Putting a British institution into a banking app
Coutts set out to launch a banking app that felt as polished and premium as the brand itself. The goal was to make digital banking feel effortless – no corporate waffle, no fiddly flows, and definitely no techy banks speak. Just an experience that lived up to its 300-year-old reputation.
My role
I joined the UX team as the app’s sole UX writer, working with designers, researchers, product owners and stakeholders to make sure the words pulled their weight – and that everything felt cohesive, helpful, and quietly confident.
Here’s what I worked on:
Microcopy across the app – Clear, purposeful language that supported users without over-explaining
Tone of voice guidance – Principles that kept things premium, human, and consistent from screen to screen
Taxonomy and labelling – Naming things well, and in a way that made sense to users (not just the business)
Error messages – Avoiding the ‘oops’ clichés to sound calm, helpful, and on-brand
Financial terminology – Making sure the serious stuff stayed accurate – and understandable
The outcome
The result was a banking app that did what it needed to without overcomplicating things – clean, clear, and true to Coutts. The tone of voice guide gave the team a framework they could use and evolve with, helping keep everything consistent as the app grew.