“All great apps begin – and end – with the customer”

“The best business apps are the product of deep customer understanding, not clever coding.”

Jason Sweeney, Senior Digital Product Manager, HSBC

This is a remarkable story…

In Britain, stock market investment has long been the preserve of the privileged and super rich. However, HSBC discovered that at least one million UK customers have surplus money in bank accounts that earn no interest. Management believed that a simple app could encourage these customers to investing What’s more, a working app – avidly used by savvy investors – already existed in a number of HSBC’s Asian markets. It looked like a no-brainer.

The temptation to import the Asian app was immense. Thankfully, the bank resisted it. Why? Because, unlike the mature market in Asia most investors in the UK are hardwired to be cautious. And that truth explains why Jason Sweeney has just spent the last 18 months developing – from scratch – a suite of investment features to be added to HSBC UK’s banking app. 

Jason is a senior digital product manager at HSBC Wealth & Insurance, here in the UK. He is also the guest speaker at our February Breakfast Briefing. Around a private breakfast table, he will explain how extensive research on the bank’s existing Asian offering led to a series of prototype apps in this country. But UK customer testing revealed instant allergic reactions…

• Financial literacy was a serious issue – people simply didn’t understand the instruments or the language of finance, especially when it comes to making investment decisions.
• Fear of the unknown crippled confidence. Apps cannot offer investment advice, so novice investors became increasingly wary and risk averse. 
• The decision to not use a ‘winning product’ available elsewhere in the business had to be meticulously addressed and answered
• Manoeuvring the ‘minefields’ of risk and compliance was also a constant concern. 

A simply inspired idea had suddenly become a mass of complexities. During the first year, almost 80% of the effort was devoted to getting the concept and design right. Jason will describe, in detail, how his team devoted that time to researching customer mindsets… modelling winning strategies… profiling target investor groups… empowering informed decisions… and vaulting all the compliance hurdles. 

If you are responsible for creating and delivering world-class apps, reserve your free place at this senior executive breakfast table. We can promise you a masterclass.

28th February 2023

8.00 am GMT prompt start. 10.00 am hard finish

The Delaunay Private Dining room, 55 Aldwych, London WC2