Recognised by Euromoney as CEE's Best Digital Bank in 2024, Akbank is Turkey’s second-largest private bank by total assets, providing a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. Known for its innovation and customer-centric approach, Akbank is regarded as one of the most technologically advanced banks in the region.
MagiClick has been a trusted digital partner of Akbank since 2001, playing a key role in shaping its online presence. Since 2009, we have been responsible for the continuous development and maintenance of Akbank’s website, ensuring it evolves alongside changing customer expectations and digital trends.
In 2024, Akbank asked us for a complete overhaul of its website to better align with modern user expectations, improve accessibility, and enhance the overall digital experience. The goal was to create an intuitive, high-performing, and customer-centric platform that meets the needs of diverse user segments.
UX Research & Strategy
Our UX process began with a deep exploration of user needs, business goals, and industry benchmarks. We structured the research into several phases:
Stakeholder Workshops
We conducted multiple intensive stakeholder workshops, engaging 50+ participants through several structured activities designed to gather insights into business requirements and expectations. These included:
- Discussions about the strengths and weaknesses of the existing website
- Interest & impact mapping exercises based on Akbank’s pre-defined user segments
- Persona analysis
- Definition of core success metrics
- 10-second impression tests of competitor websites
Benchmark Analysis
We analysed 40+ bank websites across 18 different UX and UI variables to identify common patterns, best practices, and areas for innovation & improvement. We provided detailed recommendations, highlighting effective design strategies as well as approaches to avoid.
User Testing & Information Architecture
To ensure that the new site structure and navigation met user needs, we conducted multiple rounds of focus groups & real-world scenario testing to uncover pain points and opportunities for improvement, as well as card sorting and tree testing exercises to refine the site’s structure based on real behavioural data.
Wireframing & Usability Testing
Our team developed extensive wireframes, and validated these wireframes through usability tests, refining the design to improve user satisfaction.
Full-Stack Development
MagiClick handled the entire front-end and back-end development of the new website, ensuring seamless performance across devices. The site was built on SharePoint CMS, offering robust content management capabilities and scalability for future enhancements. Our development process focused on:
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Optimised Performance: Fast-loading pages with efficient data handling.
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Responsive & Accessible Design: Ensuring an inclusive experience for all users.
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Security & Compliance: Meeting the highest security standards for financial institutions.
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Three-Tier Architecture: A structured web, application, and database layer, ensuring better scalability, security, and performance. The architecture was designed to align with SharePoint 2019 MinRole principles, with Akbank managing its deployment while MagiClick provided topological requirements.
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Database & API Integration: The platform operates on SQL Server Enterprise or Standard editions, with SharePoint’s RESTful API enabling seamless data exchange between systems.
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Caching & Performance Optimisation: Both output and blob caching were activated to improve performance, while database queries were minimised to enhance speed and efficiency.
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Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure: Post-approval, MagiClick provided detailed analysis and planning for high availability topology, disaster recovery (DRC), sizing, hardware, and monitoring.
UI Design
Leveraging the insights gathered from our UX research, we explored multiple design approaches to ensure the best possible user experience. We developed and tested several design iterations, each focusing on different visual and functional priorities, before finalising a modern, clean, and accessible design that aligns with Akbank’s brand identity while prioritising usability and engagement. The design system was structured for consistency across all digital touchpoints.