Barclays have launched a refreshed and updated online banking site for 2009, with not only just a change to the look and feel, but also adding a few new features.

Unfortunately the new site launch didn’t run as smoothly as intended and users struggled to login to their service today.

A spokesman for Barclays said: “We had a short-term hardware problem which interupted service but we are now starting to return to normal.”

A statement on its website reads: “We’re currently experiencing technical problems in Online Banking that mean some of you may not be able to log in to the service. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and suggest you try logging in again later.”

Why have you made changes to Online Banking, and what’s new on the site?

We’ve listened to our customer feedback and have changed the Online Banking service to make the experience better, while maintaining the same level of security.

The site will be easier to navigate, with clearer screens, larger font, and a new right-hand menu with all your links in one handy place. Your new Online Banking site looks much better and we think it will be a lot easier to use too.

These changes are just the first step in a gradual refresh over the next 12 months. We’re working hard to make sure that the time you spend on your Online Banking site is a simpler, more efficient experience.

The new look’s great but I had expected more changes and new features.

We’re working hard to get as much feedback from you as possible in order to provide the services and features that you want the most. This redesign is just the latest step in a process that will bring you exciting new tools and features to make your day-to-day banking simpler and quicker and allow you to personalise your own Online Banking pages.

We’ll be introducing a gradual programme of change over the next 12 months and will keep you fully informed ahead of any changes. We’ll also offer you the chance to participate in pilot schemes and give direct input into how the Online Banking site will work.

What is happening with the ideas I provided before the pilot where you haven’t made any changes?

We’ll be introducing a gradual programme of change over the next 12 months and will keep you fully informed ahead of any changes. We’ll also offer you the chance to participate in pilot schemes and give direct input into how the Online Banking site will work. For a lot of the feedback we received you’ll see we’ve made changes to the site. The new features that we didn’t get time to include but that you’ve told us you’d like are:

• Auto-tab between fields
• Update more of your personal details held by Barclays
• Include more ways for navigating forward and back between screens
• Search my transactions from further back than 31 days
• Order foreign currency online
• Change the order in which my accounts are shown
• Transfer money internationally using Online Banking
• Have the option to switch to paperless statements

Will the new design allow more opportunities to print?

We’ll be introducing a dedicated print feature that will enable you to print key information for your records after important transactions. Of course the current site allows you to print any pages using your normal web browser and that won’t change under the new design.

Have the login credentials changed?

No, Online Banking still retains all of its security measures and the login credentials have not changed. However, the login pages have been refreshed and are clearer than before.

Why have you changed the links?

The links on the right hand menu are now more structured and should make it easier for you to get exactly where you want without any fuss. You’ll also notice that your homepage is now less cluttered and easier to read.

Will my saved membership details still work on the new site?

Yes. The functionality of the site will remain the same.

Will my existing saved payees still be available to use?

Yes. The functionality of the site will remain the same.

Will my nicknames still be available when I log in?

Yes. The functionality of the site will remain the same.

How do I get back to my account details after I have finished a transaction or purchased a product?

The refresh of the site has made it easier to navigate than ever before, and there are now two quick and simple ways to return to your home page.

Just one click on either Your Money or At a Glance (or My Portfolio if you’re a business customer) will bring you straight back to your account balances and details, as well all your most important links on one page.

The At a Glance/My Portfolio link is located at the top of the menu on the right hand side of the page, while Your Money is just below the Barclays logo on the top left hand corner. These two links will always be in the same position, no matter what page you’re on or service you’re using.

As well as these two permanent links, you’ll also be offered a link to return to your homepage after completing some transactions, such as paying a bill, transferring money between your accounts or applying for a loan.

The new Online Banking site doesn’t fit well on my screen. How can I adjust this?

We’ve designed the new site for a higher resolution in order to accommodate all our new features and to give the site a cleaner, less cluttered look. Some web browsers will still require horizontal scrolling to see the full page but you can remove this by adjusting the resolution on your screen to at least 1280 x 1024 pixels.

The marketing offers are taking up a lot of space on the page. Is this absolutely necessary?

By providing clear and visible marketing messages we’ll be able to make you aware of new products and deals that will save you money, time and hassle in your day-to-day banking and your long-term financial planning.

We’re working hard to only display products and services that should be of specific interest to you. Future versions of the new design will improve our ability to do this as well as enabling you to personalise and move segments of the screen layout yourself to suit your own needs.

Can I take part in any future surveys on the site’s design?

Yes, we’re very keen to continue getting feedback from our customers on all the changes we make. The easiest way to get involved with future pilot schemes is to keep an eye out for messages on the site inviting you to take part.

Your feedback drives our Online Banking site and it’s very important to us that we are meeting your needs and requests. Our last pilot began on 8 July, when we posted a message offering Online Banking customers the opportunity to look at the new features and design before they went on general view. Once we received 1,000 pieces of feedback we turned off the message to ensure that we could devote enough time to reviewing the responses.

Why choose this colour scheme?

These colours bring our websites into line with our literature and branch colours.

Why have you moved the left hand menu?

We have undertaken customer research and usability testing and customers preferred the navigation bar on the right hand side as this was found to be more helpful and made the screens clearer.

We’ll be including all these things in future designs.