This project interrogated the complex relationship between long-term
saving and the contemporary lifestyles of middle-income Canadians. Its aim was
to identify key drivers of the declining savings rate in Canada and to imagine
design interventions that Canadian banks, among other stakeholders, could
pursue in order to address such drivers head on. Research consisted of an
extensive literature review to situate the decline of long-term saving behaviour
within its larger societal and cultural contexts; an industry audit to examine
existing design solutions within the international financial services industry aimed
at encouraging saving behaviour; an overview of insights gleaned from a series
of one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 30-45 year-old middle-income
parents; and a forward-looking trend analysis leveraging the Verge framework for
environmental scanning in order to illuminate potential future cultural and social
shifts to be mindful of when it comes to product/service design. The output of this
exploration was intended to be practical in nature: to provide inspiration for those
with the resources to implement new products and services, and the reach to
create a positive impact on the financial lives of as many Canadians as possible.