Nordstrom Federal Credit Union | This Is FIRSTBranch

Summary

Nordstrom Federal Credit Union approached the redesign of their FIRSTBranch with a clear objective: modernizing their digital presence to appeal to the younger demographic in their workforce without alienating their loyal, long-standing members.

While their existing website served their audience well, it was time to enhance the experience to reach younger members of their current and future workforce by reinforcing their competitive advantages.

Here’s how we transformed a traditional website into a dynamic, approachable, and conversion-focused platform.

Challenge

Nordstrom Federal Credit Union has served Nordstrom employees since 1936. For more than 80 years, the credit union has provided its members with competitively low rates, along with a wide variety of banking services and tools.

As a well-established financial institution, Nordstrom FCU recognized the need to elevate its digital presence to remain competitive in the evolving market. The challenge of this redesign was to modernize their FIRSTBranch without disrupting what worked.

Strategy

We approached the project by preserving the foundation. Rather than reinventing the user experience, the existing structure of where information lived remained relatively the same to allow current employees and members to continue intuitively navigating the site. However, the layout of content and design went through an overhaul.

Solution

Largely inspired by clean patterns and responsive interaction seen on the PayPal and Venmo websites, we focused on dynamic modules, content highlights, and subtle motion for engaging interaction.

New modules brought in more of Nordstrom Federal Credit Union’s brand colors and paired with concise, approachable messaging. The tone of the website instantly went from classic to contemporary but balanced enough to remain accessible for years to come.

Through thoughtful animation and content strategy, we created a dynamic user experience that reduces the cognitive load users may experience. At the same time, we maintained continuity by preserving the sitemap structure — ensuring minimal disruption for long-time members while creating an exciting welcome for their younger workforce.