US BANK: CRISIS DESIGN
REPLACE YOUR CARD — REBUILDING TRUST THROUGH SIMPLICITY
1.8 → 4.8 star app rating improvement across 122K users
$25 saved per unnecessary card through optimized damaged card logic
Enhanced imported feature with strategic improvements for Partner Card users
Trauma-informed design for high-stress user moments
THE CHALLENGE
Partner Card's mobile app had a 1.8 rating. I was tasked with enhancing a card replacement feature being imported from US Bank's existing system, optimizing it for Partner Card users across web and mobile platforms.
STRATEGIC APPROACH
Card loss is more than an inconvenience—it's often tied to moments of stress, vulnerability, or uncertainty. I read about the cognitive impact of anxiety, especially how it affects comprehension and decision-making. I gathered user stories from real situations: cards that never arrived, wallets that were stolen, and moments when people panicked—afraid they wouldn't be able to pay for something important.
Advanced User Research Methodology:
Attachment theory integration - Designed for anxious, avoidant, secure, and disorganized attachment styles
Clinical accessibility mapping - ADHD, autism, vision impairment, color blindness, and anxiety considerations
Financial stress psychology - Across age ranges (20-67) and diverse life situations
Technology fluency spectrum - Ensuring inclusive design across all skill levels
Trauma-informed scenarios - From robbery victims to seniors with disabilities
These comprehensive personas grounded my design in trauma-informed UX thinking. I treated clarity and calm pacing as accessibility issues—and aligned each flow with those needs.
Each persona addressed specific trauma-informed design needs:
Devin: Robbery trauma requiring immediate confirmation and progress clarity
Greg: Color blindness requiring high-contrast, label-based navigation
Keisha: ADHD/vision impairment needing simplified, compassionate interactions
Eric: Autism requiring minimal sensory overload and predictable patterns
CROSS-TEAM LEADERSHIP
While enhancing the card replacement experience, I simultaneously:
Led coordination between mobile and self-service teams during competing deadline pressures
Created structured decision-making frameworks using weighted pros/cons scoring to align stakeholders across Partner Card and US Bank platforms in Figma
Managed platform-wide consistency issues by identifying and resolving design conflicts that affected both organizations
Coordinated design deliverables across multiple projects using agile methodology and Jira tracking
DESIGN STRATEGY: SMARTER FLOWS, BETTER OPTIONS
I designed flows for two key scenarios:
Replace Lost or Stolen Card, Never Received
Replace Damaged Card
Each version was adapted for both web and mobile, with platform-specific interaction needs and A11Y requirements.
LOST, STOLEN & NEVER RECEIVED
For Lost, Stolen & Never Received cards, I:
Customized the review transaction timeframe to mirror the date the incident occurred, reducing irrelevant transactions
Implemented the Back button to allow customers to adjust and edit information through the 7-step process
Added alerts to provide a smoother customer experience
Created a multi-digital card experience for customers when they receive their new card number to meet accessibility requirements
User
Web/Desktop
Cardholder type
Multi-card holder
REPLACE CARD DAMAGED
For damaged cards, I:
Reduced total steps and decision points
Introduced a critical cost-saving option: letting users choose not to reorder a physical card for themselves. This saved the bank $25 per card and reduced unnecessary waste.
Added expiry-based logic for cards close to renewal
On the final screen, reminded users that their digital card was instantly available—a friction-reducer for users, and a profitability win for the business.
Digital version
Web/desktop and mobile app.
Use case scenarios
Single card holder
EXECUTION: BUILT FOR DEVELOPMENT AT SCALE
I created annotated wireframes and user flows for both web and mobile versions, detailing accessibility guidelines and logic for edge cases. These annotations ensured consistency across platforms and helped engineers deliver faster, with fewer revisions.