{"id":28896,"date":"2021-03-01T20:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T20:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3pillarglobal.com\/?post_type=blog&p=28896"},"modified":"2024-08-14T20:36:09","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T20:36:09","slug":"better-ux-design-would-have-saved-citibank-500-million","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.3pillarglobal.com\/insights\/blog\/better-ux-design-would-have-saved-citibank-500-million\/","title":{"rendered":"Better UX Design Would Have Saved Citibank $500 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Citibank committed one of the \u201cbiggest blunders in banking history<\/a>\u201d when it accidentally wired $900 million in payments last year to Revlon\u2019s lenders, when it only intended to send $7.8 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some good samaritan lenders returned the extra payments, others did not, leaving a $500 million deficit in the balance. What\u2019s more, a judge this month ruled that Citibank isn\u2019t entitled to that $500 million, so what was a user error is now a complete company loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ars Technica<\/a> summed up how the mistake occurred in the first place: \u201cKludgey software and a poorly designed user interface contributed to the massive screwup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re somewhat right. But poor user experience (UX) didn\u2019t just \u201ccontribute\u201d to the screwup; actually, it was the whole screwup. After studying the details of how this mistake was made and how it successfully made it through two reviews, it is clear that this mistake was entirely due to a poorly designed user interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem lies in what the users thought they were doing through the software (sending the principal of the loans to an internal wash account) and what they were actually doing (paying off all of the loans, including principal). The failure is actually much bigger than just the screen where the mistake happened.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n

Good UX is About More Than Just Functional Elements<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Most companies that build software think user experience is just about the functional elements. In other words, as long as there are buttons for all the actions the user can make, it\u2019s \u201cgood enough\u201d. When you build to a \u201cspecification\u201d, this is particularly common. Because the quality of the user experience is subjective, even if the specification says the software should be usable, it\u2019s hard to measure the level of usability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

User experience design requires knowledge of how the software will be used and what the user knows already (or doesn\u2019t know). It should also give the user clarity about what\u2019s going to happen when there are high stakes actions.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Citibank<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The team that built the screen above may have had a \u201cUX person\u201d on it, but the quality of the user experience was clearly considered low priority.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n

How Citibank Could Have Provided a Better User Experience<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To illustrate the difference, let\u2019s consider those \u201cAre you sure?\u201d pop-ups after you hit \u201csubmit\u201d or some other action button. If it pops up for something you don\u2019t care about, then it\u2019s just an annoying extra click. If, however, the action you\u2019re about to take is irreversible and can have major consequences, then the \u201cAre you sure?\u201d pop-up is a helpful catch point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even better would be a box that asks, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d and then explains the consequences of saying yes \u2013 a recap of what you\u2019ve told the software to do. This kind of catch point would be a lifesaver for major transactions like the one at Citibank. Good user experience design seeks to know the difference by getting into the mind of the user, their context, and the relative importance of the action they are taking with the software.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n

Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

UX isn\u2019t about just completing the feature; it\u2019s about building a product that consistently adds value to its buyers and users. Insightful user experience is a prerequisite for a product to do so. And it doesn\u2019t have to cost a lot either. Better UX could have saved Citibank $500 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 3Pillar Global, we believe that the quality of the user\u2019s experience is not just the domain of the UX team members. The entire development team needs to have a Product Mindset and understand the \u201cwhy\u201d behind the design. Each member of the team should care about the quality of the product and the end user\u2019s experience. In our work for clients, it\u2019s not uncommon for a developer to say \u201cthis doesn\u2019t make sense to me\u201d or for a tester to point out that they had a hard time completing a task or found it potentially confusing. And ultimately, this emphasis on outcomes and adaptability at every stage creates products that better serve users and generate more value for our clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about empowering global team members to design for the end user, click here<\/a> for a download of \u201cThe Product Mindset\u201d book or shoot me a note at scott.varho@3pillarglobal.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Citibank committed one of the \u201cbiggest blunders in banking history\u201d when it accidentally wired $900 million in payments last year to Revlon\u2019s lenders, when it only intended to send $7.8 million. While some good samaritan lenders returned the extra payments, others did not, leaving a $500 million deficit in the balance. 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