> I love Schwab's checking account product because it's highly functional. But, I don't think that it has mass-market appeal. It appeals to a rational buyer, not an emotional one.
Isn't that the wrong perspective on a financial product? I agree that good design is important, to a degree. Once a certain level is hit, you're not going to gain/lose very many customers based upon the UI.
I don't think anyone should favor one bank over another for emotional reasons Also, I'm not sure design differences qualifies as "emotional"; I think a better word would be "design" or "aesthetic".
If Bank A offers you a 4% interest rate on a loan and Bank B offers you a 4.1% interest rate on a loan, I think most people would pick Bank A over Bank B (assuming fee structures and customer service is more or less equal). Even if Bank B has a beautiful UI as opposed to Bank A's equally functional but okay looking UI.
A coworker looked over my shoulder as I was signing up for Robinhood checking today, saw the American flag debit card and literally yelled, "I NEED THAT CARD!". He signed up using my referral code, you have to learn that you're not the normal consumer.
> Even if Bank B has a beautiful UI as opposed to Bank A's equally functional but okay looking UI.
If only those were the options. I'm considering dropping one of my banks after their mobile-first aesthetic redesign that made their website drastically less functional. (Less information density, more clicks to accomplish anything, extreme non-obviousness of how to access various features.) It's been a year or two, and functionality remains significantly degraded compared to their old website.
By "emotional" vs. "rational" the parent is probably referring to the type of investor/trader that would use a Schwab account, meaning someone who understands the risks they are taking on and won't flinch when the market goes sideways. Nothing to do with UI or product design.
Isn't that the wrong perspective on a financial product? I agree that good design is important, to a degree. Once a certain level is hit, you're not going to gain/lose very many customers based upon the UI.
I don't think anyone should favor one bank over another for emotional reasons Also, I'm not sure design differences qualifies as "emotional"; I think a better word would be "design" or "aesthetic".
If Bank A offers you a 4% interest rate on a loan and Bank B offers you a 4.1% interest rate on a loan, I think most people would pick Bank A over Bank B (assuming fee structures and customer service is more or less equal). Even if Bank B has a beautiful UI as opposed to Bank A's equally functional but okay looking UI.