As mobile banking encompasses an ever-increasing number of features, banks are navigating how not to lose the customer in the process.

Initially, mobile banking was a way for customers to check account balances on their phones, but most banks have added personal finance, investments and check deposit features in recent years. Banks are trying to replicate the branch experience within their apps, but they’re grappling with how to keep the user experience as simple as possible.

The fear of overwhelming the customer with too many functions is well founded. According to a recent J.D. Power survey of more than 17,000 customers, mobile banking app satisfaction declines as complex features stump consumers.

Andy Harmening, the consumer and business banking director at Huntington Bank, conceded that it can be hard to balance its app’s feel with its capabilities. To keep the app’s interface relevant, the bank’s user experience team tests different versions of the app and relies on user feedback through a variety of channels to make necessary changes, she said.

However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, so Huntington has opted for a personalized approach. Some customers can pick what notifications they want to receive, and they can choose to hide certain features they feel aren’t relevant, Harmening noted.

Meanwhile, digital-first challenger banks have begun using data analytics to personalize the app experience. MoneyLion founder and CEO Dee Choubey said the MoneyLion app suggests different services based on a customer’s individual situation, including their pay schedule. When funds are running low, it points to ways the customer can avoid overdraft fees.

“Every session is dynamic,” Choubey said. “The user is opting into us aggregating their banking and investing data. That’s what really allows us to give that micro, day-by-day instruction manual.”

The integration of shared services among banks, like peer-to-peer payments service Zelle, adds another potential user experience hurdle. Chris Ackroyd, director of product management at Zelle, said his team works with banks to allow customers to use Zelle as easily as possible, but banks have the ultimate say on how to embed the function within their apps.

From a tech vendor perspective, banks are slowly becoming more attuned to customer expectations. James Lanyon,vice president of strategy and innovation at digital agency T3, which works with banks and retailers on mobile apps, said banks, for the most part, have gotten better about pushing relevant offers to customers. The goal, he argued, should be to provide value to the customer.

“If I’m Chase or I’m Wells Fargo, I’m no longer thinking about how to just get accounts,” Lanyon said. “I’m no longer thinking about how to get people mortgages. I’m thinking about how to make people better investors.” 

As banks evolve their mobile features, the ability to personalize banking apps based on customer data will be key. “Being predictive in nature is going to create that better personalization without adding feature bloat or clicks,” Lanyon said. “There’s going to be a few [banks] that probably do a  good job of it, and then it’s going to be a big catch-up for the rest, [including] the regional and credit union spheres.”