Member Voices Interactive Installation
An interactive conversation starter for branch visitors
Client:
Project Outputs:
Service design integration
Team:
My roles:
experience design, research, concept development, paper prototyping, content strategy, copywriting, client presentations, user testing, quality assurance testing
What does the in-branch experience look like in a world dominated by mobile banking? First Tech Credit Union asked Second Story to create an interactive installation for their new Cedar Hills branch that would rethink the traditional banking model.
Member Voices asks visitors insightful questions that spark conversations about more than just money. What are your life goals? What matters most to you? What are your emotions around money? Branch visitors are invited to participate by handwriting or drawing their answers on a touch screen table. Submissions are shown on a large digital wall, creating a collage that represents the credit union community. The installation gives members a public voice and builds agency in the community as each participant starts to see money as a tool for pursuing what matters most.
RESEARCH
My research approach started by gaining insight from folks on the ground — branch managers and tellers. My colleague and I developed a workshop for a group of First Tech employees to gain insight into their vision for the new branch. I interviewed tellers about member pain points and the key financial concepts they wished members understood. I did an asset audit to understand how the credit union was already communicating and what engagement was like on social media.
The research insights helped us define two guiding insights for creating concepts:
How might we help members see their finances as a central tool for achieving their life goals and dreams?
How might we facilitate conversations that showcase staff as guides and cheerleaders alongside members as they seek to meet life goals and dreams?
CONCEPTS AND TESTING
Our team developed four initial concepts that I assembled into a deck for client presentation. The clients chose an interactive installation that asked members to write or draw responses to a series of prompts. I developed 30 prompts based on what we learned in research. I tested them with studio staff and with First Tech employees using a Google forms survey, then refined based on the findings and feedback from the client. Our dev and design team started prototyping the installation and, as the project moved toward higher fidelity, we worked together to bridge content and development. As a final step, I tested the interactive components for extreme uses and submitted final bugs and glitches to dev to prepare for install.
MEMBER VOICES INSTALLATION
The final product was a multifaceted installation that we titled Member Voices. It acted as a member community builder, a staff conversation starter, and a beautiful data visualization.
