Social Lending - Coop Alleanza 3.0

Coop Alleanza 3.0 is one of the largest consumer cooperatives in Italy and part of the Coop system, which brings together 77 consumer cooperatives. It operates nearly 350 stores and employs around 16,000 people across eight regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo, Puglia, and Basilicata.

The cooperative is committed to innovating in order to create shared value, protect members and communities, and promote a sustainable, accessible, and participatory ecosystem. The digitalization of services - like the Social Lending section - is a tangible expression of these values, making access easier and ensuring continuity across touchpoints.

The heart of the project: the Social Lending section

Social Lending allows Coop members to deposit and manage funds within the cooperative. It’s a service that has both symbolic and practical value. It's a gesture of trust in the cooperative, as well as a way to manage resources securely, transparently, and straightforwardly.

Due to its importance, Social Lending is one of the most widely used and sensitive services in the cooperative ecosystem. From a user experience (UX) perspective, it’s also one of the most “personal” sections. Integrating this feature into the app increased accessibility and control, strengthening the bond between members and the cooperative anytime, anywhere.

Project goal

We began with the existing Social Lending section of the Coop Alleanza website to design a brand-new, app-native experience. Our goal was to retain the same core functionalities while adapting them to mobile usage patterns.

However, this wasn't merely a content migration. We aimed to:

• Rethink the user experience by identifying pain points and opportunities in the web version
• Simplify flows and interactions, leveraging mobile to create a more immediate experience
• Ensure visual and functional consistency between the app and website to provide a seamless user experience
• Refresh the visual language to align with mobile-specific needs
• Improve accessibility and continuity of use for all members

This project was part of Coop Alleanza's broader digital transformation process, aligned with its values of inclusiveness, transparency, and participation.

From feature to transformation driver

The real value of the project lies in transforming the app from a source of information into an operational tool. Members can now take active steps, such as transferring funds or downloading documents, within a context demanding high standards for security, data protection, and technical reliability.

Another key goal was to reduce dependence on physical touchpoints, such as paper booklets, receipts, and member cards, enabling a safer, more sustainable experience that aligns with digital habits.

Designing for mobile also prompted retroactive improvements to the website, creating greater consistency and optimized flow across channels.

Processes, methods and design decisions

Requirements analysis and Co-Design

The analysis phase was essential for developing a shared, realistic vision. We listened to business needs, mapped existing processes, and collaborated with technical teams to identify design opportunities and assess feasibility.

Co-design sessions helped us define priority use cases, clarify which functions would be developed in the app and which would remain web-based, and align all stakeholders around simplified, updated flows.

Incremental, Iterative Approach

We worked in iterative sprints, releasing functionalities in waves.

• Wave 1: View-only features (e.g., balance, transactions, and account details).
• Wave 2: Actionable features (e.g., fund transfers).
• Wave 3: Term deposits and advanced functionalities.

Each phase included analyzing the current website experience, benchmarking against home banking apps, and creating mobile-first design solutions focused on clarity and efficiency.

In parallel, backend service analysis helped us identify which logic to maintain, which critical issues to address, and which opportunities to pursue for technical evolution. We worked closely with the frontend, backend, and UX teams.

Security in a sensitive context

Due to the nature of social lending, the project required special attention to security, data protection, and regulatory compliance.
We benchmarked banking and fintech apps to validate design choices, focusing on:

• Authentication and authorization methods
• Use of one-time passwords (OTPs), temporary tokens, and biometric access
• Different access levels based on user profiles
• Clear, transparent communication of sensitive actions

We reviewed all solutions with IT security, legal, and development teams to ensure a balance between usability and protection.

Validation and continuous improvement

Each feature was validated by the business side and reviewed with technical teams to ensure seamless integration. Design iterations were informed by user acceptance tests (UATs) and cooperative member focus groups. They were then refined based on feedback, regulatory constraints, and technical considerations.

Visual Identity and accessibility

The interface reflects Coop’s visual language with a lighter, more modern, and mobile-friendly style. All components were designed with accessibility in mind, considering contrast ratios, tap targets, visual hierarchy, and text legibility, to ensure an inclusive experience.

Impact and future evolution

The Social Lending section is designed to evolve, welcoming new functionalities over time to enhance the operational capacity of Coop members. It also helps bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds by allowing members to authorize in-store transactions directly from the app, for instance.

The app is now the primary access point for Coop services, streamlining everyday management and boosting the efficiency of the entire ecosystem.

User insight supports design

To support the release of the first set of features, a user testing session was conducted in collaboration with UNGUESS.
The results showed high levels of satisfaction, particularly regarding clarity, navigation, and interface quality.

These insights validated the design approach and provided a strong foundation for the service's future evolution.