I was pleased when I received a text message from my bank two weeks ago letting me know that their iPhone app was due to be update shortly. Eagerly I checked the App Store and went about dowloading the new app onto my phone. The updates NatWest have made to their iOS app have vastly improved the user interface and general ergonomics of the app.
Retina Display Graphics
If you’re an iPhone 4 user, gone are the pixelated icons and graphics. These have been replaced with far more attractive, high resolution versions; this gives the app a far more professional look and feel.
Log-In Screen
The first screen you’re displayed when you open the app, once you’re registered to use it, is the login screen. This is the first sign of the improvements made. Simply enter your PIN to get going.
Account Balances
Your account balances are displayed along with an icon to state what kind of account you’re looking at. In this example, a current account is displayed with a small pile of coins next to your balance. If you have a credit card or savings account with NatWest, you can view your account balance in the same way. Credit cards have a credit card icon and savings accounts have a piggy bank icon – nice! (Image from App Store).
Account Statements
If you tap on the Mini Statement tab, you’re greeted with an actual mini-statement! In the previous iteration of this app the mini statements displayed weren’t much use. They didn’t give your enough information about recent transactions, so if you were trying to figure out where that mystery £50 direct debit went one evening, your only option would be to log into the full online banking website. As the screen grab shows, sufficient information is now displayed to prevent you needing to log into online banking to get this information. (Image from App Store).
Transfers
Another feature that will keep you in the app and off the online banking website is the ability to make transfers between your accounts. As I write this article I can only transfer money between my current account and my savings account, but I can’t make payments to my credit card. This is a slightly frustrating shortcoming and I hope this can be rectified in the future. (Image from App Store).
Alerts
As on the previous NatWest app, you’re able to setup alerts that are delivered to you via SMS. These alerts can tell you your account balance once a week, or notify you when your account balance exceeds both and upper and lower limit. The improvement here is simply from a design perspective, use of iOS API’s make the app feel far more ‘native’ than before, so it looks far better.
Local Information
Another great feature included is the use of location information and Google Maps. The app will now display the nearest cash machines and NatWest branches to your current location. This is a nice touch that should be included any any app like this as it can be particularly useful if you’re in a town or city that you’re not familiar with.
