As I was watching the Google I/O keynote presentation, I thought about how all the development tools provided by Google (Google Gears, GData, OpenSocial, etc.) could be put to work to create a Google-powered Bank, and what the IT architecture of this Google Bank would look like.
Here is how I think it could look like:
All user interaction devices, whether it is a teller workstation, mobile phone, ATM machine, kiosk would provide access to the bank via any of the standard Web browsers (Opera, IE, Firefox, Safari).
If access to device-specific functionality is required, it would be done by Google Gears (say for instance, that I want to access the ATM’s cash dispensing functionality, or I want to access the mobile phone’s built-in GPS or accelerometer). Ideally, these devices would be running a single application that would adapt according to the services discovered on the device on on the service cloud. But realistically, they would be running variant of a single GWT Java code base that GWT would compile in JavaScript for browser-based deployment.
Contacting customer support would be done via Google Talk click-to-call buttons. Interactive Voice Response systems would be powered by 1-800-GOOG-411 voice technology.
All these user facing app would leverage a cloud of shared GData services based on Atom Publishing Protocol. These services would be used to retrieve and update any data and transaction: update accounts, customer profiles, schedule payments, withdraw money, consult account balances, etc.
These services would be available to any developer who registered for an API key to create new 3rd party applications, with online documents, code examples, tutorials, videos, etc. There would be a related developer challenge that would award prizes ranging from $25K to $100K to motivate developers to create 3rd party applications. Google Bank would monitor usage and success via the API key, and acquire the apps that can contribute the most to their bottom line or user growth. OAuth would be used to allow 3rd party apps to accesss customer data without the user having to give away their Google login/password.
OpenSocial would be leveraged by Google Bank to provide an easy framework for friends to share bills, family member to send money to one another via any device, and to loan money to friends/families or friends of friends. Google Bank would use this data to provide preferential loan rates or optimize transaction fees.
Google Bank analytics would analyze my transaction patterns, build nice spending usage pie charts for me, and suggest relevant ways to save or make more money via competitive offers aggregated in Google Shopping. Bank marketing managers would use Google Bank analytics to analyze usage patterns, create marketing campaigns and target specific demographics and customer types in Google Adsense.
And last but not least, users would be able to search all their personal data using a simple one input field user interface.
Did I miss anything?
nice post. I bet they are already working on something like this.
I would just add one small option: the ability to do micro payments for a small charge.
In the street i might be tempted to buy an icecream because i have a few coins in my pocket. If i had to use my credit card to pay my ice cream i wouldn’t buy icecreams because the cost for the use of the card would be as much as my icecream. Or i would have to buy tens of icecream at once.
Online i think the ability to have a universal micro payment system like paypal but with low charges on transactions would boost the online economy. If I could buy easily 1 song or one photo or one newspaper article for 1 or 2 dollars each, in 1 click when I feel like it, I would spend much more, more often and on many things than if I had to use paypal (user unfriendly and absurdly expensive rates) or my credit card (charges and fear of security issues). I believe lot of people would be ready to pay for a lot of content, if there was a system as easy to use as giving a dollar to someone in street.
I think that would really boost online sales and the long tail markets…