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Empowering Bank Customers to Prevent Fraud and Reduce Disputes Through Context-Rich Transaction Transparency
In a 24-hour hackathon hosted by Fidelity National Information Services, I led the design and research of Dispute Defender—a platform concept that gives users the tools and context to proactively report fraud and clarify transactions before they become costly disputes. The aim: to improve banking experiences for users while helping financial institutions reduce the $3 billion+ annual cost of disputed transactions.
Deliverables: User Research Synthesis, Persona Development, Dispute Flow Mapping, High-Fidelity Wireframes
Project Type: UX Design for Financial Services
Timeline: Feb 2020 (24 hours)
My Role: UX Research, Strategy, Design, Prototyping
Team: Solo Designer (myself), 5 Technical Researchers (developers), 1 Team Lead
The Challenge
Bank customers frequently struggle to recognize or recall transactions, leading to unnecessary disputes and significant costs for financial institutions. Existing dispute flows are opaque and disempowering, leaving users in the dark after submitting a claim. The challenge was to design an experience that puts users in control, surfaces actionable context, and streamlines the path to resolution—benefiting both customers and banks.
The Solution
Dispute Defender reimagines the dispute process as a transparent, user-driven experience. By enabling users to flag suspicious activity before transactions post and surfacing detailed, context-rich purchase information (such as merchant details and SKU-level data), the platform empowers customers to quickly confirm or contest charges. This approach not only reduces invalid disputes but also builds trust by keeping users informed at every step.
Design Process
We focused on delivering a clear, actionable, and transparent dispute experience grounded in real user needs and rapid hackathon iteration. Here’s how the project unfolded:
01/ Research & Insights
To ground the solution in reality, I conducted field interviews with 15 hackathon participants, asking them to walk through their current dispute experiences in various banking apps. This research surfaced three core pain points: lack of transparency after submitting disputes, insufficient transaction detail to jog memory, and a sense of lost control. These findings shaped the focus on user empowerment and contextual clarity.
02/ Journey Mapping & Personas
Drawing from research, I developed three primary personas, each with unique motivations and friction points. Mapping their dispute journeys helped pinpoint moments of confusion and opportunity, ensuring the solution addressed a wide spectrum of real-world scenarios.
03/ Flow Mapping & Wireframes
We designed a streamlined dispute flow that prioritized transparency and user agency. Wireframes highlighted features like real-time dispute status, contextual transaction panels, and self-verification prompts. Each step was crafted to reduce cognitive load and make actionable information easily accessible.
04/ High-Fidelity Mockups & Prototyping
Despite the tight timeline, I translated the vision into a clickable prototype to demonstrate the new dispute experience. Feedback from hackathon judges and peers validated the value of transparency and context-rich details, confirming the direction.
Next Steps
Dispute Defender was selected as a finalist at the FIS Hackathon and submitted for a provisional patent (FH.11360.0686). The next evolution would focus on connecting merchant databases with financial institutions, enabling SKU-level verification and further reducing invalid disputes. Planned enhancements include deeper merchant integration, expanded transparency features, and iterative usability testing to refine the experience for both users and banks.
Round Up
This project demonstrates how rapid, user-centered design can drive meaningful change—even within a single day. By empowering users with actionable context and transparency, Dispute Defender reduces friction, builds trust, and helps financial institutions save billions. If you’re seeking a designer who can quickly uncover user pain points and translate them into impactful, scalable solutions, I’d love to collaborate with you on your next project!