Banking that meets newcomers where they are.

A product built for Canada, not for newcomers.

Moving to a new country is emotionally loaded. The banking experience made it harder than it needed to be, starting too late in the journey and asking for trust it hadn't earned.

• No clarity before arrival. Eligibility was buried in dense copy. Users landed on a generic page with no sense of whether the product was even for them.
• The flow felt risky, not reassuring. Financial transactions in an unfamiliar system, often in a second language. Trust was low from the start, and the design didn't address it.
• No document prep before applying. Users hit unexpected document requirements mid-form. There was no way to prepare ahead, so they abandoned and didn't come back.
• Mobile was an afterthought. Most newcomers were on their phones, often before a Canadian SIM or home internet. The mobile experience broke in key places.

Three things that had to be true at the same time.

This wasn't only a usability problem. Drop-off was costing CIBC accounts in a growing segment. The design had to serve users and the business at the same time.

One journey, three clear steps.

The redesign collapsed a fragmented experience into three plain-language stages, so a newcomer always knew where they were and what came next, from before arrival to their first branch visit.

Screens that guide, not overwhelm.

Every screen had one job. Each moment in the journey was designed to reduce uncertainty and build the confidence a newcomer needs to keep going.

Step 01 · Landing page

A clear invitation, before anything else.

The landing page leads with one message: you can open a Canadian bank account before you arrive. Three icons, no dense copy, communicate the value in seconds.

A

A step-by-step process overview sits above the fold, so users understand the full journey before committing.

B

Newcomers needed to feel the product was built for them before trusting us with financial information. Clarity before complexity earned that trust.

Step 02 · Eligibility check

Three criteria. No ambiguity.

Eligibility used to live in a wall of text. We surfaced the three requirements visually, so users could self-qualify in under ten seconds.

A

Arriving in Canada, age of majority, valid passport plus UCI, each with an info icon for detail on demand.

B

If you don't qualify, you know immediately. Reducing time-to-disqualification matters as much as conversion.

Step 03 · Preparation gate

Set expectations before they commit.

Before the form begins, users see exactly what they need, how long it takes, and what happens after they submit, with a document checklist on the same screen.

A

Passport and UCI requirements, a 5-minute estimate, and resource links remove every surprise.

B

This screen didn't exist before. Front-loading it eliminated the mid-form friction that drove abandonment.

Step 04 · Responsive design

The same experience, on any screen.

Every layout decision was made mobile-first. The hierarchy doesn't collapse on a small screen, it reflows, keeping the journey clear at any size.

A

Eligibility criteria stack cleanly and the primary CTA stays sticky on mobile.

B

Most newcomers start this journey on a phone, often before stable internet. A broken mobile experience was a business problem, not just a UX one.

What this project reinforced.