Case Study 04
Smart Cards
Empowering households to manage, issue, and track supplementary cards within families, all from a single app.
RoleProduct Designer
TypePersonal Project
FocusMobile, Fintech
Year2024
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Empowering households to manage, issue, and track supplementary cards within families, all from a single app.
Modern households prefer digital payments for shopping and managing allowances. A practical way to do this is by assigning supplementary cards linked to the primary account.
Giving digital allowances lacks control and transparency. Existing flows for supplementary cards are often complex. KYC of all members is time-consuming if users go for a full account. Very little customisation means users feel disconnected from their cards, resulting in low adoption.
Enable prime users to easily set up and manage supplementary cards with spending controls, all within the same app. Ensuring they feel confident, secure, and in control.
The goal was not just to add a feature. It was to make a family feel like a unit inside a banking app.
Two distinct users with different needs, different mental models, and different levels of control. The design had to work for both.
Akash Gupta, 36
Marketing Manager · Prime Account Holder
GoalsPriya Sinha, 20
College Student · Supplementary Cardholder
GoalsPrime user: someone with a bank account and proper KYC complete. Secondary user: a family member who may or may not have an account at that bank, for example children over 18, spouse, or parents.
I looked at both banking and non-banking apps to understand the family addition flow better.
They provide an option to add supplementary cards but as requests to be submitted, not in-app. Debit card visualisation is not very intuitive. Navigation in HDFC is particularly complex. Fintech apps are more intuitive but are mostly built for credit use cases.
Allow adding family members with controls like kids profiles, avatar addition, content settings, and preferences. The experience is more holistic. These platforms treat family management as a core feature, not an afterthought.
The benchmark for family management is not other banks. It is the apps families actually use every day.
In banking, rules are strict. Nothing can be assumed. Every design decision had to comply with existing regulations.
KYC Requirement
Mandatory for the primary cardholder. Supplementary holders only need basic information. The primary user bears all liability for supplementary card transactions.
Card Regulations
Cards can have custom visuals. Orientation can be changed but must contain the chip. Size and corner radius are fixed per ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 format.
Age Restrictions
Some banks require a minimum age of 15 or 16. Others restrict to adults only. No credit history is built for supplementary cardholders.
Four principles guided every design decision from the first sketch to the final screen.
Control Without Complexity
Users should feel in charge but not overwhelmed with decisions. Power should be accessible, not visible at all times.
Visibility Equals Trust
Always show where the money is going, who is using it, and what is left. Transparency is the foundation of trust in financial products.
Personal, Not Just Functional
Each card is tied to a person, not a category. The UX should reflect that emotionally and visually through customisation.
Progressive Disclosure
Only show complexity when needed. Keep the first-time experience clean, contextual, and fast.
Primary card addition flow
Alternate family member addition
Eight screens exploring the core flows before moving to high fidelity.
Home
Promotion popup
Cards: My card
Cards: Family cards
Step 1: Select member
Step 1: Add member
Step 2: Customise card
Step 3: Configure settings
Six screens covering the full journey from promotional discovery to card configuration.
Promotional Prompt
A contextual prompt that surfaces for first-time users when they are not on an action screen, such as the home tab. Does not interrupt the flow.
Family Cards Overview
Combined family cards and personal card at one place for easy management. Shows supplementary card holders, quick actions, and spend monitoring. The prime card does not show supplementary holder details.
Step 1: Select Member
Allows selection of already-added members with support for multiple selection. If a member is not yet added, this can be done directly without breaking the flow.
Step 1: Add Member
Collects only the basic information required for a supplementary cardholder per regulations. Mobile verification included for secondary card holder login.
Step 2: Customise Card
An avatar or picture can be added to give a personalised touch. This visual also shows up for the supplementary card holder in their app view.
Step 3: Configure Settings
Predefined templates for roles like Spouse, Parents, or Child. Optional to select. Options are grouped so they do not feel overwhelming. Easy selection with better visibility.
The scenarios that separate a good product from a great one.
Family member with an active card is deleted. Should not be allowed without explicit confirmation first.
Card used for a restricted category. Instead of a silent failure, the prime user gets a notification and can approve the transaction.
Maximum member limit reached. A clear empty or limit state shown when no more cards can be assigned.
Supplementary cardholder app experience. No edit options available. Tracking features only, so they can monitor spends and limits without controlling them.
UI could be improved with more focus on individual components and polish given additional time.
Screens for all edge cases can and should be designed before handoff.
Supplementary user flows deserve their own dedicated design pass.
User testing would validate whether the design solves the actual problems or just the assumed ones.