Usability of the Capital One Mobile App
“Capital One Mobile lets you manage your credit cards, bank accounts, home and auto loans anywhere, anytime, from one place on your iOS device. Check account balances, pay bills, view payment activity and transaction details, set up notifications — and lots more.”
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/capital-one-mobile/id407558537?mt=8
I use Capital One Mobile on a regular basis to review credit card transactions, track/redeem reward miles, and check my credit report. Due to the great usability features of this app, tracking my financial wellness has become an enjoyable experience. Here is an outline of those features based on the five basic usability heuristics plus a review of accessibility:
Learnability
This app is very easy to use and understand. There is good visual feedback in the necessary places (loading animations, “connecting”, “checking for updates on your credit report”). There are clear indicators of affordance for identifying buttons, text boxes and checkboxes. The visual design pattern is consistent throughout with cohesive colors, text, icons, button, etc. I’ve never had to use the support feature, but help and documentation are clearly labeled in the main screen of the app taking you the clearly labeled/organized support options.
Efficiency
While experienced users will be able to navigate the app more efficiently, there are also a couple features that can be activated to further improve the experience. Security features can be set to multiple verification methods or quick touch ID for users with secure devices. A “Quick Balance Widget” can also be added for users to view their balance without signing into the app.
Memorability
Objects, actions and options are clearly displayed in the app in a way that reduces the user’s memory load. Labeling and navigation features help the user remember where he or she is in the flow of the app. There are also clearly highlighted icons in the credit report screen that display what features users are currently viewing.
Errors
I’ve haven’t ran into many errors on this app. I did forget my account password when I first installed it. I was walked through an easy process to create a new password and was quickly back in business. Beyond that, if the phone loses network connection, the app notifies you so you aren’t stuck wondering what’s going on.
Satisfaction
Beyond of my own satisfaction with the app, the rating on iTunes is currently 4.5 stars with more than 11,000 customers ratings.
Accessibility
While many accessibility issues with mobile apps are covered by the native settings in an iPhone, I dug around the Capital One app settings to find a couple features that can be changed for accessibility. There are options to change the language as well as the size at which account balance are shown. Not above and beyond, but clearly some accessibility issues were considered.