EastWest Platform — Jessica K

01 background.

Fast launch but generic result

“The goal wasn't to redesign everything, it was to find the changes that would matter most to users and do those really well.”

EastWest Bank used Backbase to go live in under a year. But the trade off, their product looked identical to other banks on the same platform. Working within Backbase's existing components, I proposed and made targeted changes to give EastWest that enable bank to improve their user experience quality.

02 users.

Who uses this and what they need

The type of users that using this EasyBiz. These users handle real payments under time pressure, often with different access levels.

Maker

Creates and submits transactions. Needs clear progress and confirmation that submissions are successful.

Checker

Reviews and approves transactions. Needs quick visibility of pending tasks.

03 identified problems.

Three key issues users faced

01

No brand identity

The large header left little space for EastWest branding, making the platform feel generic instead of trusted.

02

Stacked modal pop-ups on payment journeys

A second modal appeared on top of another during payments, causing confusion and errors at a critical step.

Result after implementation: transaction volume grows by 2x (from 2025 - 2026)

03

No clear visibility of pending approvals

The platform had less visibility to display pending approvals. Makers and Checkers couldn't see what was waiting for action.

🎙️ voice of customer: EastWest SME clients

“The purple looks so big and ugly, the ux on the landing page is not nice”

“You're aware of the ugly comment right haha, offering them a new face (dashboard) would be ok”

04 solutions.

Proposed solutions for identified problems

solution 01

Introduction to Dashboard and proposal to revamp the top design and side bar navigation

01 dashboard

Replaced the account overview list as the original landing page with Dashboard that aggregates financial data into one view, so users can track spending, monitor balances, and initiate actions at a glance without navigating across multiple screens and journeys.

02 side bar redesign

Proposal to upgrade the heavy OOTB purple top box with a vertical sidebar that creates dedicated space for EastWest's branding, giving the platform a distinct identity instead of a generic look.

Outcome

🌟 OOTB (instead of custom) dashboard implemented and live in Q1 2026

🌟 Initiated and influenced the redesign of Backbase Web Navigation, helping drive R&D team alignment and product improvements, and it launched in early 2026

solution 02

Full modal pop up design implementation on transaction journeys

Removed the double modal experience caused by Transaction Signing opening on top of an existing payment modal, reducing confusion during critical transaction steps.

Introduced clearer visual separation between payment stages; input, review, and confirmation, to help users better understand their progress within the flow.

Added a sticky footer displaying the total amount including fees, giving users better cost visibility before final confirmation.

Outcome

🌟 Contributing to transaction volume grew of 2x within a year (2025 - 2026)

solution 03

Approval Reminder for Makers & Checkers - Proposal

In business banking, accounts are often managed by multiple users with different roles and permissions. Some users can create transactions but cannot approve them, while others are responsible for reviewing and approving submissions. To improve the workflow experience, I proposed a reminder feature that highlights pending approvals requiring user action, helping checker-role users quickly identify and complete outstanding tasks.

Outcome

🌟 Adopted as part of OOTB Dashboard

05 key takeaways.

my role

As the sole UX Designer in the Backbase core team, I owned the end-to-end UX process. I translate client needs into user problems, designing flows, defining features, and presenting solutions to stakeholders. Working within Backbase's platform constraints, I focused on creating scalable product experiences that balanced user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility.

Each core team in Backbase consist of: Project Manager, Solution Architect, Business Analyst and UX Designer.

Outcome

🌟 Design work that influenced Backbase's core product

The sidebar work for EastWest surfaced insights I brought back to Backbase's R&D team, giving them a head start in feedback and in building their own navigation product, product now is available for implementation.

Design documentation showing sidebar navigation influence on Backbase core product

what I learned

Working within an established banking platform shifted the focus away from purely visual changes and toward solving deeper UX problems through information architecture, flow logic, and feature thinking. Platform constraints forced prioritization — helping identify which changes would create the most meaningful user impact.

This page is password protected.

Redesigning EastWest Bank's Business Banking Platform, EasyBiz

Fast launch but generic result

Who uses this and what they need

Three key issues users faced

Proposed solutions for identified problems

Introduction to Dashboard and proposal to revamp the top design and side bar navigation

Full modal pop up design implementation on transaction journeys

Approval Reminder for Makers & Checkers - Proposal