UX/UI Redesign
Banking made easier.
BMO Redesign.
DURATION
2025.09
ROLE
UX/UI Design,
Research, Prototyping
TOOLS
Figma, Photoshop,
Procreate
PROJECT TYPE
Individual Project
Reimagining BMO’s mobile app into a modern, intuitive, and engaging banking experience.
The Bank of Montreal (BMO) is one of Canada’s largest banks, but its mobile app often feels outdated, cluttered, and unintuitive compared to modern financial platforms.
This redesign explores how BMO’s app can evolve into a more user-friendly, engaging, and holistic financial tool.
PROJECT GOAL
To reimagine the BMO mobile app with a clean, modern, and intuitive interface, focusing on improving usability, streamlining navigation, and creating a more engaging banking experience, while maintaining BMO’s strong brand presence through its signature blue.
The research, design, and
prototype.
Survey & Interviews to Define Users and Problem Framing
TARGET SEGMENTATION
Young professional who wants to build financial stability but finds banking apps confusing
Alex Chen
27
Marketing Coordinator
Login
Check balance
Budget/
Transfer
Savings &
Investing
Financial
Goals
Alex wants to save for travel and start investing, but every time he logs into the BMO app, he feels overwhelmed. He only uses it to check balances or e-transfer money because the navigation is complicated and the language feels too “banker-like.” He wishes the app could help him actually understand and manage his finances in a simple, approachable way.
We identified a pain point where BMO’s mobile app feels cluttered and difficult to navigate, making it hard for users to manage their finances. To address this, we redesigned the app with a cleaner, more intuitive interface that simplifies money management and highlights financial goals.
Simplified Visual Budgeting
Show spending insights and progress toward goals with clear, friendly visuals.
Plain Language Financial Guidance
Replace jargon with everyday language, making banking more approachable.
Goal-Oriented Navigation
Organize features around user goals (saving, investing, budgeting) instead of bank products.
“I just want to understand where my money goes.”
Current interface feels transactional, but doesn’t give a clear picture of spending and savings progress.
“Banking terms are confusing.”
Technical language and financial jargon make him feel excluded from financial literacy.
“I don’t know how to start saving or investing.”
Tools exist in the app, but they’re buried or intimidating to use, leading to avoidance.
USER PAINPOINT
WHO
Users who feel overwhelmed by BMO’s complex app experience.
HOW
By streamlining navigation and highlighting essential features with a clean, intuitive design.
GOAL
To create a simple, empowering banking experience that helps users manage their money with confidence.
MVP
GOAL 01
Reduce cognitive load and make key tasks accessible within 1 tap.
GOAL 02
Help users find information faster through clean hierarchy and better visual structure.
GOAL 03
Cut down friction in high-frequency tasks like e-transfers and bill payments.
GOAL 04
Give users a clear, friendly view of their financial health without jargon.
Banking made simpler: BMO Mobile Redesign.
The BMO app redesign focuses on simplifying the user experiences. By streamlining navigation and prioritizing essential features, the new design aims to make banking clearer, faster, and more intuitive—helping users manage their finances with confidence.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Primary
0074BD
Primary_01
68AFDC
31302E
FFFFFF
615D5A
ADABAA
DBDEE0
SF_Compact_Semibold_40
SF_Compact_Semibold_30
SF_Compact_Semibold_20
SF_Compact_Medium_20
SF_Compact_Regular_20
SF_Compact_Regular_14
SF_Compact_Regular_12
SF_Compact_Regular_10
BRANDING
Connection
Reasonability
Sincerity
Empathy
Familiarity
Simple
Continuos
Intuitive
While maintaining BMO’s core brand identity, the redesign primarily focused on enhancing usability and creating a more intuitive experience.
HOME - Faster Navigation
Streamlined navigation for quicker access to key features.
DETAIL - Clean UI
Cleaner UI for easier visualization.
INTERAC - Informative
All essential information is compacted with a balanced use of negative and positive space.
SERVICE
All bank services are consolidated in one place, making it easier for users to locate what they need.
HOME
BEFORE
Too much information leading to overwhelming the user
Too many clicks to get to action
Clustered UI
Dropdown selection of accounts
FAB: faster navigation for frequently used actions
Dropdown showing recent transcations
Overview of
account
Action buttons
DETAIL
Clear, minimalistic overview
Action buttons
Quicker way to retrieve info
Side scroll details
Legible design
Transaction details
Clean design, less clustered and overwhelming
INTERAC
E-Transfer made simpler and faster
Scrollable menu for easier navigation
Clean, minimalistic UI
Status of transfer
Filter to view the list as the user desires
Filter to view the list as the user desires
SERVICES
BEFORE
Too much information leading to overwhelming the user
Information is scattered everywhere making it harder for the users to find the information they want
AFTER
Dropdown menu categorizing the different topics making it easier for the users to find the specific information
Clean, intuitive, minimalistic UI
Dropdown
Here are two potential impacts of this redesign.
1. Improved Navigation and Efficiency
By centralizing all key services in one place, users can find what they need faster, leading to smoother navigation and reduced time spent searching for essential features.
2. Enhanced User Satisfaction and Trust
A cleaner, more intuitive interface helps users feel more confident and supported throughout their banking experience, ultimately strengthening their trust in the platform.
Overall, this project highlights the impact of strategic design in enhancing both usability and user confidence.
Through this redesign, I focused on improving navigation by consolidating key banking services into one accessible area and simplifying the interface to create a more intuitive experience. This process strengthened my understanding of how thoughtful information architecture and clear visual hierarchy can transform complex systems into user-friendly solutions.
