Improving Digital Banking Accessibility for Older Adults Who Visit Branches

The aim of this project was to identify the preferences and needs of elderly people who visit bank branches for using banking services, and to propose a design solution to improve their banking experience. The research revealed that a significant portion of clients visit branches out of habit—to have someone else carry out tasks on their behalf. This learned dependency undermines the independence and self-sufficiency of older adults—values they themselves hold in high regard. The project subsequently focused on this target group, guided by the principles of inclusive design to ensure the solution could have a broader impact.

Since most branch visits were justified by the non-use of online banking, and given that the transition to digital banking holds clear benefits for all parties, the focus of the project shifted to the question: how to better support this target group in adopting online banking?

The result is Juta (juta.onrender.com)—a web-based, AI-powered training tool for tutors such as bank advisors and digital mentors (Figure 1). Juta enables the development of tutoring skills through real-time feedback or simulation-based practice, with no need for prior training. It is complemented by a peer mentoring programme, which engages confident older adults to guide others, thereby amplifying the tool’s impact and reach.

These solutions offer banks the opportunity to use their existing branches and advisors to responsibly support the transition of older customers to cost-effective digital banking, while strengthening their digital skills and independence. The project contributes to greater digital inclusion and accessibility by combining modern AI technology with evidence-based instructional methods.

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