Overview

Managing money well is not simply a financial challenge but a capability challenge. Many people want to feel more in control of their finances, but often lack the tools, visibility, and confidence to build effective habits.

At Westpac Bank, I helped design a digital experience that enabled customers to better anticipate upcoming expenses, manage bills proactively, and develop stronger financial behaviours. Working within Westpac’s Personal Financial Management (PFM) program, I led the discovery, strategy, and experience design of several PFM features such as Bill Calendar.

The Opportunity

Research revealed that customers often struggled to keep track of recurring bills and upcoming expenses. Many relied on mental notes, spreadsheets, or separate apps, creating friction, uncertainty, and unnecessary financial stress.

This was not just a usability problem. It was a performance problem.

Customers needed timely support that would help them:

• Anticipate upcoming financial commitments
• Build stronger money management habits
• Feel more confident making financial decisions
• Reduce the mental load associated with bill management

The opportunity was to create an experience that embedded learning directly into everyday banking behaviour.

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My Role

As Senior Experience Designer, I worked across strategy, discovery, design, and validation. My responsibilities included:

• Conducting customer research and behavioural analysis
• Identifying capability gaps and financial confidence barriers
• Facilitating cross-functional workshops with product, marketing, and delivery teams
• Designing and testing the Bill Calendar experience
• Aligning customer needs with business and technical priorities

This role required equal parts research, facilitation, systems thinking, and behavioural design.

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Understanding the Capability Gap

Through customer interviews, data analysis, and journey mapping, several key barriers emerged:

• Financial information was fragmented across multiple tools and channels
• Customers often reacted to bills rather than planning for them
• Many lacked confidence in predicting future cash flow
• Existing banking tools provided information, but little proactive guidance

Customers did not need more data—they needed better support, clearer visibility, and stronger decision-making scaffolds.

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Designing for Learning and Behaviour Change

The Bill Calendar was designed using principles commonly found in adult learning and behaviour change.

Just-in-Time Support

Customers received relevant information precisely when it was needed, within the context of real financial decisions.

Scaffolding

Complex financial information was broken into manageable, actionable steps.

Habit Formation

Proactive reminders and visual cues encouraged regular engagement and forward planning.

Confidence Building

By increasing predictability and reducing uncertainty, the experience helped customers feel more in control.

Rather than teaching financial literacy explicitly, the experience supported learning through action.

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Collaborative Design Process

I facilitated a series of workshops that brought together stakeholders across product, strategy, marketing, data, and engineering.

Together, we:

• Defined customer behavioural outcomes
• Prioritised opportunities based on impact and feasibility
• Developed future-state journeys
• Validated concepts with customers
• Iterated solutions based on evidence and feedback

This collaborative approach ensured alignment while building shared ownership across teams.

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The Solution

The Bill Calendar provided customers with a clear, forward-looking view of their upcoming financial commitments.

Key capabilities included:

• Automated identification of recurring bills
• Visual calendar-based forecasting
• Upcoming payment reminders
• Improved cash flow visibility
• Proactive prompts to support planning

The experience transformed bill management from a reactive task into a proactive habit.

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Outcomes

The initiative delivered strong customer and business results:

• 6% increase in overall mobile app engagement
• 36% increase in engagement with financial management tools
• Contributed to Westpac regaining Australia’s #1 banking app ranking
• Strengthened customer confidence and financial planning behaviours

More importantly, it helped customers feel more capable and in control of their financial lives.