Banking Personas for Digital Strategy Servus Credit Union
Methods & Outcomes
- In-depth member interviews
- Large-scale online survey
- Behavioural data analysis
- Persona development
- Strategic UX advisory
Team
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What if your bank truly understood why, and how people use it?
Highlights
Servus Credit Union is Alberta’s largest member-owned financial institution, known for its commitment to customer service and innovation. To inform strategic updates to its mobile and online banking tools, Servus partnered with DFFRNT to deepen its understanding of member behaviours and needs.
Through one-on-one interviews and a large-scale survey, DFFRNT developed evidence-based personas that reflect distinct banking behaviours, preferences, and digital readiness. The personas now support decision-making across digital design, service delivery, and customer engagement.
The Client
Servus Credit Union has a legacy dating back to the Great Depression. Today, it operates over 100 branches and serves nearly 380,000 members. As a top-rated Canadian financial institution, Servus is deeply invested in member experience and sought to back design decisions with behavioural insight.
DFFRNT was engaged to research and develop a comprehensive set of personas to support digital transformation efforts and help the organization better tailor products and services to its diverse member base.
The Challenge
Servus wanted to make informed, strategic updates to its digital banking tools. But it needed a clearer picture of who its members were, not just in demographics, but in behaviours, preferences, and motivations.
The goal was twofold: generate actionable insights about members’ banking habits, and create personas that could guide new service offerings, product development, and operational decisions.
"When considering fintech, it’s important to assess the technological readiness of the intended users. Personas are particularly valuable because they don’t represent an 'average' user; they illustrate the capabilities of several distinct user groups."
The Solution
DFFRNT began with a discovery phase, reviewing existing research to avoid duplication and inform new investigation. The team then conducted dozens of in-depth interviews with Servus members representing a range of ages, incomes, and locations.
Insights from the interviews shaped a follow-up online survey, which drew over 6,000 responses in just two weeks. The survey included a mix of behavioural, attitudinal, and preference-based questions.
DFFRNT’s researchers used both descriptive and advanced analytics to surface meaningful patterns. From these insights, they developed personas that captured member goals, financial habits, digital comfort levels, and communication preferences.
The Outcome
Servus gained a detailed and nuanced view of its members. Unlike standard market segmentation, these personas captured the “why” behind behaviours, what members are trying to accomplish and how they prefer to engage.
Personas included attributes such as domain knowledge, risk tolerance, service preferences, and banking channel usage. For example, a “Starter” persona might seek in-person reassurance, while a “Parent” persona values convenience and digital autonomy.
The personas now inform product design, communication strategies, and frontline service delivery. They were actively used during the redesign of Servus’ mobile app and website, and continue to serve as tools for aligning services to real-world member needs.
Key Takeaways
- Personas grounded in behavioural data provide richer guidance than demographics alone
- User research reveals how and why members engage with digital and in-person banking
- Quantitative and qualitative methods together create reliable, actionable personas
- Personas help frontline teams tailor their approach to diverse member needs
- Strategic design is more effective when anchored in evidence-based user insights
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