Speed and UX shape the app experience
Explore which actions feel lengthy, where frustration emerges and why a small task can still lead to a branch visit.
HSBC BANK ARMENIA / CUSTDEV
HSBC Bank Armenia: from customer barriers to a digital strategy
35 in-depth interviews with retail, SME and Premier customers: exploring mobile banking usability, adoption barriers and priorities for digital product development.
01 / ACTION02 / CONFIDENCE03 / EXPERIENCE
35in-depth interviews
40–60minutes per interview
3customer groups
3CJM scenarios
01 / CONTEXT
Brand trust and the digital experience
This project is set in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2024. The case concerns what HSBC Bank Armenia customers expected from the mobile app and internet banking at the time of the study.
A strong brand and trust in the bank provided a foundation for relationships, but the digital experience needed separate attention. Some customers did not know about available features; others encountered interface friction and compared the experience with local competitors.
The product team needed to understand where customers lost the ability or confidence to act independently. Some transactions felt too lengthy, others created fear of mistakes, while business and premium customers wanted capabilities tailored to their tasks.
The study connected everyday actions to expectations of digital banking. Its output was a foundation for product strategy: priorities for UX, customer education, business services and communication of digital capabilities.
Understand why customers turn to branches or support
The same request for human assistance can have different causes: a customer cannot find a feature, does not understand the next step, doubts the outcome or genuinely cannot complete the task online. Each cause calls for a different response—navigation, explanation, confirmation or a new capability.
02 / RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Understand the need before choosing a feature
- 01
Which tasks do customers perform digitally?
Explore real situations: making a transfer, opening a deposit, seeking advice and managing business accounts. Clarify the context and desired outcome of each task.
- 02
What prevents independent task completion?
Separate interface friction, missing information, fear of mistakes and functional constraints. Identify when customers switch to a call or a branch visit.
- 03
How do retail, SME and Premier needs differ?
Compare routine transaction speed, learning needs, business payment management and expectations of personalized service.
- 04
Which new features offer recognizable value?
Explore fast transfers, enhanced notifications and access to investment products through specific customer tasks.
- 05
How do alternative banking services shape expectations?
Compare expectations with experiences of Ameriabank, InecoBank and ACBA while keeping the task context comparable.
- 06
How can an insight become a product priority?
Connect a need to a UX or service change, its risks and a validation method. Develop a foundation for decisions that the team can build on after the study.
03 / HYPOTHESES
Three directions to explore
Uncertainty limits digital-feature use
Understand what creates a sense of control: clear guidance, a transparent result or confirmation from a member of staff.
Businesses need broader financial tools
Clarify the need for fast business payments, company account management and mobile access to those tasks.
04 / SAMPLE
Different groups, different digital tasks
The study comprised 35 interviews across three customer groups: 20 retail customers, 10 SME representatives and five HSBC Premier customers. The retail sample included different age groups and both users and non-users of online banking.
Retail customers
Everyday tasks, differences in digital experience and confidence in taking action.
Small and medium-sized businesses
Payments, corporate accounts and mobile management of financial tasks.
HSBC Premier
Personalized notifications and expectations of access to investment products.
Total interviews20 + 10 + 5 = 35
These group counts describe the research sample, not segment shares in the bank’s customer base. The 25–35 and 40+ insights concern retail customers; separate attendance counts for those age groups are not provided.
Recruiting retail and B2B audiences05 / METHODOLOGY
From a conversation to structured product barriers
01Research hypotheses
+
Define assumptions about speed, UX, customer education and business needs. Connect each hypothesis to an action that can be discussed in an interview.
02Interview guide
+
Prepare a semi-structured guide covering usage context, recent transactions, difficulties, channel choice and expectations of new capabilities.
0335 in-depth interviews
+
Conduct 40–60 minute discussions with the three customer groups. This format supports follow-up questions and a detailed account of the journey toward seeking assistance.
04Transcription and coding
+
Turn interviews into text, identify themes and group statements by tasks, barriers and expected value.
05Insight clustering
+
Compare recurring motivations and differences between groups. Preserve the connection between an observation, its context and the product implication.
06Journey mapping and competitive context
+
Explore transfers, deposit opening and advice, compare the experience with local alternatives and develop product directions.
The interview discussion framework
A methodological explanation: questions move from real experience to the reasons behind difficulties and expectations of a solution. This explains the approach rather than reproducing the interview guide or customer responses verbatim.
The most recent real situation
Reconstruct a recent task: why it arose, where it started and what outcome the customer wanted.
Sequence of steps
Explore the screens, actions and confirmations involved, where information was sought and which steps felt unnecessary.
The point of difficulty
Ask what was unclear or worrying, how the customer explains it and what happened next.
Channel switching
Understand why a call, branch or another app became necessary. Separate habit, a need for reassurance and inability to complete the task.
Expected assistance
Explore which instruction, prompt, feedback or capability would have helped.
Response to a hypothesis
Discuss a proposed feature through a concrete task and usage conditions. Ask what benefit the customer sees and what remains unclear.
06 / CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Three journeys where confidence matters
The study used journey mapping for transfers, deposit opening and advice. The interpretation below details the task, potential friction, product direction and validation approach. Numerical stage-by-stage drop-off figures are not provided in the materials.
01Making a transfer
Send money quickly and understand the outcome+
Making a transfer
Send money quickly and understand the outcomeToo many steps, an unclear status or concern about entering details incorrectly can make a simple transaction difficult.
Simplify the route, clearly show material details before confirmation and explain the transaction outcome.
Assess completion, understanding of confirmation and reasons for contacting support. Speed needs to be considered alongside clarity and control.
02Opening a deposit
Understand the terms and complete the application+
Opening a deposit
Understand the terms and complete the applicationCustomers need to understand the product terms, consequences of their choice and the next steps. Uncertainty can lead them back to a member of staff.
Provide a clear information and application sequence, explain relevant terms in context and make help accessible.
Evaluate whether customers understand the proposition and can proceed. Use an agreed prototype or an operational flow for validation.
03Seeking advice
Find an answer and retain confidence+
Seeking advice
Find an answer and retain confidenceSpeaking to an employee can be a way to confirm that an action is correct. Generic instructions may not address a specific concern.
Connect contextual prompts, micro-guides and access to a specialist. Assistance should be available alongside the customer’s task.
Assess answer clarity, repeat contact and the ability to continue the task after receiving advice.
07 / KEY INSIGHTSConvenience means speed,
Convenience means speed,
clarity and control.
Retail customers aged 25–35: less unnecessary effort
Younger customers expect fast everyday transactions. A branch visit for a small task creates frustration.
PRODUCT IMPLICATION
Prioritize shorter digital routes and clear completion feedback. Reduce unnecessary steps and explain which tasks can be performed independently.
Customers aged 40+: confidence supports adoption
Customers worry about mistakes and prefer confirmation from an operator or manager. Clear instructions make them willing to learn digital actions.
PRODUCT IMPLICATION
Build learning into the experience through short guides, contextual assistance, clear status messages and access to human help when needed.
SME customers: manage business banking on a phone
Entrepreneurs primarily want fast business payments and mobile access to corporate accounts.
PRODUCT IMPLICATION
Design around business tasks: preparing a payment, reviewing accounts and understanding statuses. A retail flow alone does not fully describe this need.
Premier customers: personalized digital service
Premium customers expect tailored notifications and mobile access to investment products.
PRODUCT IMPLICATION
Personalization should provide relevant information and a clear route to the service. The precise investment capabilities require separate product and regulatory assessment.
08 / COMPETITIVE EXPERIENCE
Understand expectations through alternatives
The research compared experiences of HSBC Armenia, Ameriabank, InecoBank and ACBA. Local alternatives helped explain which journeys customers considered convenient and why. The framework below explains how such comparisons can be interpreted.
The same task
Compare a transfer with a transfer, deposit opening with a comparable application, and help with a similar request.
Journey clarity
Consider step structure, action labels, explanations and outcome messages.
Access to assistance
Distinguish contextual guidance, self-directed learning and contact with staff.
Customer value
Use alternative experiences to explain expectations and develop hypotheses connected to a customer task.
The case does not publish bank rankings, transaction-time benchmarks or security ratings. The comparison provides research context for product hypotheses.
09 / RECOMMENDATIONS
Five digital strategy directions
The five directions below retain the study’s recommendations and explain the customer value, product logic and follow-up validation for each.
01Mobile app UXMake everyday tasks easier to understand
+
Make everyday tasks easier to understand
Focus redesign on fast transfers, clear onboarding and useful notifications. Explain the action’s status and the next step when customers need it.
Hypothesis validationAssess task completion, friction, understanding of the outcome and reasons for requesting help.
02Learning for customers aged 40+Reduce uncertainty with micro-guides
+
Reduce uncertainty with micro-guides
Develop short instructions for specific transactions. Offer help in context and retain a clear way to reach a member of staff.
Hypothesis validationEvaluate whether customers can repeat an action independently, explain its outcome and proceed with confidence.
03SME DashboardConnect business payments and accounts into a practical workflow
+
Connect business payments and accounts into a practical workflow
Explore simpler payment management and account analytics. The interface should follow an entrepreneur’s sequence of actions and make important statuses visible.
Hypothesis validationTest core business tasks on a prototype, overview clarity, navigation, error causes and requests for specialist assistance.
04Premier and investment servicesProvide a clear route to relevant capabilities
+
Provide a clear route to relevant capabilities
Consider integrating investment products and personalized notifications into mobile banking. Availability, product information and transaction requirements need separate assessment.
Hypothesis validationAssess service discovery, comprehension and completion of the relevant journey. Interview interest is not demonstrated demand or readiness to transact.
05HSBC Digital FirstCommunicate convenience and confidence
+
Communicate convenience and confidence
Build communications around everyday value, customer independence and understandable transactions. Messages must match the product’s actual capabilities.
Hypothesis validationTest understanding of the promise, recognition of a useful feature and progression to the intended action; compare the message with the quality of the actual flow.
10 / PRIORITIZATION
Validate decisions in the right journeys
The proposed follow-up logic connects recommendations to validation. Implementation timing and sequence depend on the product plan and team capacity.
Begin with frequent journeys and outcome clarity
Transfers, onboarding and notifications reveal the core product logic: can a customer find an action, complete it and understand what happened?
Test specialized solutions with the relevant audience
Evaluate micro-guides with people who need assistance, the SME Dashboard with entrepreneurs and premium features with the corresponding segment.
Develop solutions after validation
Compare customer value, implementation effort and observed test results. Establish a feedback process and reassess journeys over time.
11 / EXPECTED EFFECTS
Distinguish forecasts from measured outcomes
The case materials identify intended effects of the product strategy. These should be treated as objectives and hypotheses until comparable post-implementation evidence is available.
Expected improvement in service perception
Evaluation needs a baseline, comparable segments, consistent question wording and a follow-up after changes. The materials do not provide a numerical uplift measurement.
Expected reduction in routine-task contacts
Track contact reasons alongside independent task completion. Fewer contacts alone do not show whether a customer’s problem was resolved.
Forecast: +25% over six months
The source presents this as a forecast, not an observed result. Validation requires a defined usage metric, baseline period, customer scope and actual subsequent change.
Digital experience as evidence of the promise
Brand-image change requires separate perception research. Journey improvements and communications should consistently reinforce each other.
12 / OUTCOME
Customer independence starts with a clear action
The study revealed different sources of digital friction: younger customers value speed and less effort; customers aged 40+ need confidence and guidance; businesses want mobile financial tools; and Premier customers expect personalized access to relevant services. These differences informed directions for digital product development.
JOURNEYBARRIERHYPOTHESIS
This case describes qualitative research and product recommendations in the historical context of 2024. The 35 interviews reveal motivations and barriers rather than statistical shares of the entire customer base. The journey and validation detail explains the research logic. The materials do not establish implementation of every recommendation, a measured NPS uplift or actual mobile-banking usage growth.
FROM NEED TO PRODUCT
Where do customers lose confidence in your product?
Explore real customer journeys, identify barriers and develop testable hypotheses for the interface, service and product strategy.