Content design & UX writing for BMO
At BMO, I led content design and UX writing for a US digital banking app upgrade aimed at first-time users after the Bank of the West acquisition. California was a key growth market, and BMO wanted to ensure retention by providing a friendly, intuitive, and empathetic experience for new app users. This project helped to successfully onboard 1.8 million new BMO customers.
Challenges
- Welcoming new customers to the app in a semi-familiar way.
- Concisely explaining the nuances in nomenclature during the login process.
- Helping new customers understand and meet stricter security requirements than they were accustomed to.
- Staying compliant with California regulatory and legal requirements.
- Making sure the application remained fully accessible and WCAG compliant.
- Maintaining a consistent, empathetic brand voice throughout the process.
Perhaps the biggest challenge was trying to minimize turnover by providing an exceptional user experience.
Approach
I started by meeting with members of the five agile teams I was joining, including product owners, strategists, and UX designers. Then I used an emulator to familiariz myself with the US digital banking app to understand existing customer journeys. Then I:
Came up with a way to temporarily combine Bank of the West and BMO branding (colours and imagery) into the login screen
Wrote microcopy for the login screen including helper text and error message related to card/login ID, password rules, forgot ID/password, etc.
Wrote concise in-app copy encouraging users to boost security either through two-step verification or app notifications—I also gently explained that while not all these steps were mandatory during first-time use, they will eventually be required.
Revised microcopy—helper text, button labels, error messages, field instructions, CTAs—wherever I felt it could be improved in terms of accuracy and consistency
Wrote all the copy necessary to help new users understand how to locate and nickname their accounts, move money, and where to find help when they need it
Collaborated with product owners and UX designers to develop content for "live chat" (chatbot), including a library of answers to FAQs that reflected BMO's conversational, empathetic brand voice.
Collaborated with UX designers, and did almost all of my writing, in Figma to simultaneously balance UX copy and interface design.
I was also able to introduce AI-assisted content workflows to reduce iteration time, and leverage AI to brainstorm variations, proof for consistency, and speed the writing/editorial process while maintaining UX quality.
Impact
The revised BMO Digital Banking app was extremely successful of welcoming the new Bank of the West customers.
First-time users were welcomed with some level of familiarity and all the helper text they needed to login
Users were educated about the need for stricter security measures in a very concise and helpful manner
Fist time users were helped along their journey to log in, establish a secure password, sign up for either two-step verification or push notifications, nickname their bank accounts, make account transfers, send e-transfers, pay bills, open new accounts, and apply for credit.
BMO earned their new customers' trust by communicating in a very professional, conversational, and empathetic tone of voice.
BMO has enabled 1.8 million new customers with a smooth and secure mobile banking app.
The app is now in heavy use by new customers in California.
Final thoughts
With teammates spread throughout Ontario, Illinois, and California, this project was another clear example of how effective remote teams can be when collaboration is intentional. We met daily over video, worked together in live sessions, and maintained strong momentum throughout—proving that complex work doesn’t require everyone to be under the same roof.
What stood out most was the culture. Despite the expectations many people associate with a large financial institution, BMO was anything but boring or rigid. The environment was modern, collaborative, and genuinely supportive of good work. I partnered with product owners who set realistic expectations, worked closely with UX/UI designers in Figma, and collaborated with writers who eagerly proofed and improved one another’s work.
As with my best roles, the people made the difference. From thoughtful leadership to generous teammates, it was a team I’d gladly work with again—and one that reshaped my perspective on what innovation inside a large bank can look like.
If you’re looking for someone who makes sure they’ve got all the assets and info they need before they start creating effective, data-informed content for the web, it’s Colin. Colin makes sure that he’s set up for success from the get-go, allowing him to seamlessly juggle multiple content projects at once and create effective relationships with his business partners.
Colin supported several projects on my team to introduce new features and optimize existing ones on our mobile banking apps. Over time he demonstrated a real knack for learning more about banking products, app functionalities and BMO in specific as a bank. He is an asset as a content designer/contributor to any digital team.
Colin is a wonderful collaborator and a very talented content designer. He brings a balanced approach to his work, delivering content solutions that respect the brand voice, while never losing sight of the customer and their fundamental utility needs.
I also appreciated his focus on adhering to process and content standards. He’s a consummate team player and truly the greatest purveyor of funny gifs it’s been my great fortune to encounter. If you need someone who can develop great content, I recommend him heartily.
Colin was an absolute pleasure to work with! When he started at BMO, Colin took on the content writing on a large and complex project impacting hundreds of thousands of users, and did great managing the project’s content and stakeholders. On top of that, Colin was a fantastic editor and content partner, always happy to lend a hand and offer a second pair of eyes.
If you get the chance, I highly recommend working with Colin.
I’ve worked with many Content Designers in the past and till this day Colin has been the most talented! During our time together at BMO, not only did I learn from him about the nuances of language almost every day but he was a very pleasant person to be around. He’s great at communicating his thought process but at the same time open to feedback. I miss his uplifting energy and hopefully get a chance to work with him again in the future!
Colin is a fantastic person to work with. He will ask for a clear understanding of the purpose, action or a message that needs to be communicated to the customer. He keeps track of the best practices within the company and the industry, and implemented those in day to day work. He is a very good team player and respectful of other[s] all the time.
I highly recommend Colin as he is always keen to drive the best outcomes for the team and is a value creator.
Colin was a wonderful partner and an absolute pleasure to work with. He provided content work for several projects that my team delivered. He always listened, took note of our needs, and provided quality work. His feedback was always insightful.
If you’re looking for an experienced content writer or all around team player, I highly recommend Colin!