Simple introduced a major redesign with updated technology for increased stability and performance today.
Simple 2.0, as the update is being touted, is aesthetically drastically different and is Simple’s first major redesign, Krista Berlincourt, a spokesperson for the company, told Bank Innovation. The update has been in the works for almost 2 years, and, with the addition of 10,000 new ATM’s (announced yesterday), Simple’s undergone a major renovation over the past few days.
Simple is now a brand of BBVA, though it is still operating independently.
Simple’s design has been one of its most recognizable features. Berlincourt explained that the goal was to incorporate visual changes in iOS 7 and 8, which was announced in June, but also use those visual cues and integrate them with Simple, creating a more cohesive design. “There’s no adding design for the sake of design,” Berlincourt said.
The new layout in the app is designed to provide greater depth of Simple’s functions and services to the customer. Almost anything a user needs can be found easily (usually within a few taps) on the app, she said, and if its not, users can call Simple’s highly regarded customer service teams.
Besides the updated aesthetics, there are a number of new features intended to make banking easier for Simple customers. Simple Instant now comes to mobile, so mobile Simple users can transfer money in near realtime. The feature is similar to that offered by peer-to-peer transaction app Venmo. The difference is that there’s no “cashing out” needed — Simple moves money straight to and from your bank account.
Simple also added the ability to create and edit goals on the fly using the mobile app. The user experience in the goals feature is now closer to the web experience, which recently got an update as well. Personal financial management has gone mobile at Simple, in other words.
The Simple team also built their own payment processor, an initiative that’s been underway for a few months. Simple’s banking services suffered a “disruption” when the engineering team moved the system over to the new payment processor. Berlincourt said that the new technology will help make Simple’s system more stable and allow for innovative new additions, such as faster transactions.
Simple’s new update is available on iOS and Android today.