PNC Bank - Virtual Wallet UI 2.0

Role: Sr. UX Designer, Credit Card and Home Lending Dept

Platform: Web UI, Adobe Illustrator and Sketch/Figma

Overview

I led the UX design for the Virtual Wallet redesign, PNC Bank’s flagship online banking platform. The goal was to create a modern, user-friendly interface that would appeal to new customers, while meeting strict ADA compliance standards. The redesigned experience launched successfully and now supports 2 million daily users.

Discovery & Research

Our engagement began with stakeholder workshops to understand business goals, user acquisition targets, and regulatory constraints. Key priorities included improving usability for first-time banking customers and ensuring WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

To inform the redesign, I conducted:

User interviews with both new and long-time PNC customers to map pain points in the current experience.
Heuristic evaluations of the legacy interface, revealing outdated design patterns and poor accessibility support (e.g., insufficient color contrast, non-descriptive button labels).
Competitive analysis of leading online banking platforms to benchmark best practices in onboarding, account management, and responsive design.

Design

Based on research, I defined core personas (e.g., “New-to-Banking Millennials” and “Mobile-First Savers”) and created customer journey maps to highlight opportunities for simplification.

Key design objectives:

Streamlined onboarding with a guided, friendly setup for new users.
A consolidated dashboard showing account balances, transactions, and budgeting tools in one place.
Clear, accessible call-to-actions to drive engagement with features like Savings Goals and Bill Pay.

I produced wireframes and interaction flows in Figma, incorporating feedback from cross-functional teams, including compliance and legal. A design system was established for consistency, and I collaborated with front-end developers to ensure ADA compliance using tools like Axe DevTools and manual screen reader testing.

Prototyping & Testing

High-fidelity prototypes were tested with a wide range of users, including those relying on assistive technologies. Key outcomes from usability testing:

Simplified navigation led to a 25% increase in task completion for new users.
The interface passed internal and external accessibility audits with full compliance.
Added a “Help Me Decide” tool for account selection, reducing support inquiries.

Design QA sessions during development ensured pixel-perfect implementation, and I collaborated closely with engineers to refine responsive behavior across devices.

Outcome

The new Virtual Wallet interface launched successfully and now supports 2 million daily users. Key results included:

30% increase in new customer sign-ups within 3 months of launch.
Improved customer satisfaction scores, particularly among first-time users.
Verified ADA compliance, enhancing inclusivity and reducing legal risk.

This project demonstrated the power of inclusive, user-centered design to drive both user engagement and measurable business growth.

The Team

Anna Shade - Project Manager
Seth Stork - Lead UX Designer
Jackie Kang - UX Designer