Kate is a friendly companion in the world of digital banking, making banking experiences more personal and natural across the KBC bank group. Operating like a knowledgeable friend, Kate speaks the local language, understands regional banking rules, and assists with everything from quick balance checks to complex financial tasks. Kate embodies the vision of making banking more human - where technology serves people, not the other way around.
For over two years, I guided the development of Kate, ČSOB bank's virtual assistant, with empathy at the core of our approach. We transformed how customers connected with their banking services by deeply understanding their needs and frustrations. Working with a dedicated team, we crafted an experience that brought warmth and clarity to digital banking. Kate evolved into a trusted companion for over 15,000 active users, successfully understanding and resolving 60% of client questions independently.
The beauty of this project lay not just in the metrics, but in how it made banking feel more human. Through empathetic design, Kate evolved into a bridge between traditional banking services and the needs of modern customers, making every interaction more accessible and intuitive.
Our path was marked by thoughtful quarterly PI (Program Increment) Planning sessions. These gatherings became spaces where ideas flourished and took shape, always guided by our commitment to understanding the human experience. Teams aligned their visions, set meaningful priorities, and crafted detailed roadmaps. We broke down complex challenges into manageable pieces, ensuring our design work flowed naturally with development cycles and business goals.
At the heart of Kate's intelligence lay a carefully curated knowledge base - 1,200+ entries that bridged user needs with clear, human responses. Each entry balanced technical precision with approachable language, helping Kate achieve her 60% autonomy rate while maintaining a warm, helpful presence. Within two years of my time at ČSOB, the knowledge base nearly tripled in size.
Looking ahead to the end of 2025, we envisioned Kate reaching 35,000 users, growing from our foundation of 15,000 active users. Kate handled conversations at a volume matching our call center, with her autonomy — her ability to understand and resolve customer needs independently - serving as a measure of how well she connected with users.
Before setting out to work, we crafted Kate's unique voice and personality with care and intention. Working alongside experts in conversation design, UX writing, and product development, we wove together guidelines that would shape how Kate connects with people.
Think of it as Kate's personal compass - helping her stay true to who she is while being genuinely helpful. Every word she speaks balances warmth with expertise, blending the art of conversation with ČSOB's values to create trust and comfort in every interaction.
Copy Cookbook final version.pdf
Our journey followed a thoughtful path of creation and refinement.
It began with deep listening - understanding the business requirements as specified in Confluence. We took time to uncover not just technical needs, but the human story behind each case. One of our two business owners would craft the initial narrative, which set the stage for my design work.
After the first draft of design, we embarked on a collaborative journey of refinement. Each use case evolved through careful iterations, shaped by valuable insights from our stakeholders. We partnered closely with segment managers, legal and compliance teams to ensure Kate spoke with both warmth and authority, always staying true to banking guidelines.
After receiving the green light from our segment manager and legal teams, we shared our vision with our development partners in Varna, Bulgaria. These developers brought our designs to life, and transformed concepts into working solutions. I remained close to the process, ready to clarify design decisions and explain the thinking behind our choices.
The final chapter involved careful testing with our QA teams. We ensured each interaction felt natural and meaningful, delivering real value to our users while serving the business needs. Throughout this journey, we relied on chosen tools - Voiceflow for conversation design, Figma for visual clarity, and JIRA and Confluence for organization. We moved as one team, each person bringing their unique expertise to create something truly valuable for our users.