Designing financial systems for control, not compliance

Much of financial services is built around control, but not the kind customers need.

From a regulatory and organisational perspective, control means limits, rules, checks, and escalation paths. From a human perspective, control means understanding what’s going on, knowing what options exist, and feeling capable of making decisions without panic.

Those two definitions are often misaligned.

In my work, especially in regulated environments, I’ve seen how easily good intentions turn into rigid systems. Policies exist to protect customers, but they are frequently disconnected from how products are designed, how communications are written, and how decisions are made day to day. The result is compliance without confidence.

What interests me is how design can bridge that gap.

Service design and behavioural insights offer a way to rethink how financial systems support people over time. Not by removing responsibility, but by making responsibility realistic. By surfacing the right information at the right moment. By reducing cognitive load. By acknowledging that stress, shame, and uncertainty shape behaviour just as much as interest rates and terms.

New technologies, including AI, create both opportunity and risk. Used poorly, they can amplify pressure and exclusion. Used thoughtfully, they can help anticipate moments of difficulty, personalise support, and guide people before problems escalate.

My dissertation focuses on this balance. How to design financial systems that are clear, fair, and supportive, while still meeting regulatory and business requirements. Systems that help people feel more in control of their money, not more judged by it.

Because long-term trust isn’t built through enforcement.
It’s built through understanding.

Photo by Nadine E on Unsplash