Neuroinclusive Banking – Financial Control for Neurodivergent Customers

CommBank is committed to accessible, inclusive banking, offering everyday tools to support financial control. However, research revealed these tools were not contextualised to the cognitive and decision-making demands of everyday banking for neurodivergent customers. The volume of features made prioritisation difficult and perceived setup burden led to avoidance.The primary hypothesis to test was whether ‘a targeted destination for neurodivergent customers would be inclusive or othering.’ With an existing evidence base that was contradictory, the brief was to resolve this tension by testing clear hypotheses, understanding barriers to financial control, and designing an experience that was inclusive and evidence-backed.

A hypothesis-led, user-centred research program involving neurodivergent customers with ADHD, autism, dyscalculia, dyslexia and dyspraxia, alongside subject matter experts, ensured the design responded to a broad spectrum of lived experience.In-depth 1:1 interviews, co-design workshops, and 1:1 prototype testing were used to test hypotheses and observe real behaviour. High-fidelity prototypes surfaced curated collections of financial tools, contextually framed to reduce cognitive and decision-making demands The tangibility of prototypes shifted the research from gathering opinions to observing real behavioural responses. The result was an evidence base that answered the hypotheses and a clear, funded path to build and launch.

CommBank's Neuroinclusive Banking destination is live. The research resolved a contested design question: a targeted pathway, when grounded in empathy and evidence, is not 'othering’ - it is empowering. In testing, participants described increased confidence and preference for CommBank when neurodivergence was acknowledged and supported.Commercially, the research provided the evidence to fund, build and launch the solution, with a clear pathway for iteration and scale. Societally, it demonstrates how neuroinclusive design can increase confidence, dignity and financial control in everyday banking.

The research identified a set of intersecting demands commonly heightened by everyday banking for people with neurodivergence, including procrastination, disorganisation, word and number recognition, information processing and impulsivity. This evidence base informed the design's core innovation: the 'Great if you' framework.The framework contextualises existing tools and resources through simple ‘Great if you’ commentary, helping customers quickly understand relevance without cognitive overload. As one participant shared “I like the ‘great if you’ sections because sometimes if you’re looking at something that you haven’t used before you might not always know how it’s useful for you.” This framing transformed standard or overlooked tools into clear supports for financial controlStep by step guides further break tasks into small, actionable steps, to reduce overwhelm and procrastination. Time indicators support effort estimation and reduce task avoidance. As one participant explained, “I have time blindness, so I don’t know how long things take. Knowing it takes about 10 minutes helps me figure out if I have that time.”