Bootstrap, and at one time it was the go-to solution to quickly create a responsive site with a lot of functionality and information. The downside was it created similar, dull-looking sites that became less intuitive as customers became more digital-friendly. Fintechs have been leading the charge to implement new and creative layouts for digital finance, focusing on making information user-centric and easy to use. We expect to see more custom-designed banking experiences this year.

Designing for people means designing with and for emotion, and we are happy to see it make its way into digital banking. No one wants to work with the classic template of a white background and a bunch of numbers. Where’s the delight in that? Introducing color, creative, and supporting illustrations, and conversational content adds comfort and warmth to the user experience, especially when we get into micro-interactions and complex transactions.

2. Mobile apps continue to get super

For the longest time, mobile design focused on one or two features because it would be too confusing to put more on such a small screen. Over the last few years, the rise of the ‘super apps’ – or apps that have multiple features – are slowly becoming the norm. Expect to see more of these apps, and an increase in the features that used to be ‘desktop only.’

3. A consistent ecosystem

One of the most frustrating parts of digital banking is the lack of consistency. Some banks have multiple apps for different features. Most provide digital banking services through a desktop, mobile, watch and an ATM application that all look slightly different and often have different experiences. A well thought-out and consistent experience across all devices removes the anxiety and stress of learning a new interface and allows customers to focus on the task at hand.

One of the key elements to a consistent experience is a robust design system. Design systems have become a popular topic over the last few years and will continue to be this year.

4. Get ready… the future is now!

Okay, it’s not now, but smart organizations are getting ready for it, and it will be here faster than you think. The next generation of digital interfaces are not mainstream just yet, but they are out there and gaining interest. These interfaces include AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), and MR (Mixed Reality). Much like the mobile-first approach, banks and fintechs need to start thinking about what features make sense for these upcoming technologies. Designers are starting to think about VR/AR designs and how they play into their design systems. For more information, please read our whitepaper: AR you ready?: A look into the future of Augmented and Extended Reality in the Finance and Insurance Industries.


5. Hyper-personalized experiences

Personalization has long evolved from the “Hi, firstname!” experience. With the rise of the ‘Netflix effect’ (products that learn and make recommendations), customers are expecting more from their digital experiences, including a breakdown, and merging of product silos like banking, investments, and insurance. Banks are starting to make use of the data they have about you and with AI (Artificial Intelligence), they can start making smart recommendations and assist with simplistic tasks.


6. Products for your wallet and your soul

This is not technically a design trend, but we would be remiss not to mention it. The rise of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) has given rise to ‘green banking.’ This means customers will have more transparency into the companies they are investing in, while demanding access to products that are socially and environmentally friendly. For more information, please read our whitepaper: ESG: Defining the future of sustainable finance.


At Capco, these are the conversations that fuel us. Every year we look ahead to what’s next in digital banking, and every year the landscape and the possibilities get more fascinating. If you want to talk more about how this can affect your organization – and how we can help you embrace the change – then email ian.lee@capco.com.