US military bank USAA is to locate 120 staffers at a new design studio in Austin, Texas, to focus on ways to improve the user experience of customers and staff using digital channels.
The design studio will work to improve the user interface across 250 different touch points for customer logging on to the company's electronic channels.
The new unit will be headed up Meriah Garrett, who joined the bank in December as head of design.
“It’s increasingly clear that digital tools will be an important way members will interact and do business with USAA,” says Garrett. “We have to be sure those interactions are intuitive and accomplish our members’ goals. We start by using empathy to understand their needs and work from that root to design a seamless experience across every USAA touch point.”
USAA is often viewed as ahead-of-the-curve in the online and mobile banking space. The bank was recently named the “Best Overall Javelin Mobile Banking Leader” by Javelin Strategy & Research for pioneering the use of artificial intelligence virtual assistants, and biometric login options.