I was surfing through Nigerian bank websites rated in 2008 ahead of 2009 ratings and i discovered some banks have upgraded their website.

Check out:

http://www.firstbanknigeria.com/

http://www.diamondbank.com/

http://www.gtbplc.com/


i think they did good with their designs and functionalities.

What are your opinions?

Upgraded as in design or functionality. In other words, I have a first bank account and for the life of me, I can never seem to log in.

So please expatiate: Design or functionality?

By the way, a banking site, not to say it should look bad, should be all about functionality so even if you have the best site in the world, if I can't do certain things (pay bills, transfer money, etc), your design is of no use to me.

@yawa-ti-de, always the first to comment.

Design: [/b]more better looking designs, i think they are now thinking out of the box.

[b]Functionality: i bank with GTB, and there are alot of stuffs i do online. Transfer money, check account , Cant really speak for other banks.

Gone are the days when wesbites were just standing static websites; now we have websites with text-sizer, accessibility, live help and other interactive features.

Na their wahala be that

Yes the designs have certainly gotten better but since functionality for my bank (FB) is wack, I won't give the entire industry a passing grade just yet

the designs are actually cool. maybe some color tweeking in some places needed. the diamondbank menu effect with the light out page effect is actually cool but moving your mouse on and off the menu often kinda makes it boring and cheesy.

EDIT: apparently gtb does it to. gush now boring theirs is actually not cool. i guess they are using simiilar systems

so i tried login in to dbank

first time = service unavailable
second time = you did not enter id (maybe i typed too few characters)
third time = invalid user ,

Of course I know I dont have access just playing with. Didnt snoop through others

Getting there gradually still a long way to go.

I wish I could see what the account log in page looks like. If only one had access

Cactus:
My point exactly.  I am more concerned about functionality (especially security) when it comes to a banking site.  I mean, I wouldn't want my information compromised.

HC:
Why didn't you include Union bank?  http://www.unionbankng.com/

That horse in the header has been running around since at least 2003 

Also, click "contact us" and click "submit" without entering any fields. Lack of validation aside, check out the "thank you page". Wow! The site gives the phrase, "failure to get with the times" a whole new meaning.

GTB is horrible gush. I am going to piss in my pants really. Just playing around with it now because I have nothing else to do.

Trying to log in

popup window comes out = EPIC FAIL NUMBER ONE

Scam alert prompt = ok no problem understandable we continue

Login page = hm why in the hell will you use a keypad? this is absolutely not userfriendly. Of all the bank websites I have seen this. Of all the years I have spent online doing useless things, this is the first time I am seeing a keypad for the password box. And only the keypad can be used. Are they trying to prottect against robots, keyloggers? geez. FML

Ok i typed in wrong information and it goes to error page saying that my session has timed out after extended period of inactivity or something like that. BS i have been there only about 5 seconds how can my session be extended? TOTAL F-ing BS. Just telling me my uname and pwd are wrong or one is wrong. and ask me to go back to log in. Well It asked me to go back to log in.

HOLY F-ing TACO. you are taking me back to teh scam alert warning page? Gush, I am not blind. If i know how to use the internet, if I have an account with you that means I dont have a short attention span. Get it? I dont want to read that crap anymore pissing me off.

Grade = 0% TOTALLY EPICALLY FAILED

I play with the next one

Oh and it took me a long time to find the log in to my account button. (Buy me a coffin)


Havent they heard about usability testing? men seriously this is something I ought to do for a living

he he, yet one more thing you can do when you relocate. (For the umpteenth time) To think you were wondering what you would do should you relocate

Yeah, we need to get the basics done first before we even do advanced stuff. The last time I brought up concepts like usability and web standards, I was laughed out of town with a soaked-in-pepper koboko to boot. We don't appreciate these things. To us, on the "webmaster's" side, "as long as the site works according to spec" and on the client's side, "Me too, i follow get website so no insult me", is all that matters.

I once thought about opening up a consultancy in Nigeria that would deal just on testing, usability and web standards. i envisioned clients paying me, not to code, but to figure out what is wrong with their sites and what could be done to fix it. Such people abound in the states and they make thousands of $$ per hour. After toying with the idea with a few people back home, I could tell from their responses that they thought I was on a controlled substance, so I dumped the idea, for now.

God help our web dev industry!

FIRST BANK uses this two domains

firstbanknigeria.com
1stbanknigeria-online.com

you dont know when it changes while you are on the site. go to the first one firstbanknigeria.com and start playing around while looking at the address bar. it changes when you want to log in


1. English fail. So many typos especially on the career application page. Geez men
eg Title : Mr. Miss, Mrs.   (Ms.)
           work experience : current emolument ( I never heard this word before first time. I had to check the meaning in dictionary. geez just say current salary)
   Proffetional Details, Proffessional Certificate, Professional Body (3 different spelling of professional in one section. they writer needs GOGGLES.

2. Text too small. difficult to read.

3. still says copyright 2007 eh eh eh the first shall be the last

4. i tried logging in typed in wrong information, the page reloaded without telling me  i made an error in uname or pwd

EDIT: I FOUND THE ERROR MESSAGE IT IS ON THE UPPER LEFT SIDE OF MY SCREEN. I was not looking there geez. I need information focused where I need them. If i see your page designed with a wrapper, I dont look outside the wrapper. please Mr. Banker put it by the log in form.

5. why put options for the normal user log in when you only have dashboard?

6. this freaking scam popup keeps coming anytime i try logging in geez. but it doesnt say my information is wrong.

7. beginning to piss me off so much things wrong with this site

Also failed 0%

    EDIT: they also have a walking elephant. on thhe home page it is done in FLASH. why make the elephant walk in flash tiring oh my just placed a walking elephant in flash> then later it changes to an image. I guess the elephant got tired of walking wanted to rest.

You keep giving me jobs to do, now I am realizing that there is so much to do.

The usability testing stuff is actually a very good idea, if you are thinking about doing it. might be tough but keep planning. maybe the way to go around this is. Get one or two companies like these banks. and make a deal with them for very reduced price and they allow you to use them as case studies then you can use this as a platform for new clients so they see what different this makes. If they dont want to pay big bucks F them find others. Seminars, whitepapers, many things. By the time the ones you struck a deal start having better customer service ratings, others will be like whao what are they doing and we are not? whos behind them. then one can me like I am. You wanna talk? so ways to go around it.

I was actually thinking about Starting a Business Intelligence consulting firm in Nigeria because people dont value data. Data is sexy. I love data.

Good ideas man. Thanks. Will add them to my treasure chest

Per naija and data, you know better - we would rather argue, generally speaking, based on, "do you know who i am?"
than on facts and figures.

Maybe we can partner. How does cactide (nig) plc sound?

At this stage, I am thinking seminars is the way to go. Hopefully you garner so much of a following that eventually, the big cats will want to speak with you. Yeah, I think the old adage, "you have to spend money to make money" will definitely apply here.

Useless for me to write about union bank. bad graphics, bad layout/presentation.

Everything is just wrong.

That is all I can say about Union Bank.

I wish I could sit and talk with the IT Managers of these banks and other companies

They need help

No need. they would probably see you as a threat to their daily bread. next thing you know, either u r kidnapped or you are attacked with air forces, he he.

yawa-ti-de:

Good ideas man. Thanks.  Will add them to my treasure chest

Per naija and data, you know better - we would rather argue, generally speaking, based on, "do you know who i am?"
than on facts and figures.
we can find
Maybe we can partner. How does cactide (nig) plc sound?  

At this stage, I am thinking seminars is the way to go.  Hopefully you garner so much of a following that eventually, the big cats will want to speak with you.  Yeah, I think the old adage, "you have to spend money to make money" will definitely apply here.

"Do you know who I am?" hear it often in Nigerian movies so cheesy.

Awesome. Cactide that will be cool so that people on NL will know ah ah ah ah . Now I am going to play with anagram tools.

There are many intelligent people in Nigeria that try to do the best they can. Many people on here definitely understand and see the things lacking in the IT industry in Nigeria. And would be great to gradually make change.

Yes we can.

Cactus, sorry but it seems I can't leave you alone

Here is another job for ya: Professional tweeting. Talk of originality. Na why I dey like oyibo. Always thinking outside the box:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/09/02/tweet_for_hire_more_big_businesses_hire_tweeters/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news