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 jargon, no fiddly flows, and definitely no ‘techy bank speak’. Just an experience worthy of 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.