Bank of Hawaii
Finding Branches & ATMs Made Easy
Project Overview
During my internship at Bank of Hawai'i, I redesigned the Locator page to integrate the Allpoint® ATM network and improve the overall user experience. While the existing locator was functional, it contained several friction points that quietly undermined the user journey.
To identify these issues, I conducted a heuristic evaluation and validated my findings through behavioral analysis using Hotjar. I then translated those insights into low- and high-fidelity wireframes, iterated based on user testing feedback, and delivered a final design that made it faster and easier for customers to find branches and ATMs — while reinforcing trust in the bank's digital platform.
RESEARCH
What are users currently struggling with?
While the existing locator fulfilled its core purpose, several subtle usability issues were creating unnecessary friction. To pinpoint these issues, I conducted a heuristic evaluation followed by behavioral analysis of Hotjar session recordings and heatmap data to validate my findings with real user behavior.
Obscured "Use My Location" Button
The icon lacked visual prominence, making it difficult for users to identify it.
Failure to Connect Icons with Meaning
Branch and ATM category icons were positioned so close to the distance text that users struggled to mentally link the icons to their location type. The spatial relationship undermined scannability.
Rigid Search Logic
Searching for 'Open Now' without first selecting 'Branches' or 'ATMs' returned a 'No Match' error with no clear explanation. The filter logic was not intuitive, and the error message didn't guide users toward a solution.
Low Visibility for the "Apply" Button
In the filter panel, the Apply button was visually disconnected from the filter list, causing users to accidentally tap 'Close' or 'X' without saving their selections — forcing them to start over.
Misleading Categorization
Branches like Private Banking (Residential Loan Office) require appointments and don't offer standard walk-in services. Listing them as regular branches — and displaying them as 'Closed' during business hours — was confusing.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Learning from Existing Research
To supplement my own findings, I reviewed established usability research on locator tools, particularly from the Nielsen Norman Group. Three key insights shaped my design direction:
"Even people who start out at a search engine will often prefer your site's locator tool for specific details, such as what services or amenities are offered." — Nielsen Norman Group
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
What are local competitors doing better?
I analyzed the locator tools of three local banks to identify feature gaps and opportunities. Three areas stood out as clear weaknesses in Bank of Hawai'i's current offering:
Notary service
Notary service
Design Explorations
As part of our design exploration, we created mid-fidelity wireframes to map out and refine layout and user flow ideas before moving into high-fidelity design. From the three concepts, we selected one direction and further refined it in preparation for user testing.
User Testing & Changes
Because of my internship’s time constraints, I was only able to observe the initial round of user testing with 10 participants from different age groups. Still, I was able to make significant changes based on their feedback before the next round of testing. Here are the changes I made:
Unified Service Filters
Users expected to find certain services under the ‘Services’ filter but were momentarily confused when they didn’t see them. To reduce friction and improve discoverability, we consolidated the two.
ATM Icon and Map Cartography
Users had difficulty recognizing the card icon as representing an ATM.
Additionally, when the map was populated with cartographic details, the icons for branches and ATMs appeared nearly identical, making it challenging to distinguish between the two.
Increased Checkbox & Current Location Clarity
Updated the color contrast and font size to improve visibility of Branch and ATMs checkbox. Gave current location a text treatment so it’s less confusing.
Final Designs & Recap
Reflection
This project taught me things I couldn't have learned from a personal project alone — namely, what it feels like to design within real constraints. If given more time, I would have liked to run a second round of user testing to validate the changes made after the first round. I would have also liked to oversee the handoff more closely — ensuring the Figma file was fully annotated and potentially recording a short Miro walkthrough to provide clearer context on the more complex interactions.
© 2026 Aveline Wang
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