Chase.com is the virtual home of JP Morgan Chase's consumer and commercial banking business, commonly known as Chase Bank. The website offers not only online banking for savings and checking account holders, but also a means by which consumers can manage their credit cards, home, car and school loans, retirement and investment accounts. Potential clients can investigate Chase Bank's online banking options and account terms.
Ease of Navigation and Sensory Overload
Chase uses a text-based navigation system that allows new visitors to find information quickly. The layout is clean and for the most part, finding information is intuitive. After a visitor drills down to a separate topic, the "home" button on the menu changes to the home screen for that section and does not link to the main Chase page. To get to the main page, visitors must figure out that they need to click on the Chase logo in the corner at the top of the screen.
There are numerous instances where Chase provides more information on a topic to visitors by a link within the text. For example, someone interested in saving for retirement will click on "retirement planning" on the main homepage. The link takes visitors to a page where Chase provides the visitor with several options including a section they call "prepare for retirement." Under that heading, a visitor can choose to learn more about IRAs, CDs, annuities and more by clicking on the relevant text.
For what can be assumed are style purposes, Chase chose to make users scroll over the headings before they see that the actual hyperlinks. This may disorient some users, although presumably (hopefully) only first-time visitors.
Web Tools
Chase conveys its messages through an effective, if sometimes overwhelming, combination of text, graphics, charts and audio-video materials. The site offers several online banking calculators. The rent vs. buy mortgage calculator conveniently navigates users to the home lending portion of the site. The majority of banking calculators link to various business lines within Chase.
If anything, clients may find the amount of information overwhelming combined with the continual graphics and marketing blurbs. That being said, the Chase Bank website contains useful information for potential clients and existing customers. With a combination of first class web development and high end marketing, Chase Bank has created a constructive and extensive site for clients filled with slick logos and a bevy of information.