Quality of savings apps / sites

boingy

I think it's about time the banks got together and made one app that would do for all accounts rather than each developing piecemeal apps that all have different quirks, login methods and designs. As well as benefitting the customers it would also benefit smaller building societies who just can't afford to develop and maintain an app.

Does anyone remember the days when you couldn't just use any ATM? You had to use the one at your own bank. It feels like the same thing with apps at present.

dont_use_vistaprint

boingy said:

I think it's about time the banks got together and made one app that would do for all accounts rather than each developing piecemeal apps that all have different quirks, login methods and designs. As well as benefitting the customers it would also benefit smaller building societies who just can't afford to develop and maintain an app.

Does anyone remember the days when you couldn't just use any ATM? You had to use the one at your own bank. It feels like the same thing with apps at present.

Thing is there are standards for security  , multi factor, OTP, face recognition and on the whole APPS  like Chase, Barclays and HSBC dot it properly with a great UX built using Anglur or React , Chip is very close too. 

Sone of the others are very worrying it’s stepping back to 1997 internet sites , they each implement their own DIY security forcing you to write down or learn lots of memorable  words, login ids and passwords. 

It’s 2023 Passwords are no longer a secure way to do things, especially finance 

masonic

boingy said:

I think it's about time the banks got together and made one app that would do for all accounts rather than each developing piecemeal apps that all have different quirks, login methods and designs. As well as benefitting the customers it would also benefit smaller building societies who just can't afford to develop and maintain an app.

Does anyone remember the days when you couldn't just use any ATM? You had to use the one at your own bank. It feels like the same thing with apps at present.

Trouble is, it is not in their interests to make it easier for consumers to use their competitors' services. Most still work on a model where they try to entice customers into taking out many services as possible with the one bank.

Nebulous2

masonic said:

boingy said:

I think it's about time the banks got together and made one app that would do for all accounts rather than each developing piecemeal apps that all have different quirks, login methods and designs. As well as benefitting the customers it would also benefit smaller building societies who just can't afford to develop and maintain an app.

Does anyone remember the days when you couldn't just use any ATM? You had to use the one at your own bank. It feels like the same thing with apps at present.

Trouble is, it is not in their interests to make it easier for consumers to use their competitors' services. Most still work on a model where they try to entice customers into taking out many services as possible with the one bank.

As we have a like-minded community here, it is difficult to remember that we are extreme outliers. 

I may have 6 current accounts and 8 banking apps on my phone, but that is very unusual.

People at work contributing money to a present or something are still much more likely to use paypal or cash than to have a banking app on their phone. 

A single bank / account would still be the reality for most people. 

Millyonare

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Does this affect your decision much?

Quality of savings apps / sites

Always amazed when people ask this question. It is the most basic principle of usability science. It's a given. The lower the quality of an app or website, the lower the usage. The higher the quality, the higher the usage.

Humans are (basically) lazy. The more clicks and downtime they have to endure, the more likely they are to scroll away elsewhere to an easier, faster or less-painful bank experience.

Offer me a 5% saver at (say) First Direct or Nationwide, and I'm going to First Direct every time. The quality of their app / site / helpline is way superior to the clunky / bland Nationwide system.

friolento

boingy said:

I think it's about time the banks got together and made one app that would do for all accounts rather than each developing piecemeal apps that all have different quirks, login methods and designs. As well as benefitting the customers it would also benefit smaller building societies who just can't afford to develop and maintain an app.

Does anyone remember the days when you couldn't just use any ATM? You had to use the one at your own bank. It feels like the same thing with apps at present.

Sorry to disagree. It's a nightmare for me to think of a single app for all banks. To begin with, it would take ages to develop it, and it would be a bloated monster with a lot of features that are irrelevant for millions of consumers. It would also stifle innovation - not just technological innovation but also product offerings.The logical conclusion of one app would be one bank which truly would be a disaster.

Nobody would ever dream to suggest we should all wear the same make of clothes or drive the same make of cars or use the same TVs etc etc. So why would we want to restrict ourselves to having one banking app.

wmb194

Millyonare said:

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Does this affect your decision much?

Quality of savings apps / sites

Always amazed when people ask this question. It is the most basic principle of usability science. It's a given. The lower the quality of an app or website, the lower the usage. The higher the quality, the higher the usage.

Humans are (basically) lazy. The more clicks and downtime they have to endure, the more likely they are to scroll away elsewhere to an easier, faster or less-painful bank experience.

Offer me a 5% saver at (say) First Direct or Nationwide, and I'm going to First Direct every time. The quality of their app / site / helpline is way superior to the clunky / bland Nationwide system.

I think you've missed the context, though. The OP is worrying that poor quality sites suggest that an institution may fail, that its security and data retention processes are poor and, because the FSCS must be useless because it's British, that it could mean ultimately losing their deposits 

Bridlington1

lcooper said:

boingy said:

I think it's about time the banks got together and made one app that would do for all accounts rather than each developing piecemeal apps that all have different quirks, login methods and designs. As well as benefitting the customers it would also benefit smaller building societies who just can't afford to develop and maintain an app.

Does anyone remember the days when you couldn't just use any ATM? You had to use the one at your own bank. It feels like the same thing with apps at present.

Sorry to disagree. It's a nightmare for me to think of a single app for all banks. To begin with, it would take ages to develop it, and it would be a bloated monster with a lot of features that are irrelevant for millions of consumers. It would also stifle innovation - not just technological innovation but also product offerings.The logical conclusion of one app would be one bank which truly would be a disaster.

Nobody would ever dream to suggest we should all wear the same make of clothes or drive the same make of cars or use the same TVs etc etc. So why would we want to restrict ourselves to having one banking app.

I quite agree. Plus for me one of the great advantages of having multiple bank accounts is that if one suffers a technical issue, as so many do from time to time, and I can't get into my accounts for a couple of days, the chances are I will have plenty of accounts working as normal and thus I still have access to some money if needed. It would be a real pain if the only banking app went down for a couple of days with no alternative to fall back on. 

Barkin

TBH I don't give a monkey's how bland/fancy/clunky/slick a web or app interface is. As long as I can get online, and do what I need to, that'll do me. 

friolento

Bridlington1 said:

lcooper said:

boingy said:

I think it's about time the banks got together and made one app that would do for all accounts rather than each developing piecemeal apps that all have different quirks, login methods and designs. As well as benefitting the customers it would also benefit smaller building societies who just can't afford to develop and maintain an app.

Does anyone remember the days when you couldn't just use any ATM? You had to use the one at your own bank. It feels like the same thing with apps at present.

Sorry to disagree. It's a nightmare for me to think of a single app for all banks. To begin with, it would take ages to develop it, and it would be a bloated monster with a lot of features that are irrelevant for millions of consumers. It would also stifle innovation - not just technological innovation but also product offerings.The logical conclusion of one app would be one bank which truly would be a disaster.

Nobody would ever dream to suggest we should all wear the same make of clothes or drive the same make of cars or use the same TVs etc etc. So why would we want to restrict ourselves to having one banking app.

I quite agree. Plus for me one of the great advantages of having multiple bank accounts is that if one suffers a technical issue, as so many do from time to time, and I can't get into my accounts for a couple of days, the chances are I will have plenty of accounts working as normal and thus I still have access to some money if needed. It would be a real pain if the only banking app went down for a couple of days with no alternative to fall back on. 

Very good point, how could I forget potential downtimes! The potential consequences could be disastrous for the entire society.

A single app for all banks is just not a viable proposition, soz.