Jeshwanth Srinivasan

Client pitch · HID Global

Back In After a Lost Phone

A client pitch for a retail bank's mobile app.

Losing a phone meant a long, risky path back into the bank's app. I mapped the journey and pitched a shorter, safer one.

Role
Product designer, end to end
Status
Client pitch
Client
A retail bank
Platforms
Banking mobile app
Methods
Storyboarding, journey mapping, How might we, concept journey
Outcome
A proposed journey: seven steps after download cut to three

This was a pitch to a client. The bank isn't named, and no screens were built.

Why this case matters

This case shows how I turn a brief into goals a client can weigh, before any screens. The deliverable was a journey.

Problem

The brief: let customers who lose or replace their phone get back into their bank account through the bank's app.

After downloading the app, customers faced seven more steps. They had to recall a user ID and enter their date of birth. Then they dug a code out of their email.

What goes wrong without it

Every app switch is a chance for phishing. And with no prompt to remove the old phone, a lost device could stay linked to the account. For the bank, that is an identity theft risk on every lost phone.

Research

I started with a storyboard of one customer's bad day. Then I mapped each step of the current experience, with how it felt.

How I learned

  • Storyboard

    A customer loses a phone, buys a new one, and gets stuck signing in at a café.

  • Journey mapping

    Each step of the current experience, with an emotion curve and pain points.

  • How might we

    Pain points reframed as three goals for the new journey.

What I found

  1. Finding 01

    Onboarding was the low point.

    What I saw
    The emotion curve dropped after download and stayed low through user ID, date of birth, and the invitation code.
    What it changed
    Goal: decrease onboarding time by cutting steps.

  2. Finding 02

    App switching invited phishing.

    What I saw
    Opening email to find a code pulled the customer out of the app at the riskiest moment.
    What it changed
    Goal: keep the customer in one app, and add the second factor there.

  3. Finding 03

    Nobody cleaned up the old phone.

    What I saw
    Nothing prompted the customer to remove the lost device from the account.
    What it changed
    Goal: ask up front whether this is a new device or a replacement.

Research artifacts

Select an artifact to open it at full size.

One customer's bad day: a lost phone, a new one, and a sign-in that stalls at the café counter.
Storyboard One customer's bad day: a lost phone, a new one, and a sign-in that stalls at the café counter.
The emotion curve bottoms out between download and registration.
Current journey The emotion curve bottoms out between download and registration.
Three goals, each paired with a proposed change.
How might we Three goals, each paired with a proposed change.
Each solution sits under the pain point it answers.
Pain points to solutions Each solution sits under the pain point it answers.

Process

  1. 01Frame

    • Storyboard
    • Problem statement

    Output. One clear brief the team could test ideas against.

  2. 02Map

    • Current journey with an emotion curve
    • Pain points under each step

    Output. Where the experience dipped, and why.

  3. 03Reframe

    • Three How might we goals

    Output. Goals the client could weigh, before any solution.

  4. 04Propose

    • A new journey
    • Front-end and back-end touchpoints

    Output. A pitch the bank could evaluate step by step.

Approach

The proposed journey cut seven steps after download to three. The trade-off: the bank adds identity verification to its back end, and in exchange the customer never leaves the app.

Decisions

  • Ask first: new device or replacement. A replacement removes the old phone automatically, so the account is secure from the start.
  • Sign in with something people remember, like an email address or phone number, not a random ID.
  • Take a selfie as the second factor, with liveness detection, inside the bank's app. No email, no code, no app switching.
The curve stays up: choose new or replacement, sign in with something memorable, then a selfie.
Proposed journey The curve stays up: choose new or replacement, sign in with something memorable, then a selfie.

Principles I used

  • Error prevention

    Asking new or replacement up front removes the forgotten old phone.

  • Recognition rather than recall

    An email address or phone number instead of a user ID nobody remembers.

  • Aesthetic and minimalist design

    Three steps after download, down from seven.

  • Visibility of system status

    The customer sees the account is secure before they start banking.

Outcome

Status
Pitched to the client as a concept journey.
What it showed
The journey map turned one brief into three goals the client could weigh. Speed, fewer app switches, and no stranded old phones.
What I delivered
Storyboard, current journey, How might we goals, solution mapping, and the proposed journey.
What I'd do next
Prototype the three-step path and test it with customers who recently replaced a phone.