How Capital One Nailed the UX Of In-Person Banking:
One of the worst habits I’ve developed over my time in graduate school is the excessive amounts of coffee I drink on a daily basis. Prior to starting graduate school, I would consume an average of one cup of coffee per day. Since the start of graduate school my average coffee intake has spiked to nearly 3.5 cups a day. Despite my new reliance on the bitter beverage, it has introduced me to something great. Down the street from my classroom is a place I look forward to visiting all day, the Capital One Café in downtown Boulder.
In an inspired move, capital one has partnered with Pete’s Coffee to build these Café locations throughout the country. Capital One doesn’t have many, if any, physical locations. Instead, they’ve created these café’s that act as branches where one could do their banking, ask financial questions, attend a workshop, or hang out and do work. Their website states: “We believe banking should fit your life. Not the other way around. It’s why we’re introducing Capital One Cafés in cities around the country.” (https://www.capitalone.com/local).
When I think of banks I generally think of a service which includes branches at which I can visit. This sometimes means making a trip out of my way for: long lines, ATM’s, or financial advisors. If for some reason I have the need to go to the bank to make a deposit, meet with an advisor, or open an account, I must go out of my way to visit a branch. Capital One has taken a different approach by making themselves available in a place people are already going, the coffee shop. What I love about these cafes isn’t the coffee or the coffee shop but the fact that Capital One has taken a service I think of one way and designed it to meet its consumers’ needs within their daily lives. Should someone have financial questions in their day, they only need to walk over to a Capital One employee in the café to ask. Want to meet with a Café Coach? You can fit it into your coffee break. Not only does this approach make the service convenient but they make it fun too. The café holds workshops, fun promotions, and they’re non-invasive. Not once have I been approached by Capital One employees trying to sell me on anything. They are simply there if you need them. I must mention, I do not currently bank with Capital One however, after going into one day in and day out perhaps that will change.
Capital One has taken the core values of user centered design and applied them to their service in a delightful way. Experiences like this one act as encouragement, as we reach the ends of our user experience program, of how significant an impact user experience design can have. It makes me happy to see that companies are finding new ways to make the lives of their users easier. If you have not visited a Capital One Café yet, I encourage you to check it out.
