Pictures make a thousand words in visual style Australia-first

Bankwest has reinvented terms and conditions in an Australia-first innovation, converting the Bankwest Easy Transaction Account product schedule into a visual-style T&Cs format to be more engaging for customers.

Bankwest conducted extensive testing on the Bankwest Easy Transaction Account product schedule last year with more than 900 participants to better understand preferences and document effectiveness.

The Visual T&Cs were found to be more engaging and easier to read, with 69 per cent of participants finding the format was far more preferred.

Bankwest developed its Visual T&Cs with the aim to reimagine and deliver key product information to customers in a more engaging style and manner than the traditional text formats often provided.

The result was a visual-style product schedule for Bankwest’s Easy Transaction Account, with key product information for customers, presented in a simple, friendly, and engaging manner.

Bankwest partnered with The University of WA Law Faculty, where Professor Camilla Andersen’s team investigated the concept of visual contracts as an “alternative to navigating through paragraphs of legalese”.

Bankwest also worked closely with accessibility experts to ensure the benefits of the refined document were accessible to as many customers as possible through the use of simple, plain text.

Bankwest Chief Customer Officer Paul Vivian said: “Customer needs are changing, and our research shows many customers don’t engage well with lots of text when choosing a banking product.

“The Visual T&Cs project has allowed us to reimagine how we present critical information to customers in a far more simple, friendly and engaging way to support them in improving their financial wellbeing.

“However, we’ll continue to produce the traditional style of contract to offer customers choice.”