Early Direct Deposits

Banks typically hold paychecks for up to two days to process and verify funds. There's almost zero chance for errors to arise, meaning that most paychecks sit in purgatory for no reason. We eliminated the hold and made it easier to set up and manage direct deposits.

  • Project Role: UX Designer

    Year(s): 2020-2021

  • Banks typically hold paychecks for up to two days to process and verify funds. There's almost zero chance for errors to arise, meaning that most paychecks sit in purgatory for no reason. 

  • Give people their paychecks up to two days early. Plus, make it easier to set up direct deposit in order to get paid early.

Customer journey mapping

I collaborated with product and finance stakeholders to map the current and proposed early direct deposit experiences, focusing on pre-customer/account opening, direct deposit setup, the first early paycheck, and subsequent paychecks. This process revealed outdated and painful aspects of the existing direct deposit setup, prompting us to include a revamp in our early direct deposit initiative.

Refining scope

Using the customer journey map, I theorized the ideal experience. In a key stakeholder alignment session, I created a customer win drawing (pictured) to illustrate a positive customer experience, successfully advocating with stakeholders for including direct deposit setup simplification within the initiative. We then addressed pain points, especially in the direct deposit setup, while continuously aligning with stakeholders on scope. Balancing customer experience with feasibility, we began developing solutions.

We initially designed a direct deposit hub encompassing early direct deposit, existing direct deposit information, and setup methods. However, technical limitations prevented us from including existing direct deposit details.

The next iteration retained the new hub but deprioritized existing direct deposit information.

In the "Transaction Details" page, we intended to calculate and display the year-to-date salary earned from an employer.

However, this was descoped and moved to post-MVP. Instead, we focused on messaging around the early payment.

Final designs

Throughout the rest of 2020, we rapidly prototyped through new iterations towards creating final designs. We also tested designs with users by conducting virtual think-alouds followed by interviews. Additionally, we underwent review and approval processes to ensure design quality, legal compliance, and tech feasibility. 

Ultimately, our designs were completed in early January 2021 for a March release. 

The finalized setup home promoted two means of direct deposit setup, while providing a note about early direct deposits. 

We carried over the same typology on the "Transaction Details" screen to emphasize the early payment and link out to additional information. 

A full-screen modal provides more information about the initiative, surfacing as much information from the FAQs as possible while maintaining our brand voice. This was particularly an exercise in content strategy and information design. 

Results and next steps

A phased launch of early direct deposit to eligible checking accounts, completed on April 7, 2021, resulted in over $300 million delivered early across more than 250,000 transactions. Monitoring of call center activity and social media sentiment revealed positive customer feedback, with many praising the convenience. Future plans include scaling to other checking accounts and further innovating the direct deposit experience.