Project Goals

I started about by conducting user interviews with existing users, then I proceeded to carrying out usability testing with potential users that weren’t part of the customer base yet. When I was done with all interviews, I compiled it into a UX audit and had a meeting with the team, we went over all the data and decided on goals for the redesign/rebuild that will help us increase platform value, grow the customer base and increase conversion and reduce bounce rate. Put simply we planned to:

1. Business Goals -
‍Increase Conversion & Adoption

a. Intuitive and delightful experience.

b. The redesign should convert new users to adopt our product.

c. The redesign should reduce churn/bounce rates.

2. Customer Goals -
‍Improve Customer Satisfaction

a. Intuitive and simple interface.

b. Reduce user frustration/confusion.

c. A more intuitive way of finding relevant information.

MY ROLE & APPROACH

Working as the sole product designer on this project, I started by getting all the insights I could gather pertaining the challenges that the company faced, as well as reviews from existing and potential customers.

I wanted to get a sense of what they had been dealing with so far from the onset, positive and negative feedback alike, since we had limited time.

I was also able to come up with a recruitment plan for our ideal candidates so I could jump on a call with them to get feedback on their overall experience using the platform. A 2000 NGN (est $5) coupon was approved to give as an incentive/reward to the customers who participated in the interview and usability testing sessions.

RESEARCH

Research

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

1. Market Research:

Heuristic Analysis

Social Media & App Stores Reviews

General

2. Usability Testing:
Existing App

04 Users

3. Usability Testing:
Low-Fidelity

04 Users

Primary Research

- User Interviews

- Competitive Analysis

4. Usability Testing:
High-Fidelity Prototype

04 Users

USABILITY TESTING PHASE 1 (COWRYWISE APP)

After completing my market research, I came up with a recruitment plan and interview questionnaire which would aid me in getting insights from participants. My target audience was narrowed down to first-time and inactive users of the Cowrywise app. I aimed at validating my hypotheses, observe user interactions with the product, as well as identify other user pain points in the onboarding process.

My conversation with the customers revealed that they found some details and wordings on the app to be confusing, and they also felt lost sometimes while trying to understand how to save and invest on the app.

AFFINITY MAPPING - KEY Insights

Savings

New users are automatically redirected to regular, locked savings instead of showing them the different savings plans or dashboard - The dashboard is a bit hidden and unnoticeable.

Investments

Users don't understand most complex words while trying to save. - A user got demotivated from continuing, while some had to go on google to search for some terms e.g. mutual funds, etc. before they could continue

Overall I discovered that although the sign up process was straightforward and seamless, getting onboarded into the app was the main difficulty which new users faced. And it was difficult understanding the app at first go. Users had to go and come back months later with a resolve before being able to perfect their knowledge of the platform.

Prototyping ✨

PROPOSED SOLUTION

The strategy for the proposed solution was to add a brief info on specific features, and also to apply heuristic principles that would help users understand the system status in order to make the onboarding understandable and hitch-free, which would result in satisfactory experience for the users, and in return increase customer retention and product adoption.

New User Flow Diagram

Low-Fi Wireframes

I used the gathered insights from the usability interview to brainstorm ideas that would create a better user experience all through the app, while remaining aligned with business goals.

I came up with 3 wireframe variations before deciding on a final one that met business and user requirements better.

To avoid repetitions and confusions, password requirements are included for a straightforward signup process. Terms and conditions are also placed before the submit button for legal purposes and to ensure users are able to understand that it is a requirement for successful registration on our product.

Except during emergencies, users who signup on a product typically like to explore its features first, to see what the product offers and if it suits their taste; hence why I included a return to dashboard button, but still allowing the business target to accomplished by not excluding the pop-up screen after signup.

The 'FAQ's' section here accomplishes two major actions - helping users learn more about funds and investments, and other technical words on the Cowrywise app, while also helping to ensure that they don't minimize the product to learn more on google, ultimately and potentially getting distracted.

This screen was totally absent on the app; when a user decides to build their savings, they don't have the option to choose between building emergency funds or any other savings plan and are automatically redirected to locked savings, which leads to frustrations and disputes later; which is why this screen is included to give them the flexibility to choose whilst understanding the differences.

Usability Testings Phase 2 (Low-Fi Wireframes)

I conducted the testing with another four (4) sets of participants.

AFFINITY MAPPING - KEY Insights

No explanation on the investment portfolio types, e.g. conservative, moderate and aggressive. And also descriptions on the naira and dollar mutual funds.

Some users didn’t really understand the differences between regular savings and emergency plans.

The slide-up when a first time user enters the dashboard is intrusive, as users would like to explore the features of the app first.

Iterations AFTER USABILITY TESTING

Included password requirements, to prevent repeated user errors.

Removed the intrusive screen and placed the elements as primary components on the homepage, this way the user either goes straight into what they downloaded the app for, or explore the apps features first.

I included locked and unlocked tags on regular savings and emergency plan cards respectively, so users would be able to differentiate between them.

I made the FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) obvious on the screen, so users would be able to scan through, and learn more from them. This way, they're within the app and can avoid distractions.

Placed a description on the investment type underneath the titles, so users would be able to read on them and have a good idea what they mean and what differentiates them.

The Solution

Usability Testings Phase 3 : High-Fidelity Prototype

Though the UX of the 2nd variation seemed better, I decided to go with the first one, because it followed the set brand's guidelines and was familiar with the users. The 2nd variation would work with alongside a necessary brand overhaul. I then proceeded to testing the update with a new set of users.

AFFINITY MAPPING - KEY Insights

The locked tags made the regular savings appear disabled and inaccessible.

Users were able to achieve goals faster with the now incorporated slide-up in dashboard.

First-time users like to see onboarding sometimes to understand the features of an app and how the app works.

Feelings and tone communicated in products matter a lot.

The confirmation modals were a bit intimidating and discouraged a few users from completing tasks (saving and investing).

INTRODUCING THE SOLUTION:
PERFECTING THE ONBOARDING EXPERIENCE

The onboarding had to be redesigned because users said they would prefer to learn more with a detailed and much more straightforward onboarding, so I decided to go with a simple one that would tally with the rest of the app.

NEW USER REGISTRATION

SAVINGS FLOW

I made quite a number of iterations before getting to this final savings flow. Previous iterations had tags on savings plan cards but users were a bit confused, so I had to change it to be a modal that conveyed safety and trust.

INVESTMENTS FLOW

We made the decision to incorporate FAQ’s in-app so users can easily and quickly learn more without leaving the app environment. More descriptions were added in app for users to get a better overview of the investments.

Other notable improvements

SOME DESKTOP SCREENS

Here are some screens from the desktop flow. I had to scale them to look exactly like the mobile. I didn’t want them to appear like different products, so if this would be developed, the components for the desktop flow wouldn’t be much different from the mobile, and they would only differ in sizes.

Impact ⚡

PROPOSED SOLUTION

I gathered data alongside colleagues and compared it to our previous metrics. The results were as follows:

75%

of participants that tested the final prototype found the signup process straightforward and hitch-free.

60%

explored the user dashboard and were interested in starting a savings plan / investment.

85%

of users remained in the app after going through and understanding complex investment words in-app, and proceeded to investing.

MOVING FORWARD 🔁

My experience while working on this project opened me to the realization that my perspective when auditing products and coming up with hypotheses might be completely different from what the users of the products experience.

Also, that, each user’s experience is subjective, and might change from time to time. Just when you think you are done finding major problems, users would point out a completely obvious one that you might’ve missed with other users. This makes design iterative, and also shows that experiences differ from person to person, which is why having user personas can help to narrow down on what parts of the product we should improve on first.

Background

Objectives