Planet centric design

How can we encourage S-Mobile users to invest more sustainably?

COMPANY

S-Pankki

MY ROLE

UX & Service Designer

EXPERTISE

UX/UI & Service Design

YEAR

2024

Project description

Our client, S-Pankki, wanted to encourage their customers to start investing and make more sustainable investment choices. This project was part of a Metropolia course on Planet-Centric Design.

Team

Project manager
Four UX/UI Designers (Including me)

Background

S-Pankki is a Finnish retail bank with over 3.1 million customers, yet only 2.4 million actively save or invest with the bank. Despite growing awareness around investing, the definition of "sustainable investment" varies between financial institutions, making it unclear to customers. At the same time, S-Pankki had been recognized as Finland’s most responsible banking brand for 12 consecutive years in the Sustainable Brand Index.

This project aimed to explore how sustainability could be more clearly communicated within the S-Mobile app, while also encouraging users to take their first steps into investing. The goal was to identify easily implementable solutions that create real value for both users and the business.

User problems

Many S-Mobile users did not know how to use their accumulated S-bonus.

—> To use them, you need a bank account at S-Pankki.

The definition of "sustainable investing" varies between financial institutions, making it unclear to customers.

—> S-Pankki does not classify investment targets according to sustainability, unlike its competitors.

My role

As a UX & Service designer my responsibilities included:

Conducting a competitor analysis to understand how responsible investment options are communicated and defined across the market.
To analyze the onboarding experience of the S-Mobile app, with a focus on how investment-related features are introduced to users.
Planning and facilitating design workshops to clarify and move forward in the design process.
Ideating easily implementable solutions with team for key user touchpoints to gently nudge users toward starting their investment journey or choosing more sustainable options.

Process

Following a planet-centric design approach, the project began with a systems-level perspective—considering the long-term environmental, societal, and economic impacts of investment behavior.

We explored how S-Pankki is perceived in terms of sustainability compared to its competitors, and how this is communicated through their website and S-Mobile app. In parallel, we examined the investment experience within S-Mobile, focusing on how users are guided to start investing and how responsible investment options are presented.

Research & Planning

The process began with a systems-level understanding—exploring how potential solutions might impact the environment, society, and the economy in the long term. A PESTEL analysis supported this exploration by helping us map external key factors shaping the context of sustainable investing.

I conducted background research into S-Pankki’s values, user demographics, and digital services. The competitor analysis that I conducted helped us understand how other financial institutions define and promote sustainable investing.

I analyzed the S-Mobile onboarding process to identify key investment-related touchpoints and uncover opportunities for improvement.

Additionally, we studied investment behavior and current trends through user interviews to better understand motivations and barriers to sustainable investing.

Key Findings

Many S-Mobile users were unaware of how to utilize their S-Bonuses—access requires S-Pankki’s online banking credentials.

I found that unlike its competitors, S-Pankki had not clearly defined sustainable investment options. Other banks used frameworks like Article 9 and ESG ratings to communicate sustainability.

Workshops & Ideation

I proposed, planned and facilitated a series of design workshops (HMW and NABC) to guide the team toward shared understanding and aligned thinking. These sessions helped structure our process and turn insights into tangible design directions.

We focused on identifying ways to make sustainable investing more intuitive, visible, and engaging within the S-Mobile app—especially for users new to investing.

HMW
To bring clarity and shared focus to the challenge at hand, I planned and facilitated a How Might We (HMW) workshop for our design team. The session aimed to reframe research insights into actionable design opportunities.
NABC
To evaluate and refine our early concept ideas, I facilitated a NABC (Need, Approach, Benefit, Competition) workshop for the team. The method helped us structure our thinking and assess each idea's value from both user and business perspectives.
PEStel
As part of our systems-level research phase, we conducted a PESTEL analysis to gain a broader understanding of the external factors influencing S-Pankki’s investment services.
HMW
To bring clarity and shared focus to the challenge at hand, I planned and facilitated a How Might We (HMW) workshop for our design team. The session aimed to reframe research insights into actionable design opportunities.
NABC
To evaluate and refine our early concept ideas, I facilitated a NABC (Need, Approach, Benefit, Competition) workshop for the team. The method helped us structure our thinking and assess each idea's value from both user and business perspectives.
PEStel
As part of our systems-level research phase, we conducted a PESTEL analysis to gain a broader understanding of the external factors influencing S-Pankki’s investment services.
HMW
To bring clarity and shared focus to the challenge at hand, I planned and facilitated a How Might We (HMW) workshop for our design team. The session aimed to reframe research insights into actionable design opportunities.
NABC
To evaluate and refine our early concept ideas, I facilitated a NABC (Need, Approach, Benefit, Competition) workshop for the team. The method helped us structure our thinking and assess each idea's value from both user and business perspectives.
PEStel
As part of our systems-level research phase, we conducted a PESTEL analysis to gain a broader understanding of the external factors influencing S-Pankki’s investment services.
HMW
To bring clarity and shared focus to the challenge at hand, I planned and facilitated a How Might We (HMW) workshop for our design team. The session aimed to reframe research insights into actionable design opportunities.
NABC
To evaluate and refine our early concept ideas, I facilitated a NABC (Need, Approach, Benefit, Competition) workshop for the team. The method helped us structure our thinking and assess each idea's value from both user and business perspectives.
PEStel
As part of our systems-level research phase, we conducted a PESTEL analysis to gain a broader understanding of the external factors influencing S-Pankki’s investment services.

Solutions

The final concepts focused on integrating investment guidance within S-Mobile, helping users start investing and make informed, sustainable choices.

We designed three concepts aimed at making sustainable investing more accessible, understandable, and actionable for S-Mobile users. Throughout the process, we prioritized solutions with the greatest impact relative to the effort required—focusing on concepts that could bring clear value with minimal implementation overhead.

Concept 1 -
Bonus-based CTA
A call-to-action placed below the user's S-Bonus balance, encouraging them to start saving so their bonuses can begin earning interest—lowering the barrier to first-time investing.
Concept 2 - Visual Sustainability Indicators
Based on a competitor analysis I conducted, I proposed displaying sustainability levels alongside risk and return metrics using intuitive visuals. This solution helps users quickly grasp how responsible an investment option is at a glance. By placing sustainability first, S-Pankki can strengthen its identity as a responsible brand.
Concept 3 -Portfolio Sustainability Overview
A visual breakdown (e.g. pie chart) of the user's current investments based on sustainability, offering a clear and motivating overview of their investment impact.
Concept 1 -
Bonus-based CTA
A call-to-action placed below the user's S-Bonus balance, encouraging them to start saving so their bonuses can begin earning interest—lowering the barrier to first-time investing.
Concept 2 - Visual Sustainability Indicators
Based on a competitor analysis I conducted, I proposed displaying sustainability levels alongside risk and return metrics using intuitive visuals. This solution helps users quickly grasp how responsible an investment option is at a glance. By placing sustainability first, S-Pankki can strengthen its identity as a responsible brand.
Concept 3 -Portfolio Sustainability Overview
A visual breakdown (e.g. pie chart) of the user's current investments based on sustainability, offering a clear and motivating overview of their investment impact.
Concept 1 -
Bonus-based CTA
A call-to-action placed below the user's S-Bonus balance, encouraging them to start saving so their bonuses can begin earning interest—lowering the barrier to first-time investing.
Concept 2 - Visual Sustainability Indicators
Based on a competitor analysis I conducted, I proposed displaying sustainability levels alongside risk and return metrics using intuitive visuals. This solution helps users quickly grasp how responsible an investment option is at a glance. By placing sustainability first, S-Pankki can strengthen its identity as a responsible brand.
Concept 3 -Portfolio Sustainability Overview
A visual breakdown (e.g. pie chart) of the user's current investments based on sustainability, offering a clear and motivating overview of their investment impact.
Concept 1 -
Bonus-based CTA
A call-to-action placed below the user's S-Bonus balance, encouraging them to start saving so their bonuses can begin earning interest—lowering the barrier to first-time investing.
Concept 2 - Visual Sustainability Indicators
Based on a competitor analysis I conducted, I proposed displaying sustainability levels alongside risk and return metrics using intuitive visuals. This solution helps users quickly grasp how responsible an investment option is at a glance. By placing sustainability first, S-Pankki can strengthen its identity as a responsible brand.
Concept 3 -Portfolio Sustainability Overview
A visual breakdown (e.g. pie chart) of the user's current investments based on sustainability, offering a clear and motivating overview of their investment impact.

Concept 1 - Bonus-based CTA

A call-to-action placed below the user's S-Bonus balance, encouraging them to start saving so their bonuses can begin earning interest—lowering the barrier to first-time investing.

Concept 2 - Visual Sustainability Indicators

Based on a competitor analysis I conducted, I proposed displaying sustainability levels alongside risk and return metrics using intuitive visuals. This solution helps users quickly grasp how responsible an investment option is at a glance. By placing sustainability first, S-Pankki can strengthen its identity as a responsible brand.

Concept 3 -Portfolio Sustainability Overview

A visual breakdown (e.g. pie chart) of the user's current investments based on sustainability, offering a clear and motivating overview of their investment impact. From the same view, users can easily adjust how their S-Bonuses are distributed across different investment options—making it simple to align their portfolio with their values.

Takeaways

By identifying key user touch points within S-Mobile, we ideated easily implementable solutions that gently nudge users toward starting their investment journey and making more sustainable choices. These improvements help S-Pankki to reach an accessible and relevant user group, existing S-Mobile users, who can be further engaged and nurtured into long-term customers.

By simplifying access to sustainable investment options and making it easier to benefit from S-Bonuses, S-Mobile can increase customer satisfaction and offer low-threshold ways to grow savings. This supports both financial empowerment and broader sustainability goals.

Customer feedback

"Metropolian opiskelijoista koostuva tiimi teki projektissa hienoa ja laadukasta työtä. Projektin lopputuloksena syntyneet S-mobiilin konseptit olivat konkreettisia ja ne oli esitetty niin, että niiden sisältämiä ideoita on helppo jakaa eteenpäin organisaatiossa.

Projektin aikana tiimi hankki tietoa kattavasti ja selvästi sisäisti yrityksen tärkeimmät liiketoiminnalliset tavoitteet. Liiketoiminnallisten tavoitteiden ja asiakasymmärryksen pohjalta tiimi onnistui kehittämään hyviä ideoita ja yhdistämään ne konkreettisiksi, digitaalisuutta tukeviksi konsepteiksi. Työn lopputulos oli laadukas sekä strategisen, palvelumuotoilun että UI/UX-suunnittelun näkökulmasta. Yhteistyö opiskelijoiden kanssa sujui hyvin ja heillä oli työhönsä ammattimainen ote."