Credit Card Aggregation: Discovering What Users Really Need
How comprehensive 360° research revealed the true pain points and opportunities for credit card management
The Story
Imagine juggling three different credit cards: one for groceries, one for online shopping, and one for emergencies. Every time you want to buy something, you have to open three different banking apps just to check which card has enough available credit.
That was the reality for millions of Nubank customers. Through Open Finance, we had access to their external credit card data—limits, transactions, bills—but the question was: how do we turn this data into something they'll actually use every single day?
The answer wasn't just showing data. It was about solving real daily frustrations: the anxiety of not knowing if you have enough credit, the embarrassment of declined transactions, and the hassle of switching between apps constantly.
The Challenge
When customers share their credit card data through Open Finance, the bank gets access to limits, usage, purchases, payment dates, and invoice amounts. But what features would customers actually find valuable enough to use daily?
Research Questions
- Q1How do customers use and organize multiple cards?
- Q2What are their biggest pain points with multi-card management?
- Q3Who would use a credit card aggregation feature daily?
- Q4How are competitors presenting their Open Finance credit card features?
- Q5What should our MVP include to deliver real daily value?
My Research Approach
Research Review
Mar 5-10
Gathered and analyzed existing data from previous credit card and account research to identify gaps.
User Research
Mar 10-15
Conducted focus groups, competitive benchmarking, and large-scale survey with 4,473 respondents.
Design Attack & Testing
Mar 15-30
Co-creation sessions with product team and usability testing of high-fidelity prototypes.
Engineering
Apr-May
Technical discovery and implementation planning for viable solutions.
Research Scale
Survey respondents providing quantitative validation
Confidence level with rigorous sampling
Margin of error for statistical accuracy
Three Critical Features Identified
Research revealed that 3 critical features would deliver maximum value. Users wanted different things: total credit visibility was most requested, while transaction history had the highest daily engagement potential.
Credit Limit View
Enables quick purchasing decisions by showing consolidated available credit across all cards
Why it matters:
Know instantly if you can make that purchase without app-switching
Bills Aggregation
Supports payment planning with aggregate view of upcoming and past bills from all connected cards
Why it matters:
Never miss a payment or get surprised by multiple due dates
Transaction Feed
Enables anomaly detection through unified feed of transactions from all connected credit cards
Why it matters:
Catch fraudulent charges immediately across all your cards in one place
Four Key Customer Pain Points
Fragmentation
"I'm tired of jumping between 3-4 different apps just to check my available limits before making a purchase."
Constant app switching between multiple banking apps to check basic credit information
Limit Anxiety
"It's embarrassing when my card gets declined because I wasn't sure how much limit I had left."
Stress and embarrassment from unexpected declines due to insufficient credit visibility
Need for Actionable Insights
"Don't just show me the information—tell me what I should do with it."
Users want proactive recommendations and one-tap actions, not just passive data viewing
Superior UX Expectations
"I love Nubank's experience—why can't I manage all my finances with the same ease of use?"
Users expect the same quality UX for external accounts as they get with Nubank
Learning from the Competition
We analyzed how Next, Santander, PicPay, and Mercado Pago were approaching credit card aggregation to understand market expectations and identify opportunities.
Next Digital Bank
Daily-focused CC management, simplified limit visualization, seamless multi-card experience
179 users surveyedPicPay Fintech
Limit management tools, payment integration, actionable notifications
238 users surveyedSantander
Comprehensive bill management, robust security features, traditional banking integration
214 users surveyedKey Competitive Insights
Higher CSAT for competitor CC aggregators compared to Nubank's balance aggregation feature
Better understanding of Open Finance after using aggregator tools
Opportunity: No competitor provides seamless, in-app payment initiation from the aggregator. Our advantage combines superior UX with immediate action through total limit view + payment capability.
The Impact
7+ million Nubank customers gained access to consolidated credit card view because this research defined the MVP that delivers daily value.
System Usability Scale (SUS) score for final MVP design
Users expressed intention to use the feature daily
Survey respondents providing quantitative validation
Higher CSAT score compared to competitor aggregators
Feature in Action
