Digital and debit card offerings get an upgrade
Bankwest, in partnership with accessibility expert Vision Australia, has made accessibility improvements to debit cards and the display features in the Bankwest app and online banking, as part of its continued investment in the digital experience for customers.
Bankwest incorporated and aligned a high-contrast colour palette across the bank’s digital and debit card offerings, to better enable low-vision customers to differentiate between – and identify – specific cards.
Not only were the customers’ cards in-app digitally enhanced, physical changes were also made to the actual card’s design, which now includes a rounded notch, making it easier to identify the card’s orientation.
The notch also makes it easier for customers to easily differentiate a debit card from other cards, such as a driver's license or public transport card, which according to accessibility experts, was a key challenge for vision-impaired people.
“Bankwest is committed to being a simple, easy bank, and we identified our digital and card experience could be improved for some customers,” said Peter Bouhlas (pictured above), Bankwest general manager products and digital services, in a media release.
“More than 97% of transactions by Bankwest customers are now conducted digitally, so it’s important we continue to invest in that channel and ensure the experience meets the expectations of all our customers.”
Bouhlas said the bank discovered in its consultation with Vision Australia that raised lettering on cards was not always an easy identifier, which is why they introduced high-contrast colours, as well as a notch, “to ensure a simple, seamless physical and digital experience” for low-vision customers.
“Importantly, we also engaged with customers who were not vision impaired to understand how the changes would be received by all customers, and the new design was overwhelmingly supported as modern and innovative,” he said.
Bankwest cards incorporating the new design features have already begun being issued to customers.
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