Scotiabank - Financial Management

When was the last time you logged into a banking app and thought, “Wow, that was easy”?

That’s the expectation, right? But for many ScotiaBank Jamaica users, banking isn’t seamless; it’s slow, frustrating, and, for some, even untrustworthy. I wanted to find out why. So here is my process:

Platform: ScotiaBank Jamaica  

Device Type : Mobile (iOS & Android)

Research Methods: I carried out primary research by surveying and interviewing 11 Scotiabank clients, and complemented this with secondary research by reviewing user feedback from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

Link to digital version of survey : https://sprinkle-flyingfish-628.notion.site/1836481c41e180a19ac9fbb4ae27d6c6?pvs=105

feedback from IOS App Store and Google Play Sore

Some Interview Questions I asked to participants :

How often do you use the Scotia Jamaica mobile app?

What do you primarily use the Scotia mobile app for?

What challenges have you faced when using the Scotia mobile app?

What features do you feel are missing from the Scotia mobile app?

What motivates you to use a financial app like Scotia’s?

How comfortable are you with using mobile apps for financial management?

What financial goals are most important to you right now?

How can Scotiabank help you achieve these financial goals?

After exploring how real users interact with the ScotiaBank Jamaica app; what works, what doesn’t, and where frustration takes over. The questions focused on daily banking habits, pain points, and expectations, revealing key gaps in usability, security, and overall functionality.

From this research, I identified major challenges that impact user trust and efficiency, along with insights that highlight opportunities for improvement. Here’s what stood out:

The challenges and insights uncovered in the research weren’t just isolated frustrationsthey reflected deeper usability issues affecting different types of users in distinct ways. To better understand these experiences, I developed two key user personas that represent ScotiaBank Jamaica’s mobile banking customers.

These personas, shaped by real user feedback, illustrate how different needs, expectations, and pain points influence digital banking behavior; from tech-savvy professionals who demand efficiency to security-conscious users who prioritize trust.

1. Shanice Campbell - A 23-year-old Marketing Coordinator from Kingston, Jamaica, who is financially savvy and relies on mobile banking for budgeting, saving, and investing but is frustrated by slow performance, limited transaction history, and a lack of advanced financial tools.

2. Winston Clark - A 60-year-old retired civil servant who values security and stability in his finances but struggles with trust in digital banking, complex navigation, and poor customer support, preferring a more secure and user-friendly experience.

User research makes one thing clear: people don’t want to think about their banking app. They just want it to work.

For Shanice, that means an app that is fast, reliable, and gives her the financial tools she needs to plan for the future. For Winston, that means a platform that feels safe, familiar, and easy to navigate. Right now, the ScotiaBank Jamaica app falls short on both ends—but the solutions are within reach.

Here’s where the opportunities lie:

✅ Performance Optimization – Reduce crashes and improve response times for a frictionless experience.

✅ Security & Trust Features – Strengthen fraud protection and educate users to build confidence.

✅ UX & Navigation Enhancements – Make everyday banking tasks easier and more intuitive.

✅ Better Customer Support Integration – Offer live chat, FAQs, or direct support within the app.

✅ Expanded Financial Management Tools – Help users not just store money, but manage and grow it effectively.

A banking app isn’t just about transactions—it’s about trust. By bridging the gap between speed, security, and usability, ScotiaBank Jamaica has an opportunity to turn its mobile app into a digital banking experience that users can rely on, not just tolerate.

The insights are here. Now it’s time to design the solution.