Modernising CommBiz in two weeks
Designed a high-fidelity proof-of-concept that demonstrated how Commonwealth Bank's outdated business banking app could match the quality of their consumer experience, delivered in a rapid two-week sprint.
Role
UI Designer
Team
Collaborated directly with CBA's business banking engineering team
Timeline
2 weeks (rapid proof-of-concept)
Tools
Figma
The challenge
Commonwealth Bank's CommBiz app was essential for business customers but visibly outdated. The disconnect from their modern consumer app was jarring. Traditional "high-code" development was proving too slow to deliver the modernisation the business needed.
The business problem
Could a low-code development platform deliver faster results for a critical, large-scale application? The business banking division wanted proof before committing.
The goal
Design a compelling, high-fidelity vision for a new CommBiz that aligned with the CommBank brand. This would serve as the official blueprint for a rapid low-code build and secure stakeholder buy-in for the approach.
My contribution
With a two-week deadline, there was no room for traditional discovery. The process was built on rapid collaboration and clear focus on the critical "happy path."
Facilitated the kick-off workshop
Worked on-site with the CBA team to audit the existing app, identify critical screens, review the consumer app for inspiration, and whiteboard the core flow.
Owned all high-fidelity design
Transitioned immediately into Figma, using daily checkpoints with the team to iterate at speed.
Supported development translation
Worked closely with the developer to communicate the design system and interactions as they built the POC in the low-code platform.
The solution
The goal wasn't to reinvent the wheel, it was to adapt the outdated CommBiz app to make it feel like it was part of their leading digital ecosystem. We took the proven patterns from CBA's modern consumer app and tailored them for business customer needs.
Dashboard built for business action
The new dashboard uses the consumer app's clean aesthetic as its foundation, then adapts for business priorities. A prominent "Outstanding Authorisations" section brings time-sensitive actions to the forefront. Tailored quick links address common business banking tasks. The result is visually modern and functionally superior.
Modern payment approvals with biometric auth
The payment authorisation flow was central to the happy path. We designed a clean list where users select one or multiple payments, then approve using Face ID. This single change transformed a core business process, making it feel fast and secure.
Responsive vision for tablets
The CBA team wanted to see how the experience would translate to larger screens. We mocked up key screens for tablet layouts, demonstrating that the design system could scale from phone to office tablet without losing coherence.
Results
We delivered a high-fidelity proof-of-concept in two weeks. Feedback from the Commonwealth Bank team was overwhelmingly positive. The vision successfully demonstrated a clear path for modernising CommBiz and aligned the business app with CBA's consumer product quality.
The POC achieved its design and technical goals. The broader initiative to adopt a low-code platform was later set aside due to internal business decisions unrelated to the design work. My contribution concluded with a successful handover of a compelling, validated concept that proved what's possible in a compressed timeframe.
Reflection
Constraints drive focus
Two weeks forced ruthless prioritisation. We defined the happy path clearly, ignored edge cases, and moved fast. The constraint was a feature, not a bug.
Daily checkpoints keep rapid projects on track
Without time for formal review cycles, frequent lightweight check-ins ensured we caught misalignment early and iterated in real time.
Design vision can outlive strategic decisions
The low-code initiative didn't proceed, but the design concept demonstrated what modernisation could look like. Sometimes proving the possible is the outcome, even when the path changes.
More work
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