Online Banking..
After logging into the ScotiaBank website this morning to make an email payment, I discover the addition of an "Access Code" to help increase security for email transfers. Normally, I don't see this as a problem, but they force it to be a 5-8 digit NUMERIC code. wtf? Are we in the stone ages here? Almost no one can remember a 5-8 digit numeric code for longer than 5 minutes and will OBVIOUSLY write it down. I would love to run a redesign on a banking site, the usability sucks.. there are so many little things they can do to improve services. Simple things like color coding lines in your statement, or adding custom comments to transactions would be AWESOME, and can easily be implemented.
Of course I wrote them an email.. which they won't read, so I wasted 15 minutes of my life.
--- Letter to Scotiabank
While I understand the need for security, asking users to create an ALL NUMERIC access code is a terrible usability mistake. People will not remember it, and will most definitely write it down, thus undermining the purpose of the code. Who can remember a 5-8 digit number off the top of their head?
Why would you force NUMERIC over ALPHANUMERIC? As everyone becomes more used to remembering passwords, why would we step back 10 years and force a numeric password? If this password is also used from an ATM, it would make sense, however if only used online, this is a TERRIBLE usability decision. I work with usability online every day and see how people react to things like this. If you don't believe me, read "The Human Factor".
Other than that, there are many small things that scotiabank can do to greatly improve their service online. Remembering default sorting on the account page would be a huge improvement - who sorts to have their most recent transactions on the bottom?! Allowing user entered comments for transactions, or color coding, would be a HUGE move towards making banking easier for users. Instead of the nonsense comment "transfer to account 84345309583", imagine it said "transfer - mortgage"? Imagine I could color code all my mortgage payments blue, so I can see them at a glance, and know whether it's been taken out?
Don't get me wrong, Scotia has a decent site, but you can attract SO MANY MORE customers if your website actually works FOR the customer, instead of AGAINST them.
Don't take my word for it, ask your users.
----
Of course I wrote them an email.. which they won't read, so I wasted 15 minutes of my life.
--- Letter to Scotiabank
While I understand the need for security, asking users to create an ALL NUMERIC access code is a terrible usability mistake. People will not remember it, and will most definitely write it down, thus undermining the purpose of the code. Who can remember a 5-8 digit number off the top of their head?
Why would you force NUMERIC over ALPHANUMERIC? As everyone becomes more used to remembering passwords, why would we step back 10 years and force a numeric password? If this password is also used from an ATM, it would make sense, however if only used online, this is a TERRIBLE usability decision. I work with usability online every day and see how people react to things like this. If you don't believe me, read "The Human Factor".
Other than that, there are many small things that scotiabank can do to greatly improve their service online. Remembering default sorting on the account page would be a huge improvement - who sorts to have their most recent transactions on the bottom?! Allowing user entered comments for transactions, or color coding, would be a HUGE move towards making banking easier for users. Instead of the nonsense comment "transfer to account 84345309583", imagine it said "transfer - mortgage"? Imagine I could color code all my mortgage payments blue, so I can see them at a glance, and know whether it's been taken out?
Don't get me wrong, Scotia has a decent site, but you can attract SO MANY MORE customers if your website actually works FOR the customer, instead of AGAINST them.
Don't take my word for it, ask your users.
----
posted by qmnonic at
8:56 AM
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