Inclusive research

Nationwide: Improving physical and sensory in-branch experiences

srinivasan pusuluri

10 February 2026

srinivasan pusuluri

10 February 2026

Goal:

This project, conducted in 2025, focused on a range of different physical branch environments to understand both successful elements and any digital and physical barriers for people with a wide range of disabilities.

Woman with long grey hair at a counter in a bank branch. Behind the teller is a Nationwide sign and logo

Type of project:

Inclusive research

Clients:

Nationwide Building Society

Industry:

Financial Services

Channel:

Built Environment and In-Store Digital

What we did:

We co-created a bespoke, disability-inclusive qualitative research programme to triangulate real-time behaviour, emotional context, and environmental impact of bank branches on retail customers with a diverse range of disabilities. This included people across different regions and branch formats, with a range of specific needs and adaptive approaches to their banking, and differing banking attitudes and experiences. The research approach was co-created with community leaders and used a trauma-informed approach to ensure participant safety, ease and confidence.

What we did:
30 accompanied branch visits with disabled participants delivered across five varied branch formats with tailored in-branch tasks and follow up interviews conducted.

Outcome:

We delivered powerful human stories and rich, lived-experience insights that resonated with senior leadership. These insights underpinned clear, actionable recommendations to inform a cross-team prioritisation session.

Specific outcomes include Nationwide’s commitment to continuous development of branch design including colleague engagement and customer communications.

Client Quote:

This partnership shows the value of co-creating research with people who have lived experience of disability. This has enabled us to identify their needs, helping us build on areas for improvement across our branches including enhanced staff training to better design and clearer communication. Fully inclusive co-creation and testing isn’t just useful, it’s essential if we want to build a society that works for everyone”

Kathryn Townsend,
Nationwide Head of Customer Vulnerability & Accessibility