Notts and Lincs Credit Union

The client 

Notts and Lincs Credit Union (NCLU) has been an ethical provider of financial services for over 25 years, with 10,700 members and three branches across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. 

Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, they offer a range of financial products and services to their members from all sectors, including both traditional banking customers and those who have previously been without access to banking services. Their members also have a say in how they operate and receive a share of any profits made.

Their services range from personal and debt consolidation loans to regular and  junior savings accounts. They also provide financial wellbeing support, including advice on money management, gambling debts and the cost of living.

The objective

We were tasked with building a website that would elevate the visual identity of NLCU, communicate their true value and deliver a user-centric experience – all of which would be the foundations for future growth.

The challenge 

Differentiation in a crowded marketplace is a difficult task. Which is why we needed a clear narrative that hooked people into the application journey, providing a seamless digital experience that maintained attention.

To meet user expectations and build a user-centric design, we needed to understand not just who these people are, but what they needed from a credit union.

NLCU’s previous website was slightly dated with limited flexibility over page layouts and significant performance issues, failing Core Web Vitals and having an overall speed score of around 50%. 

What we did  

Web development

We built a fully editable and responsive website using bespoke drag and drop blocks allowing unique page layouts to be created, providing far more freedom than their previous website.

Working with Viva IT, we integrated and styled custom built widgets, such as a loan calculator, which overall contributed to a high performing website.

User experience

In order to create a user-centric experience, we conducted collaborative research and discovery with the client to understand who their users are and their needs.

The process involved mission creation and a full redesign of taxonomy the full web experience, with a particular focus on the loan application journey. Due to the nature of the service, this had to accommodate different types of loans, as well as multiple legal and credit worthiness checks, all of which needed to be simple and effortless for the user.

User interface

We developed a user interface that reflected user needs and redefined the brand guidelines so that they adhered to web accessibility standards, while creating a clean, contemporary look and feel.

We achieved this by:

• Implementing a UI kit catered to delivering complex financial information in a clear and concise manner.
• Refining the loan application process with cohesive styling across all application forms, improving user comprehension and clarity.
• Establishing a new creative direction for the photography style that set a more relatable tone, reframing complex financial solutions to be more approachable.

Results

Our collaborative work resulted in a high-performing website for NLCU that reaches page speed scores of 90% on mobile and 100% on desktop. It also passes Core Web Vitals, while simultaneously focusing on the needs of its users, from relatability to the loan application process.