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NuroMinder

Part of
Empower

Neurodiverse Inclusion in Financial Services

MA 2023
Keywords
Inclusive Design, Financial Services, Neurodiversity, Inclusive Banking
Overview

See It. Hear It. Watch It.


NuroMinder helps neurodiverse individuals see, hear, or watch details about the small steps they can take today to improve their credit scores and create greater opportunities for tomorrow. NuroMinder is created using a new Neurodiverse Design Language that is based on the use of sound, infographics, shapes, colours, and opacities to deliver information in a way that works for people who think differently.

Collaboration

The Royal College of Art and its Financial Futures Lab partnered with one of the UK's leading banks, Barclays, to develop an innovative service proposition. During the project, partnerships for collaboration were formed with multiple organizations, such as the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Diversity & Ability, and Developmental FX.

Research & Insights on neurodiversity:


Desk Research:

We began with some initial desk research with the goal of defining precisely what neurodiversity meant. We mapped out every condition classified as neurodiverse, representation in the population, and defining characteristics. We wanted our intervention to solve not for a specific neurodiversity, but rather a cluster of characteristics. Taking this approach would ensure our solution was designed with inclusivity at the forefront and remove any possibility of labels.

Methods:

  • Book reviews
  • Encyclopedia reviews
  • Literature reviews +Journal Reviews
  • Web deep dive



Primary Research

We conducted interviews with eight neurodiverse individuals to uncover insights into what it means to be neurodiverse and the problems they face around their finances. Additionally, we turned to our subject matter experts (SMEs) not only for their expertise but also for their own experiences as neurodiverse individuals. Furthermore, we aimed to learn how to better engage with a community that thinks and communicates differently.




Research Insights:

Our exploration revealed that external stimuli like sound and sight could be overwhelming and overstimulating for most neurodiverse individuals. If sound and visual cues, such as light, are not used correctly, a neurodiverse person may feel uncomfortable in an environment that feels safe to the rest of us.

Another challenge we identified with neurodiverse individuals was related to information processing. They tend to have a poor working memory, making it difficult for them to deal with large sets of numbers and understand information that they read or is being passed on to them.



Our Hypothesis:

We believe that if we care for sensory fit and provide information in a way neurodiverse people can understand, it will help reduce sensory overloads and aid in information processing

Solution #1: A Neurodiverse Design Language

Learning how to communicate information through more than one sensory capability would disperse the knowledge across all senses and reduce the overload on one of the senses.

We began exploring the possibility of communicating information through multi-sensory methods such as sight, sound infographics, shapes, colours, and opacities. The application of these methods collectively is called semiotics and helps neurodiverse people process information.

What About Finance?

back to Research: neurodiversity & finance

A common theme that emerged during our interview sessions was the problem of credit and lending for neurodiverse individuals. They primarily use credit cards to establish a healthy credit score in order to achieve future goals, such as buying a house, rather than to access credit itself.


We realized that credit cards are not the only factor in building a healthy credit score and that this is a common need for both neurotypical and neurodiverse people. However, it was a need that was mentioned frequently enough in our research that we felt was worth exploring further.


Through our research, we uncovered a unique need for neurodiverse individuals: Cognitive distrust due to sensory overload and difficulties processing information. This leads to them not being able to act on tasks in a timely manner, and as a result, they are more likely to have negative markers on their credit score.



Our Hypothesis #2:

We believe that if we bring transparency around the person's credit file and care for the content and ways of information delivery, we will be able to give neurodiverse individuals the agency to take control of their credit scores.

SOLUTION #2: NUROMINDER

Nurominder is an inclusive financial service that helps neurodiverse individuals proactively manage their credit scores. It achieves this by communicating small, task-based actions using a semiotic-based design language in order to improve information processing and reduce sensory overload.

SPECIAL
THANKS

RCA:

Kam Chana, Rosemary Briggs McCraken, Qona Rankin


Barclays:

Noel Lyons, Jen Hornsby, Tracy Lynch, Trevor Blagg


Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design:

Colum Lowe, Dr Katie Gaudion


Diversity & Ability:

Piers Wilkinson


Developmental FX:

Tracy Stackhouse

Team
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