For the first time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Alinma Bank has implemented electronic channel banking services for the blind, who are now able to access the bank’s recently re-launched website (www.alinma.com) as well as the Alinma Mobile&WAP services. This move further emphasizes Alinma’s commitment to serving all of its partners (clients) and its commitment to corporatesocial responsibility.The latest banking and technological standards and developments, simplicity, practicality and reliability wereall taken into account in constructing and designingthe aforementioned services in order to facilitate browsing and use by the blind.
Mr. Abdulmohsen Al-Fares, the CEO of Alinma Bank, said that the bank has a responsibility to provide unqualified service to each and every partner, including those with special needs. He said that the bank performed a careful review of international best practices in serving the blind through internet and mobile systems, and applied those paradigms and technologies that it felt would provide optimal, exemplary services to such bank partners.
Extensive user testing was done with blind partners in order to ensure the quality of the services. This was done in cooperation with the Saudi Society for the Blindin Riyadh, which nominated a team of blind persons to test the operations and services of thee-channels by executingbanking transactions on their accounts with Alinma Bank and verifying their accuracy, validity, ease ofuse and compatibility with the devices used. All user feedbackwas considered, and through workshops, the services were fully developed to meet all the unique needs of blind persons.
Blind persons visiting the Alinma Internet website are able to navigate by pressing the“TAB”button. This is one of the latest methods that facilitate navigation between commands within websites and it is the most up-to-date and efficient of the variousmethodsthat currently exist. With each press of the “TAB” button, blind partners are given audio cues that they can follow in order to arrive at the desired information or to make the desired transaction.
Mr. Al-Fares also noted that the services stand as further evidence of Alinma Bank’s service to the community and that the services afford blind partner a greater sense of independence in the management of their personal affairs.