Press Release
Akbank T.A.S Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Security Center Security Experience for Digital Banking in Software Design
Akbank T.A.S honored for software design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 26, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Security Center Security Experience for Digital Banking by Akbank T.A.S has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Software Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Security Center Security Experience for Digital Banking
Security Center is a security module for mobile banking applications. The module brings protection into the visible part of daily banking use. Device management, login history, real-time call verification, emergency actions and educational content are gathered in one place. Proactive alerts guide users at critical moments. Context-sensitive controls can restrict transfers during active calls. The Security Center works within native iOS and Android applications. The aim is to give users clear visibility and direct control over account security.
Award Record
This recognition makes Akbank T.A.S a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Software Design Award
The A' Software Design Award is an international software design competition recognizing good software designs by leading software developers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to software designers, software developers, coders and programmers from all countries. Typical entries include applications, databases, operating systems, networks, games and simulations. The awarded software designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/software
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/181667
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/181667
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!181667
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/363567
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://youtu.be/DdHwDuBc5kM?si=kdJet5IjpQgBXIDO
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Security Center Security Experience for Digital Banking
- Function
- Security Experience for Digital Banking
- Category
- Software Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Software
- Colors
- Red, Misty Rose, Black, Silver and Maroon
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Akbank T.A.S
- Country
- Turkiye
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #181667
Credits
- Team
- Gokhan Egri, Abdullah Bakmaz, Zeynep Tutcu, Meray Yildiz, Kivilcim Altun Uca, Demet Kurt
- Image Credits
- Security Center
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This design introduces a fully integrated Security Center within mobile banking, transforming security from a background infrastructure into a visible, user-centered experience. It centralizes device management, login transparency, real-time call verification, emergency actions, and educational content into a unified, proactive system. By replacing fragmented security features with a holistic architecture, it strengthens clarity, control, and trust in digital banking.
- Inspiration
- Security in digital banking has traditionally remained in the background—rarely perceived as part of the everyday user journey and often noticed only when something went wrong. This gap between technical protection and user perception inspired us to rethink security from a user-centered perspective. Grounded in behavioral insights and customer feedback, we aimed to transform security into an integrated, visible, and confidence-building experience within daily mobile banking.
- Research
- This project was grounded in qualitative and exploratory design research. The objective was to understand how people with varying levels of digital familiarity and confidence perceive banking security and identify barriers to trust. The methodology included journey mapping, stakeholder workshops, and usability evaluations. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews, behavioral observations, and internal analytics. Participants represented a broad spectrum of digital experience, including individuals who sought the convenience of mobile banking yet felt uncertain about maintaining control. The results revealed that hesitation stemmed from limited visibility and perceived loss of control.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was balancing security and user experience as equally essential values. Banking security is shaped by strict regulations and risk sensitivity, while users expect clarity, control, and ease. We reframed security as a visible, user-centered layer rather than a background function. This required close collaboration between security, compliance, and design teams to elevate protection standards while preserving simplicity and flow.
- Realization and Technology
- The Security Center was realized by centralizing and enhancing existing security services within a structured experience architecture. Established protection mechanisms were elevated with new user-facing capabilities and proactive interface alerts, transforming security into an accessible and controllable journey. The project was delivered through close collaboration between design and security teams, ensuring full regulatory alignment.
- Operation and Interaction
- We made it possible for users to fully control and manage their security end-to-end. Within a single, centralized experience, they can define preferred devices and restrict access from others, choose when they log in or authorize transfers, review recent sessions, verify incoming calls, and take immediate action when needed. Proactive alerts guide them at critical moments, transforming security into a transparent and user-driven journey that enables confident decisions.
- Project Duration and Location
- The Security Center project was initiated in final days of 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey, as part of the bank’s digital transformation roadmap and was launched within the mobile banking application in August 2025. The development process involved close collaboration between security, compliance, technology, and design teams. Following iterative testing and internal validation phases, the solution was progressively introduced to customers nationwide across Turkey.
- Specifications
- The Security Center operates within native iOS and Android applications as an integrated security module. It supports NFC-based identity verification in selected authentication flows and incorporates context-sensitive transaction controls, such as restricting transfers during active call sessions. The system enables real-time status visibility, centralized device management, and secure login tracking within a scalable banking infrastructure.
- Keywords
- User-Centered Security, Digital Banking Experience, Security Experience Architecture, Real-Time Verification, Mobile Security Design, Mobile Security Design, Future of Banking
