HDFC Smart Widgets | HDFC Bank
Fintech UX
UX Research
Product Strategy
A UX innovation concept for HDFC Bank exploring how home-screen widgets can reduce friction in high-frequency banking interactions. I identified opportunities to extend HDFC Mobile Banking beyond the app and proposed a scalable widget ecosystem for faster, more contextual and eventually AI-powered banking experiences.
↓ Scroll to read detailed case study ↓
ROLE
Design Intern
YEAR
2026
TOOLS
Figma | Claude code | Chatgpt | After effects | Gemini
HDFC Smart Widgets | HDFC Bank
HDFC Smart Widgets | HDFC Bank
Fintech UX
UX Research
Product Strategy
ROLE
Design Intern
YEAR
2026
TOOLS
Figma | Claude code | Chatgpt | After effects | Gemini
A UX innovation concept for HDFC Bank exploring how home-screen widgets can reduce friction in high-frequency banking interactions. I identified opportunities to extend HDFC Mobile Banking beyond the app and proposed a scalable widget ecosystem for faster, more contextual and eventually AI-powered banking experiences.
↓ Scroll to read detailed case study ↓
HDFC Smart Widgets was an independent product innovation initiative I explored during my UI/UX internship at HDFC Bank. The starting point was simple:
What if the most frequently used banking actions didn't require users to open the banking app at all?
The Opportunity
The Opportunity
Banking has become increasingly embedded into everyday life. A user might:
Scan a QR code at a café 
Transfer money to a friend 
Check their balance 
Pay a bill 
Review a recent transaction 
multiple times throughout the day.
Understanding the Competitive Landscape
Understanding the Competitive Landscape
I started by looking beyond traditional banking apps and studied how modern fintech and banking products were approaching quick-access experiences.
01
The goal wasn't simply to identify which apps had widgets. I wanted to understand what types of financial interactions deserved to be surfaced outside the app.
The pattern
The pattern
Fintech experiences increasingly optimize around:
U1
U2
U3
U4Research
Research
Rather than assuming widgets would be useful, I wanted to understand how people actually use banking and fintech apps. I conducted a user survey, Here's what I found:
Rather than assuming widgets would be useful, I wanted to understand how people actually use banking and fintech apps.
I conducted a user survey, Here's what I found:
02
When an action is performed repeatedly, even a few seconds of friction can become meaningful over time.
02
When an action is performed repeatedly, even a few seconds of friction can become meaningful over time.
02
When an action is performed repeatedly, even a few seconds of friction can become meaningful over time.
Interaction-Time Test
Interaction-Time Test
Interaction-Time Test
One of the most useful pieces of validation came from a small interaction-time study. I compared HDFC Mobile banking app and PhonePe app, Here's the results:
One of the most useful pieces of validation came from a small interaction-time study. I compared HDFC Mobile banking app and PhonePe app, Here's the results:
HDFC app
HDFC app
PhonePe app
PhonePe app
Perform action
Perform action
Tap feature
Tap feature
Navigate
Navigate
Wait
Wait
Open app
Open app
From Shortcuts to Intelligence
From Shortcuts to Intelligence
From Shortcuts to Intelligence
One of the biggest opportunities I identified was that widgets don't have to remain static. The interface starts responding to context and behaviour, rather than simply displaying information.
One of the biggest opportunities I identified was that widgets don't have to remain static. The interface starts responding to context and behaviour, rather than simply displaying information.
Strategic & Business impact
Strategic & Business impact
Strategic & Business impact
The value of Smart Widgets isn't limited to saving a few seconds. The bigger opportunity is increasing the number of meaningful interactions customers have with HDFC throughout their day.
Improves Engagement
Increases
Repeated Usage
Strengthens
Habit Formation
Modernizes HDFC’s
fintech perception
From concept to interaction.
From concept to interaction.
From concept to interaction.
I turned the concept into a working interactive prototype to demonstrate how HDFC Smart Widgets could bring high-frequency banking actions closer to the user.
The Opportunity
Banking has become increasingly embedded into everyday life. A user might:
Scan a QR code at a café Transfer money to a friend Check their balance Pay a bill Review a recent transaction
multiple times throughout the day.
HDFC Smart Widgets was an independent product innovation initiative I explored during my UI/UX internship at HDFC Bank. The starting point was simple:
didn't require users to open the banking app at all?
01
The goal wasn't simply to identify which apps had widgets. I wanted to understand what types of financial interactions deserved to be surfaced outside the app.
Understanding the Competitive Landscape
I started by looking beyond traditional banking apps and studied how modern fintech and banking products were approaching quick-access experiences.
The pattern
Fintech experiences increasingly optimize around:
Frequency
Convenience
Habit
Speed
Research
Rather than assuming widgets would be useful, I wanted to understand how people actually use banking and fintech apps. I conducted a user survey, Here's what I found: