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Digital authentication experienceFinancial services · Experience

Making a criticalsecurity interactionfeel simple.

For financial institutions, authentication matters more than ever, but SMS one-time passwords can introduce friction. For a Sri Lankan bank, an app-based authenticator offered a more reliable and secure alternative. Our role was to make that technology feel just as simple for the customer.

Explore the story
The authenticator app showing a one-time password and how long it stays valid
Industry
Financial services
Product
Mobile authenticator
Location
Sri Lanka
Our role
Experience design partner
Services
Experience

01The challenge

When the SMSdoesn’t arrive,authentication becomesthe problem.

SMS one-time passwords are familiar, but they depend on something the bank doesn’t completely control: successful delivery. That matters most for customers travelling overseas, where roaming and network conditions make receiving a message less predictable.

There are broader considerations too. SMS carries an ongoing delivery cost, and financial institutions are increasingly looking at approaches that reduce their reliance on it.

How do you make a new authentication method feel effortless to use?

One customer journey

  1. 01More reliableNo waiting for an SMS
  2. 02Available offlineA code without a connection
  3. 03More secureLess reliance on the messaging network
  4. 04More efficientFewer recurring messages

02The experience principle

Security needscomplexity.Customers don’t.

Authentication technology has an important job to do, but customers shouldn’t need to understand everything happening underneath it. They need to know what to do, where their code is, how long it lasts, what happens next, and above all whether they can trust it.

  • 01ImmediatePut the primary action and information where customers expect it.
  • 02ClearUse straightforward language, hierarchy and feedback to explain what’s happening.
  • 03ReassuringGive enough visual feedback to make a security interaction feel deliberate and trustworthy.

03The interaction

One job.Designedaround it.

The core experience centres on generating and using a secure one-time password. Instead of surrounding that task with unnecessary interface, we gave the code itself visual priority. Typography, spacing, countdown behaviour and status feedback all answer the same question: what is happening right now?

  • Generate the code
  • Display it clearly
  • Show how long it stays valid
  • Give feedback as the time runs down
  • Generate the next code when it’s needed
Someone generating a one-time password on their phone

04Designed for the real world

Authentication stillneeds to work whenconnectivity doesn’t.

A security experience can’t assume a perfect connection, which matters most for customers banking while they travel. The authenticator supports generating a code offline, without an active internet connection. That’s a technical capability underneath. From the customer’s side, it’s far simpler: open the app, get the code, carry on banking.

  • Offline
  • Code generated
  • Continue banking
Three authenticator screens: activation, PIN entry and the generated code

05The details

Trust is built inthe small moments.

Security products don’t need visual theatre. They need clarity. The interface work focused on making the states that matter easy to recognise.

  • 01Generating a codeA clear primary action, with an immediate response.
  • 02The countdownVisual feedback showing how long the code stays active.
  • 03The last codeHelping customers understand their most recent authentication.
  • 04Offline availabilityMaking an important capability understandable without the technical explanation.
  • 05Status and feedbackClear cues whenever the experience changes state.

06What changed

What changed?

A simpler experience

around a complex process.

  • ReliableLess dependence on SMSAnother way to authenticate, without waiting for a text message.
  • ClearerA focused journeyCodes, countdowns and feedback make the next step obvious.
  • ResilientBeyond perfect connectivityOffline generation supports customers when there’s no connection.
  • EfficientFewer recurring messagesApp-based authentication reduces what SMS delivery has to carry.

07The collaboration

Experience designaround securetechnology.

Our role focused specifically on the customer experience and interface. We worked alongside the bank’s existing product and engineering team, who were responsible for the authentication technology itself.

Alongside us

Product & engineering team

  • Authentication technology
  • Security architecture
  • Application engineering
  • Implementation

Our part

Interactik

  • Experience design
  • UX/UI
  • Interaction design
  • Prototyping

In closing

Good security doesn’tneed to feelcomplicated.

Moving beyond SMS wasn’t simply a technology decision. It was a chance to make authentication more reliable, support customers wherever they are, and reduce dependency on SMS, without adding complexity to the customer journey.

By focusing on hierarchy, interaction and feedback, we helped turn a security-critical process into a clearer, more intuitive experience.

  1. 01Security
  2. 02Clarity
  3. 03Confidence