GBH 20 years | People • Purpose • Impact
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GBH 20 years | People • Purpose • Impact

APAP

APAP Business Banking App

Designing clarity for complex corporate transactions

The Situation

Asociación Popular de Ahorros y Préstamos (APAP) set out to expand its digital services by offering a dedicated mobile app for business clients. The goal was to bring the ease of personal banking to corporate banking, where accounts are shared, transactions are complex, and approvals often involve multiple roles.

Business customers needed a mobile-first way to initiate and approve transactions without relying solely on desktop Internet Banking. A focused mobile channel would improve access, responsiveness, and day-to-day efficiency for corporate users.

APAP‘s Context

Vision

Give business users a clear, reliable way to manage products and transactions on the go, while keeping teams connected through transparent, role-based controls and approvals.

Why

Goals

Deliver a mobile app that:

  • Supports multi-user corporate accounts with role-based visibility and control.
  • Simplifies complex transaction flows while preserving compliance and traceability.
  • Works alongside existing Internet Banking to initiate and complete transactions seamlessly.

Vision

Give business users a clear, reliable way to manage products and transactions on the go, while keeping teams connected through transparent, role-based controls and approvals.

Goals

Deliver a mobile app that:

  • Supports multi-user corporate accounts with role-based visibility and control.
  • Simplifies complex transaction flows while preserving compliance and traceability.
  • Works alongside existing Internet Banking to initiate and complete transactions seamlessly.

Why

The GBH Difference

Adaptable agile process

We modified our agile framework to accommodate a high-urgency schedule. Discovery and validation methods were adjusted to meet the constraints, then returned to a regular pace once the main risks were mitigated.

High-frequency collaboration

We kept design, product, engineering, QA, and the client team tightly aligned through frequent check-ins, sprint reviews, and focused expert sessions. This kept the roadmap realistic and work flowing without gaps.

Incremental value delivery

We structured the MVP into distinct sections (Login & Onboarding, Product Management, Transactions) and delivered these in stages. Each stage was a “package” of features ready for engineering to implement right away.

Practical craft

  • Flow-first validation: we used detailed flowcharts to align early on rules, exceptions, and handoffs, which reduced churn later in the process.
  • We grounded decisions in real usage patterns: We included at least one new tester per sprint. When direct access to users was limited, we relied on APAP subject matter experts to verify edge cases, validate flows and iterative prototypes, focusing on clarity, safety, and speed for high-stakes transactions.
  • We tailored the visual language for business users: a darker palette with APAP’s yellow accents for a focused, professional look that still felt on-brand.

What We Did

Full project cadence

Late

2022

Discovery and kickoff:

  1. Joint kickoff to align on scope, urgency, and first-release must-haves.
  2. High-level screen and feature mapping to understand the product surface.
  3. Early hybrid sprint to deliver the Login flow fast while building the design system and research foundations.

Early

2023

MVP design and build:

  1. Section flowcharts to size complexity and reduce back-and-forth in wireframing.
  2. Iterative prototyping and validation with APAP experts to refine details for complex flows.
  3. “Package” delivery model: each sprint closed with production-ready designs and specs, unblocking development.
  4. Continuous QA and DevOps support through to release and handoff.

May

2023

Launch:

  1. Public release of the first version of the APAP Business Banking App with the full MVP scope. 

Key features delivered

  1. Product management: Clear overview of corporate accounts and products with role-appropriate visibility.
  2. Multi-tiered approvals: Configurable approval chains that reflect real corporate hierarchies and signatures.
  3. Customization settings: Controls for roles, notifications, and preferences to tailor the experience by company and user.
  4. Transactions
    • Eight payment transaction types designed for clarity and traceability.
    • Payroll payments setup and approval to handle batch processes reliably.
    • Signature-required payments management with transparent status and next-step visibility.
    • Transaction validation steps embedded to reduce errors and ensure compliance.

Internal KPIs

These metrics worked together to give us a live view of delivery health. They helped us size sprints realistically, keep decisions moving, reduce rework, and maintain quality—all while meeting the agreed MVP goals on a tight timeline.

Project performance

  • We tracked planned vs. delivered scope each sprint and at each “package” handoff to engineering.
  • We monitored change requests and their impact on schedule, updating the plan with the client in working sessions.
  • Outcome: Kept the MVP on a stable track while accommodating necessary scope refinements.

Velocity

  • We calibrated velocity after the first iterations and used it to right-size sprint goals.
  • We managed risk by reserving buffer for validation, edge cases, and rework on complex flows like approvals and payroll.
  • Outcome: Predictable delivery of “implementable packages” that engineering could pick up immediately.

Commitment reliability

  • We reviewed variances in sprint retros, tagging causes (dependency, design change, technical constraint, new discovery).
  • We adjusted future sprint commitments and stakeholder expectations based on patterns.
  • Outcome: Improved planning accuracy and fewer last-minute scope shifts.

Flow efficiency

  • We visualized the path from flowchart to wireframe to visual spec to dev-ready package.
  • We reduced waiting by scheduling expert validations earlier, grouping decisions, and using clear acceptance criteria.
  • Outcome: Shorter cycle times for complex transactions and fewer back-and-forth loops.

Quality analytics

  • We tracked return reasons (ambiguity, edge case, visual mismatch, feasibility) and addressed them at source in the design system, rules, or specs.
  • We paired with QA to test flows end-to-end, focusing on high-risk areas (multi-tier approvals, signature-required payments).
  • Outcome: Cleaner handoffs, fewer late changes, and more stable builds near release.

Stakeholder engagement

  • We set a cadence of design reviews, expert sessions, and sprint checkpoints with clear agendas and outcomes.
  • We tracked open decisions and blockers, and closed them in weekly alignment calls.
  • Outcome: Faster decisions, shared ownership, and smoother cross-team execution.

Design readiness and definition of done

  • “Dev-ready” meant: finalized flows, annotated screens, variants and empty/error states, data rules, and acceptance criteria.
  • We used checklists per package and did design-engineering desk checks before handoff.
  • Outcome: Reduced rework and clearer implementation paths for engineering.

The Result

Market launch

The APAP Business Banking App launched in May 2023 with the planned MVP scope, complementing APAP’s Internet Banking for corporate users who needed to initiate and complete transactions on mobile.

What the product enables

Corporate teams can:

  • Manage products with role-based clarity.
  • Run payroll payments with controlled setup and approval.
  • Complete signature-required payments with transparent status and auditability.
  • Validate transactions through guided steps that reduce errors.
  • Configure approvals to match real organizational structures.

Foundation for growth

The MVP established the product baseline and a UX backlog for continued releases aligned to APAP’s roadmap.

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