Introduction
BECU engaged Slalom to reimagine their website into a modern banking experience that guides customers through key life and financial moments. The project focused on a new navigation system, and a special emphasis on credit card acquisitions.
Team
Slalom
2 Strategists
1 Designer
BECU
1 Designer
2 Researchers
2 Content Strategists
Scope
Design Execution
Two main design concepts were
explored, tested, and iterated with
stakeholder and user feedback,
ultimately enabling the team to define both the future state and interim enhancements for BECU.org.
Design Strategy
The design strategy leveraged the
Digital strategy toolkit to guide
research and facilitate workshops
including empathy mapping, journey mapping, and ideation exercises which directly informed concept development.
The digital strategy workshops focused on reimagining the website to deliver a personalized experience, guided by strategic pillars, core guiding principles, and an omni-channel vision to empower and engage users across all digital channels.
Digital Strategy
Timeline
Digital Strategy (4 weeks)
Design Strategy + Execution (16 weeks)
April 2025
August 2025
High Traffic to Support Center
Fragmented site navigation led to high support center traffic, as members struggled to find information and complete key tasks seamlessly.
Information Overload
Excessive copy and financial jargon resulted in information overload, making it difficult for users to understand offerings and make confident decisions.
Loss of Mission Alignment
Independent team structures created disconnects in the website experience, contributing to a diminished presence of their mission and community impact.
Current Challenges
BECU is facing critical challenges with a fragmented navigation driving customers to support channels, overwhelming and jargon-heavy content creating barriers to understanding, and siloed teams resulting in a disconnect from BECU’s core mission and community impact.
Your Member Profile
$24K
Invested in carbon offsets
1.5M
Members & families helped
1.5M
Members & families helped
Financial Health Check
Financial Planning Tools
4.8%
Average rate benefit
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
Become a member
Login
2% Cash Back Credit Card
1234 1234 1234 1234
Cash Back
Exploring ACME
We're glad you're here, how can we help you?
Match me with a credit card
Tell me about membership eligibility
Build my financial health
Plan for a big purchase
After (Future State)
Your Member Profile
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
1.5M members &
families helped.
Building Family Wealth
Learn more
Planning for a New Move
Learn more
More financial planning tools
Planning for a new move
Learn more
2% Cash Back on everything.
1234 1234 1234 1234
Cash Back
Credit Cards
Strategic Pillars
Member Activation
Digital Front Door
Digital Front Door
A mobile-first, intuitive entry point enabling seamless digital engagement, offering tools like chatbots and video banking.
Member Activation
Focused investment in engaging and empowering users through clear decision flows and scalable tools.
Personalization
Commitment to tailoring experiences to each user’s financial goals, powered by responsible data use and member consent.
Personalization
These pillars were co-created with BECU’s Marketing, Digital, and UX leaders and directly shaped key design decisions.
Design Strategy
INTERIM STATE
Tweaking the current website to align with industry standards on the existing CMS.
FUTURE STATE
The “Blue Sky” vision with innovative technologies, anticipating a new CMS.
Slalom started with the Future state and worked backwards to define the Interim state.
Discovery Interviews
Moderated sessions helped us understand the motivations, decision-making processes, and barriers influencing how prospects research, select, and experience a credit card.
Competitive Analysis
We benchmarked BECU against industry standards to identify market trends, best practices, and opportunities for differentiation, ensuring our solutions would be modern and competitive.
Card Sorting
A card sort helped us understand users’ mental models regarding financial products, enabling us to organize content in a way that aligns with user expectations and improves navigation.
Stakeholder Interviews
We engaged internal stakeholders across teams to uncover business priorities, clarify goals, and identify current gaps. This ensured the redesign would meet organizational objectives and foster cross-team alignment.
Research
In order to further understand user and business needs, we conducted research to ensure our design solutions were grounded in evidence and best practices.
User Needs
Prospects and members need clear access to rates, benefits, and fees, expect content to be organized by function and context (personal vs business), and value personalized support that aligns to their stage in the financial journey.
Business Needs
BECU seeks to surface financial health guidance, meet users at their life stage, and promote self-service to reduce support center traffic, all while enabling a modern, journey-based experience that supports key product initiatives like credit card launches.
Key Findings
Empathy & Journey Mapping
Mapped user motivations, pain points, and goals across key financial moments in the credit card journey.
How Might We...
Framed each journey step into actionable questions to inspire creative solutions and align stakeholders.
Crazy 8’s
Rapidly generated, sketched, and shared a wide range of ideas for improving navigation and the credit card experience.
Ideation Workshops
Design Criteria
Communicate Credit Union Value
Clearly articulate the benefits and unique value of BECU to users
Accelerate Needs Discovery
Enable users to quickly identify and clarify their financial needs
Deliver Contextual Support
Provide timely, relevant assistance to empower users with confidence at every step
Serve Journey-Based Content
Tailor info & recommendations to each user’s place in their financial journey
1.5M
Members & families helped
$2.3M
Invested locally in 2024
$2.3M
Invested locally in 2024
How can we help you?
Search or ask a question
What’s your goal?
What’s your situation?
What’s your timeframe?
Personal
Business
Switch to traditional banking
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
ACME
Personal
Business
Why ACME?
Login
Join Now
Borrow
Save
Invest
Trust
Spend
Nearest Location
Federal Pavilion Way
Use our pathfinder tool • 1 of 3 questions
Which product are you interested in today?
Credit Card
Home Loan
Car Loan
Personal Loan
I’m unsure what I need
Your Financial Health
Helping you stay on the right path
Financial Health Check
From increasing savings to reducing debt or to get help organizing finances.
Start now
Credit and Debit Counseling
ACME partners with GreenPath to offer free financial counseling.
Connect with a specialist
Life Stage Priority Tool
Answer a few questions, and we’ll direct you to the right resources.
Get started
Our Community
Your membership makes a difference
ACME is a member-owned, not-for-profit credit union. Our members’ needs are what’s most important to us.
$2.3M
Invested locally in 2024
4.8%
Average rate benefit
1.5M
Members & families helped
What do I need to qualify for membership?
See our impact
Don’t just take our word for it
Read about how the outcomes of our work support the financial health and wellbeing of members and communities.
Sustainability
Building a Sustainable Future
How we’re turning carbon footprints into Green Pathways.
Budgeting
How to adjust your budget for inflation
Learn how to adapt your budget when prices are high.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy with Purpose: Stories of Impact
Every donation, every volunteer hour, and every partnership tells a story.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about becoming a member.
How long does it take to open a ACME credit union account online?
Applying and becoming a credit union member online only takes around 10 - 15 minutes.
Is ACME free to join?
Can I become a member and open an account online with no money?
How do I switch to a credit union from a bank?
After I become a member, how do I apply for a credit union loan at ACME?
Is there a local ACME near me?
Contact us
We’d love to hear from you
Our friendly team is always here to chat.
Chat with Becca
Speak to our digital member consultant.
Schedule a call
We’re here to help.
Get connected
Visit the closest branch near you
Ballard Square
2232 NW Market St
Tellerless
Call us
Mon-Fri from 8am to 5pm.
+1 (555) 000-0000
Hi! I’m your digital member consultant.
Design Directions
CONCEPT 1: JOURNEY-BASED
CONCEPT 2: DIGITAL CONCIERGE
This idea leads with journey-based product exploration and
gives the current website a facelift.
Centered on a Digital Concierge powered by AI, this idea assists customers with personalized info & recommendations.
Slalom pushed this idea forward and explored iterations for testing.
A Prospect’s Journey
Lands on BECU.org
Notices chat box
Chooses a prompt
Types own question/topic
Discovery
Initial Engagement
Personalization
Return & Decision
“Match me with a credit card”
Shares preferences and needs
Sees personalized recommendations
Receives a temporary Member card
Returns using access code from Member card
Applies for credit card
Visits a branch with Member Card to complete process
Iteration 1
1.5M
Members & families helped
$2.3M
Invested locally in 2024
$2.3M
Invested locally in 2024
How can we help you?
Search or ask a question
What’s your goal?
What’s your situation?
What’s your timeframe?
Personal
Business
Switch to traditional banking
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
Explored an AI-driven match tool to help users identify their goals and needs, but found that a chat interface was not necessary and could detract from the search experience.
Iteration 2
Introduced prompt chips above the search box to guide users based on top searches, with products and offers displayed below; it did not address the needs of users who prefer to browse, nor did it clearly communicate BECU’s credit union identity and mission.
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
Login
We’re so glad you’re here.
Hi, I’m Becca. How can I help you?
Help me save money
Match me with a credit card
Tell me about membership eligibility
Search or ask a question
View our products, offers & services
Car Loan
Personal Loan
Credit Card
Home Loan
Checking
Business Loan
Shop local and earn 5% back in reward points.
New cardholders can earn 5% back in reward points.
View Offer
Financial health check.
Tools to help you learn more about the things you're invested in.
Explore tools
A spotlight on our impact.
Unlike traditional banks, we’re owned by our members.
See our impact
Support when you need it.
Get connected with our team with immediate support.
Find a branch
Iteration 3
$24K
Invested in carbon offsets
1.5M
Members & families helped
1.5M
Members & families helped
Financial Health Check
Financial Planning Tools
4.8%
Average rate benefit
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
Become a member
Login
2% Cash Back Credit Card
1234 1234 1234 1234
Cash Back
Exploring BECU
We're glad you're here, how can we help you?
Match me with a credit card
Tell me about membership eligibility
Build my financial health
Plan for a big purchase
Developed an interactive mosaic wall to showcase products, services, and offers while weaving in BECU’s story and mission.
Integrated the contextual AI concierge to support users based on their journey.
Your Member Profile
$24K
Invested in carbon offsets
1.5M
Members & families helped
1.5M
Members & families helped
Financial Health Check
Financial Planning Tools
4.8%
Average rate benefit
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
Become a member
Login
2% Cash Back Credit Card
1234 1234 1234 1234
Cash Back
Exploring BECU
We're glad you're here, how can we help you?
Match me with a credit card
Tell me about membership eligibility
Build my financial health
Plan for a big purchase
The chat interface with suggested prompts removes friction for interested visitors
Explore different parts of organization (personal / business banking, financial health, etc.)
Interactive Mosaic Wall
Stats establish credibility and community focus, cultivating trust
Interactive Mosaic Wall
Interactive Mosaic Wall
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
Become a member
Login
Becca
Hi! I’m your digital member consultant.
AI-Powered
Match me with a credit card
Welcome to BECU! Let’s find the perfect credit card for your needs. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?
Grace
Type your response...
Upfront messaging that system is powered by AI, with the option to switch to a live agent if wanted
AI Concierge language is human and friendly
Concept Testing
6
Participants
30
mins/session
Research Goals:
Explore user reactions to digital banking via AI vs human agent
Evaluate preferences for AI vs. traditional navigation
Understand user expectations and comfort levels with the “Member Profile”, whether it feels welcoming or invasive
Gather insights into how users anticipate managing their finances with AI in the next 5 years
Semi-structured Interviews
Moderated
Method:
Key Findings
Clear First Impressions
All participants appreciated the simplicity, clarity, and minimalism. The lack of clutter and the focus on clear CTA’s was a strong positive.
Personal Agency
Even though there's a high comfort using AI chat bots, people aren't ready to fully rely on it. They want helpful guidance, but also want control, personal agency, and freedom to choose their experience.
Personalization Requires Consent
“Member Profile" is a desirable feature, but needs to be reworded and more transparent on data collection.
NLP Chatbots Only!
Participants are more inclined to trust and engage with advanced AI (NLP) assistants over traditional chat bots; however, to fully trust and embrace these experiences, they need transparency about data use, visible proof of security, and clarity on AI’s role and capabilities.
FUTURE STATE
We successfully proposed a visionary concept, which is now being refined and championed by their AI team; our work equipped their designers and technologists with a scalable framework and a north-star vision to deliver innovative, personalized digital experiences for both members & prospects.
CONCEPT 2: AI DIGITAL CONCIERGE
$24K
Invested in carbon offsets
1.5M
Members & families helped
1.5M
Members & families helped
Financial Health Check
Financial Planning Tools
4.8%
Average rate benefit
As a cooperative, we bring people together to improve the financial well-being of our members and their communities.
Become a member
Login
2% Cash Back Credit Card
1234 1234 1234 1234
Cash Back
Exploring ACME
We're glad you're here, how can we help you?
Match me with a credit card
Tell me about membership eligibility
Build my financial health
Plan for a big purchase
INTERIM STATE
In the interim, we identified essential tools, content, and design enhancements needed to bring BECU.org up to industry standards, leaving the team empowered with actionable improvements to navigation, landing pages and credit card product initiatives for immediate impact.
CONCEPT 1: JOURNEY-BASED
See our Impact
Find Locations & ATMs
Get Support
Explore
Chat with Beca
What are you looking for?
Member Login
Join Today
🤝Member-Owned Since 1935
Banking that puts your goals first
Join a financial co-op that helps you achieve your goals with better rates, fewer fees, and a commitment to the local communities we help serve.
Read our member’s stories
Use our pathfinder tool • 1 of 3 questions
Which product are you interested in today?
Credit Card
Home Loan
Car Loan
Personal Loan
Checking
Business Loan
I’m unsure what I need
Your Financial Health
Helping you stay on the right path
Life Stage Priority Tool
Answer a few questions, and we’ll direct you to the right resources.
Get started
Financial Health Check
From increasing savings to reducing debt or to get help organizing finances.
Start now
Credit and Debit Counseling
ACME partners with GreenPath to offer free financial counseling.
Connect with a specialist
We’re owned by you, not shareholders.
The Credit Union Difference
We champion our community & planet.
Our Impact & Sustainability
We help you move money, your way.
Money Transfer Options
We invest in your financial wellness.
Explore Financial Tools
We reward your membership.
Explore Member Benefits
Visit your nearest branch →
Start a Live Chat
+1 (555) 000-0000
Accessibility
Careers
Fraud & Security
Privacy
Terms & Conditions
Newsroom
Need help with one of the following...
Open Account
Refer a friend
Zelle
Wire transfers
Credit cards
Savings account
Mortgages
Rates
Membership eligibility
CDs
Lost or Stolen Card
Routing Number: 325081403
© 2025 BECU. All Rights Reserved. Boeing Employees' Credit Union NMLS ID 490518
Federally Insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Opportunity Lender
Pushing Boundaries
Human-Centered AI Integration
By envisioning and prototyping an AI Digital Concierge, the project redefines how financial institutions can deliver personalized, context-aware support across the journey for both members and prospects.
The use of conversational interfaces places the user’s needs and intent at the center of every interaction.
