There’s plenty of evidence that Quebeckers find that financial services and products are often too complex and that they are not prepared to invest the effort to figure it all out.
These results from an Ipsos Reid survey conducted in 2007 for RBC show how the need for simplicity in making banking decisions is greater among Quebeckers.
Ask Quebeckers about credit cards and you’re likely to hear about the difficulty of understanding how it all works particularly as to when exactly interest rates are applied. Many say they want a simple user guide.
That’s precisely what David Gibson, Carla Hall and Sylvia Harris did and published in yesterday’s New York Times. They are graphic designers and directors of Design for Democracy, a nonprofit group that promotes accessible and transparent civic communications.
They took a look at the current disclosure chart that has appeared on American credit card solicitations since 2000. Not exactly what one would describe as a “simple user guide”. As President Obama said not long ago in reference to the need for new legislation, “You shouldn’t need a magnifying glass or a law degree to read the fine print that sometimes doesn’t even appear to be written in English.”
Borrowing from the Nutritional Facts box, they designed a Credit Card Facts box. What a smart idea. President Obama and many Quebeckers would approve.
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