While the banking industry continually focuses on delivering a more accessible user experience, there are still sections of society that remain neglected. One of these is the blind and partially sighted. Patrick Brusnahan talks to the head of strategy at the RNIB about the steps that need to be taken
As user experience improves in quality with each passing year, through products such as mobile banking apps and contactless cards, there are some sectors of the market still not catered for; including the two million blind and partially sighted people living in the UK. In fact, some of the new services out there are making banking even more frustrating for the visually impaired.
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Steve Tyler, head of strategy and planning at RNIB (The Royal National Institute of Blind People) Solutions, told RBI: "The current state is that we’re doing pretty well, but there’s room for improvement. Today, we’re in a place where if you’re a blind or partially sighted person, you can approach any bank and get your statements or letters in Braille or large print or in audio. In terms of access of information, I think we’re doing pretty well."
There has been progress. This is largely due to the RNIB and the banking industry communicating more on the issue. Tyler said: "We’ve had some major breakthroughs around talking ATMs and we’ve got a bunch of commitments from the industry around making more of those available in more locations. We’re expecting that by 2016, or the end of 2016, pretty much every location will have at least one accessible cash dispenser."
Despite the advancements made recently, there are still hurdles that need to be addressed. Tyler highlighted the most crucial three.
Firstly, banks have to understand that all customers are different and everyone has their own particular needs. This includes staff at branches being informed of the options available for the visually impaired so they can, in turn, inform consumers.
Tyler added: "Blind and partially sighted people are, first and foremost, individuals and they want to be treated as genuine customers. They want to be treated with respect and dignity. A lot of that comes down to staff training and understanding around accessibility. We’ve got a way to go on that."
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By GlobalDataThe next challenge relates to new technology. While it opens up possibilities, it also adds barriers. For example, contactless cards make payments easier and quicker. However, from a blind perspective, if you can’t see the screen and there are no other notifications apart from a beep, it can be unclear if the transaction went through twice or how much was actually taken from the card. Tyler added: "It’s so easy to make payments, which is a breakthrough in itself, but that can come with accessibility challenges or massive potential benefits."
The third key struggle is that sight loss is often accompanied with other problems, particularly with the elderly. This could range from anything associated with memory loss or even frailty. Tyler said: "There’s a real challenge around this because with the processes that allow people to make decisions about money, these people are relying on friends and family to help. This problem’s growing all the time as the population grows older. We’ve got some work to do around the nicest, easiest and most efficient processes to engage with friends and family supporting that individual."
A greater problem is the fear of losing control of one’s own personal finances if the visually impaired population need to rely on others. Tyler said: "It certainly leads to people being afraid and not dealing with it themselves, despite a want to do so.
"One example is cheque books. A few years ago, there was a whole push back from the general public surrounding cheque books, but not from the visually impaired. I mean, what does a cheque book do for you? It means you’ve got control. You agree a certain amount you’re going to pay. If you have any doubts, you can cancel it. There’s a control aspect, you can reverse decisions or at least feel as if you can. In the new era of electronic banking, that’s less obvious to individuals. It’s one of those less tangible challenges that are a problem."
It is a tricky balance to maintain. How do you maintain control for the consumer as well as making it more accessible? Even some of the more accessible services have their own pitfalls, for example, talking automated teller machines (ATMs). A service that you would presume hands more control over to a blind or partially sighted customer can end up taking it away.
On this issue, Tyler explained: "People were worried about the idea of making cash dispensers accessible because they were thinking,:’crikey, what issues does this raise?’ How about if you’re on the street and plug an earpiece in, people will surely know that you can’t see the screen and you might be more susceptible to being mugged or attacked.
"Another aspect is the sheer amount of people who reported that they needed to withdraw money, went to an ATM and asked a passer-by to help them. That’s fraught with issues. Some of the accessibility solutions were adding to the problems, rather than alleviating them."
The trend surrounding all of these issues seems to be the banking sector’s difficulty in thinking outside of the box and stepping into a cross section of society’s shoes.
Some banks are taking small, but significant, steps. RBS and NatWest recently launched new accessible debit and savings cards specifically designed for the visually impaired. The features of the card include Braille markings to identify which card is which and a notch cut on the right hand side of the card to help customers insert their card into ATMs and PIN pads correctly.
Ross McEwan, CEO of RBS, said: "We want to be recognised as a bank that listens to its customers and responds to their issues. It’s really important to me that we make banking as simple and easy as possible for all of our customers and our accessible cards are another step towards us earning back the trust of the public."
It seems to be that things are moving are in the right direction. Tyler concluded: "People are very different and have different needs. Of course, visual impairment comes in all shapes and sizes from blindness to tunnel vision to colour-blindness. We’re just trying to educate the banking sector a bit more around these certain needs."
