Overview
This case study explores the comprehensive redesign and development project undertaken by Kadabra IT for Santander Uruguay's website, santander.com.uy. Santander Uruguay, the largest private bank in Uruguay, required a top-tier digital solution to maintain its leadership position in the market.
Our objective was to address the bank's specific challenges and enhance the user experience, information architecture, compliance, and accessibility while providing ongoing support and future improvements.
The Challenge
To address these challenges, Kadabra IT executed a multi-faceted approach over approximately eight months in 2023, involving a diverse team of project managers, developers, software architects, testers, QAs, designers, and UX/UI experts:
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Speed Optimization: The existing website had performance bottlenecks affecting loading times and responsiveness. This was crucial to address as website speed significantly impacts user experience and SEO.
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Information Architecture: The website’s structure was convoluted, making it difficult for users to navigate and find information.
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Lack of Support: The existing platform, Drupal 7, was set to lose support in 2024, creating a significant risk for ongoing maintenance and security.
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Content Management: The bank struggled with creating and managing communication and marketing content.
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Governance and Ownership: Clarifying ownership of the portal and establishing governance protocols were necessary to ensure accountability and clear management.
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Roles and Workflows: Defining roles and users within the portal, including who publishes, validates, and deletes information, and establishing workflows for these actions.
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Support Reduction: Reducing the number of queries to the contact center by improving the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section to better guide users on platform usage.
These challenges required a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to ensure that Santander Uruguay's website could provide a seamless and efficient user experience while adhering to industry standards.
Solution + Implementation
To address these challenges, Kadabra IT executed a multi-faceted approach over approximately eight months in 2023, involving a diverse team of project managers, developers, software architects, testers, QAs, designers, and UX/UI experts:
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Discovery Phase
- Conducted multiple stakeholder meetings with managers across departments to gather insights into their needs and challenges.
- Analyzed the gathered information to create a user-centric interface with our expert group of UX/UI designers.
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Technical Implementation:
- Leveraged Drupal 10’s full capabilities to meet Santander Uruguay's requirements.
- Developed custom Drupal modules to address specific functionalities required by the bank.
- Ensured seamless integration with Santander Uruguay’s existing systems for a smooth transition.
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Key Features Implemented:
- Resolved performance bottlenecks, resulting in significantly enhanced website loading times and overall responsiveness. The PageSpeed Insights report indicated a remarkable improvement, with the website achieving a speed index of 2.5 seconds, which is faster than 90% of private banking websites.
- Reorganized the website’s structure to improve navigation and ensure users can find information quickly and easily.
- Transitioned from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 to ensure continued support and security, implementing robust features to address user queries and issues more efficiently.
- Developed new capabilities within the back office to enable the bank’s team to create and manage communication and marketing content effortlessly.
- Established clear governance protocols and clarified portal ownership to ensure accountability and effective management.
- Defined roles and users within the portal, and established workflows for publishing, validating, and deleting information.
- Enhanced the FAQ section to reduce the volume of support queries to the contact center by providing clear and comprehensive user guidance.
The Results
The redesign and development of Santander Uruguay's website by Kadabra IT led to significant improvements:
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Fastest Website: Santander Uruguay now boasts the fastest website among private banks in the country, enhancing user satisfaction and engagement. The website achieved a PageSpeed score of 95 out of 100 on desktop and 90 out of 100 on mobile.
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Enhanced User Experience: Improved navigation and information architecture resulted in a more user-friendly experience.
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Page Load Time Reduction: Reduced page load times from 7 seconds to 2.5 seconds, improving user experience and SEO rankings.
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Robust Content Management: The bank can now easily create and manage communication and marketing content.
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Accessibility Score: Increased accessibility compliance score from 60 to 95, meeting stringent financial industry standards.
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Reduced Support Queries: The improved FAQ section significantly reduced the number of support queries to the contact center, streamlining operations.
Key Takeaways
Our thorough discovery phase was crucial in understanding Santander Uruguay's needs, ensuring precise project estimation and alignment with their goals. By addressing performance bottlenecks, we made Santander Uruguay’s website the fastest among private banks in Uruguay.
Improved information architecture and user experience design have made navigation intuitive and user-friendly. Transitioning to Drupal 10 and implementing a robust support system has increased efficiency in addressing user queries and issues, while new back-office capabilities have empowered the bank’s team to manage content effectively.
Establishing clear governance protocols and workflows has ensured effective management and accountability. Kadabra IT’s ongoing support and development ensure continuous improvement and adaptation to future needs.