United Overseas Bank (UOB) announced the launch of Hangout@UOB, a new branch concept designed and managed by Singapore Polytechnic students.
A four-week design process of the branch enabled interior design and architecture students to put into practice the skills they have learned in school, the lender said. The final space is based on the final concept presented by the students.
The process has provided students with the opportunity to gain vital work experience and to build a strong foundation for their careers, the bank added. We wanted Hangout@UOB to go beyond serving the students’ banking needs and to engage them more deeply by contributing to their curriculum and growth. By partnering Singapore Polytechnic, UOB has been able to deepen the students’ learning experience beyond the classroom to the real world,” said Jacquelyn Tan, Head of Personal Financial Services Singapore, UOB, in a media statement on Wednesday.
The first step in the collaboration involved 40 lecturers and students from different schools such as Business and Media, Arts and Design coming together to create a space to call their own. They participated in a one-day Design Thinking workshop alongside teams from UOB to identify the features within the space that would suit the needs and interests of the polytechnic community.
The workshop participants put together a list of preferred design elements, which students from the School of Architecture & The Built Environment and School of Business used to design Hangout@UOB. Students were given free rein to decide on the aesthetic and functional design elements of the branch such as the layout, colors, furniture styles and the use of gamification for engagement.
We also know that while the students are digital natives, they wanted an inviting space where they could gather to find out more about specific banking solutions before applying for them online. As such, it was important that the final design integrated both the offline and online engagement preferences of the students, which is in keeping with the Bank’s omnichannel strategy, Tan added.