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2024.07.12

The reasons why the “Yucho Passbook App” has garnered strong user support with over 10 million registered accounts in four years

The “Yucho Passbook App” allows Yucho Bank account holders to check their balances and transaction details anytime on their smartphones. Designed by FOURDIGIT, the app covers everything from user experience design to the front end. Since its release in February 2020, the app has remained committed to being “simple” and “user-friendly,” continuously adding features while staying attuned to user needs. In this feature, Yucho Bank and FOURDIGIT project members discuss their efforts since the release and future outlook.

Tatsuya KANAMOTO

Yucho Bank
Sales Division, Digital Services Department
Group Leader

Ryohei TOGASHI

Yucho Bank
Sales Division, Digital Services Department
Manager

Nozomu NITTA

FOURDIGIT
Executive Officer

Changes in Structure and Feature Additions Post-Release

Nitta:

The “Yucho Passbook App” was released in February 2020, and you, Kanamoto, joined right after its release, while Togashi joined in April 2022, right?

 

Kanamoto:

Yes. Between January and March 2022, we undertook our first major update. I was involved from the planning stage. As the number of users grew and the app’s presence in the company increased, we decided to assign additional members. Togashi was the first person to come to mind.

 

Togashi:

Before I joined, I was already using the app and found it convenient. So, I felt lucky to be able to work on it.

 

Nitta:

After the release, we first focused on establishing the essential banking functions and added features to make it more convenient. By March 2022, we had added mutual funds and transfer functions. Subsequently, we included ATM deposits and withdrawals, QR code payment features, links to household budgeting apps, and “Kotora transfers.” Most major banking services have been added, and we’ve finally reached a milestone.

Kanamoto:

Typically, we would request the features we wanted to add and, based on user interviews, propose ideas that enhance usability. We’ve repeated this process.

 

Nitta:

It was about more than just formal proposals; it was about discussing the direction together and visualizing it collaboratively.

 

Kanamoto:

We appreciated the many ideas you brought to the table.

 

Nitta:

Honestly, there were some concerns about whether the new project members would embrace the approach and service concept after the release, especially since the team had changed. However, everyone came in with a user-focused mindset, which made open discussions easy to maintain.

Togashi:

Thanks to that, we have most of the features. Since around September last year, we’ve been focusing on improving the UI/UX based on user interviews and considering additional features that make users say, “It would be great if we could do this.”

 

Kanamoto:

From the start, we wanted to avoid a cluttered design. The app is simple, with a clear and understandable entry point, making it easy for users to find what they want to do.

 

Nitta:

We maintained the base principle of being user-friendly and straightforward, as initially defined while adding features through repeated user testing.

 

Kanamoto:

There were discussions about turning it into a super app from the early stages. However, that would inevitably increase the complexity due to more features and connected services. We always prioritized whether the user finds it truly easy to use, so we wanted to avoid that complexity.

 

Nitta:

There’s often a dilemma in app development where business needs conflict with user simplicity. This was an internal concern as well.

 

Kanamoto:

We didn’t want to push our desires onto users. We aimed to maintain a clear understanding that what we create should always consider how users want to use it. By keeping this in mind, we’ve created an app different from those of other financial institutions.

Why We Achieved the Remarkable Milestone of Over 10 Million Registered Accounts

Togashi:

In February of this year, we surpassed 10 million registered accounts. This achievement is not only due to the support from our users but also because we received the Good Design Award in 2020 and the Top Publisher Award in 2024.

 

Nitta:

It’s impressive that the figure of 10 million refers to registered accounts, not just app downloads.

 

Togashi:

The significant growth in registration occurred after we implemented the essential features in January 2022. The increase in functionality and convenience was a significant factor.

Kanamoto:

Banking apps often struggle to capture the younger demographic, but our app has seen growth among users in their 20s and significant numbers in their 40s and 50s. While there aren’t as many older users, many senior citizens use Yucho Bank accounts, and we hope to make the app accessible to them in the future.

Togashi:

The percentage of active users who engage with the app at least once a month has consistently exceeded 70%. Most users check their balance and transaction details, indicating that we’ve successfully created pathways to the features they want to use.

 

Nitta:

Many companies aim to create apps that interact with users regularly, but seeing an app with such a high active rate is rare.

 

Togashi:

The Good Design Award commended us for our “user-friendly design and simple usability for all generations.”

 

Nitta:

By providing what users truly need, we’ve achieved these numbers and created room for further improvement. This ideal growth cycle is likely why the app has reached 10 million accounts by maintaining simplicity.

 

Togashi:

At release, the basic features were just enough to fit on the home screen. As we added more features, the app inevitably became heavier. However, careful consideration of UI has helped maintain the original concept, which has been very beneficial.

Nitta:

The team has a shared understanding of “simplicity,” which makes it challenging yet essential to incorporate new ideas without compromising the design. Even in such situations, we always listen to user feedback, asking questions like “Where should we add this feature?” and “Will it really be used?”

 

Kanamoto:

The design’s power to appeal to users in their 20s is significant.

 

Togashi:

The focus on user awareness has paid off. We don’t want to disrupt existing users by drastically changing the design or adding too many features. Listening to user feedback and doing what we want in alignment with that feedback is both enjoyable and rewarding for us.

Pursuing "Simple" and "User-Friendly" to Reach 25 Million Accounts

Nitta:

So, we’ve added more features and can now do a variety of things. The question now is, “What’s next?” The figure of 10 million accounts was achieved by prioritizing ease of use and eliminating unnecessary elements. The biggest challenge is maintaining that “simplicity” while adding new features.

 

Kanamoto:

The primary need is to “check balances,” so there’s no need to complicate that. Most other tasks are not things people want to do but rather things they have to do, which can be stressful. Therefore, we want to keep it simple so users can complete them quickly. Simplicity is key, and we want to continue this approach. However, because of its simplicity, users might not recognize all the menu options, so we need to be creative in addressing that.

 

Nitta:

We need to maintain the foundation while also adding a touch of playfulness.

 

Togashi:

Speaking of playfulness, “cat” are a great example, aren’t they? (laughs)

 

Nitta:

That’s a “Maneki-Neko” (beckoning cat), representing how Yucho Bank is close to everyday life, like a cat. Bank apps often seem rigid and complicated, so we wanted to create an impression that Yucho Bank is always nearby, allowing users to feel close to the app and gradually save money.

 

Togashi:

I see. We’ve received feedback that it “soothes” them.

Kanamoto:

It’s not fun to “check the balance and be done,” so we want to add elements of enjoyment within the simplicity. For example, some users have expressed interest in learning about finance so that we could consider mechanisms for information sharing and education.

 

Togashi:

Having opportunities like user interviews to hear directly from users is extremely valuable.

 

Kanamoto:

Surveys that gather thousands of responses are useful, but the live voices you hear yourself tend to stick with you.

 

Nitta:

Hearing the tone and warmth of the voice and seeing the person’s face helps imprint it in your mind.

 

Togashi:

You can really tell if someone “really dislikes” something or “really likes” it.

Nitta:

Incidentally, do we have set goals?

 

Kanamoto:

Our goal is 25 million accounts by the end of fiscal year 2028. It’s an ambitious number, but we don’t want to change our perspective. It’s about more than just having many users; we want to attract people who genuinely want to use the app and continue to value active users.

 

Togashi:

To achieve that, we are considering adding authentication features and integrations with other apps that would be convenient for users.

 

Nitta:

Regardless of what gets added in the future, our aim will remain “simple” and “user-friendly.” As Kanamoto mentioned, we want to simplify tedious processes and maintain a balance between things that are a bit of a hassle but worth doing, continuously providing what’s needed appropriately.

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