OCBC to roll out smart text resizing in its app in English, Chinese to help seniors
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Users of OCBC's digital banking app can choose from seven text sizes, which include larger options that are easier to read.
PHOTO: OCBC
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SINGAPORE – OCBC is making its digital banking app more senior-friendly, by launching smart text resizing in English and Chinese to make it easier to read.
The bank said on July 3 that this will advance an industrywide push for inclusivity in digital banking. The new feature will be launched by the end of July.
“As Singapore transitions into a ‘super aged’ society, the feature aims to support seniors and users with sight challenges or limited digital confidence,” it said.
The bank noted that most banking apps currently available do not give users the option to directly resize text. Users can adjust the text size using their phone settings, but this has limitations, it added.
“To resolve these issues, OCBC’s solution adapts the app’s interface to the customer’s preferred text size and device’s screen dimensions,” it said.
Users can choose from seven text sizes, which include larger options that are easier to read.
The feature comes after a year-long effort that involved more than 100 engineers, designers and product managers, the bank added.
“It was driven by staff observations in recent years that many older customers struggled with the default text size and feared making mistakes while banking online,” it said.
With the new feature, hundreds of screens on the app have been redesigned. These include the screens for functions most used by seniors, such as account balance details, Money Lock, and Scan and Pay.
“In this initial roll-out, 70 per cent of the app screens have been covered, with the remaining to be completed by the first half of next year,” OCBC said.
Mr Sunny Quek, head of global consumer financial services at OCBC, said: “With almost 40 per cent of our digitally active customers aged 60 and above, it’s clear that designing for inclusivity is not just a nice-to-have – it’s a necessity.
“Smart text resizing may seem like a simple feature, but it is the latest in a string of meaningful changes in how we approach inclusive banking.”
He added that OCBC hopes the feature will encourage seniors who are on the fence to try digital banking again.
Mr Quek said that for those who are not yet ready, the bank has care ambassadors – staff who are fluent in at least two dialects – at some of its branches to help those who may not speak English nor Mandarin.
OCBC will also continue to keep some branches open on Sundays.
“All our channels remain open because banking should always be accessible to all,” said Mr Quek.
The bank said the feature was developed under the auspices of OCBC SeniorCare,
It complements other efforts to support elderly customers, such as the recent hiring of OCBC care ambassadors fluent in dialects to assist seniors at selected branches.
