Unplex - Client Project

We analysed the current WhatsApp flow and made some quick changes based on our assumptions regarding information hierarchy and UX writing.

Key Insights

Users didn’t like the GIF feature:

One of the changes we made prior to testing was to give the user the opportunity to add a GIF or not, an option we felt was important as we didn’t want to force or constrain the user. We considered also allowing users to delete it if they wished, but by giving them this first option, we had already added an extra step, something we wanted to avoid. We all agreed that this point in the user journey caused the most frustration

Users shared:

• “I wouldn’t want a GIF, you can’t even personalise it”

• “The minute you have to think about a GIF it’s not worth the time, and it’s not personalised!”

• “What if I don’t like the GIF, is that something you I can get rid of once i’ve seen it”

• “I would say no and move on without a GIF

• “Why would I? This is and unnecessary click for me”

Users want the option to register at the beginning:

Currently the user registers an account at the end of their first transaction with Unplex, they are redirected to the website to do this. We found through conversation with our clients that they wanted users to start using and exploring the service straight away without the delay of registering, however users shared with us that they would like this option at the start.

• “I do worry I may drop out if it makes me work too hard”

• “I want to register all at the beginning, this makes me feel like I’m getting scammed”

• “This is so confusing, it’s now taking me away from the platform”

Users have to register and pay at the same time:

Currently users register an account and confirm their first transaction with the same click - this is not a common practice. Having the option to register an account without completing a transaction would eliminate the need to do both tasks at the same time or back to back, however, if they do begin using the platform without registering, they should be able at this point to confirm their account, before confirming their payment. 

This process is also touted to be 3 steps, however it takes more than three screens for it to be completed, users should not be lied to as it will not only frustrate them but also damage trust, which is vital when asking for personal and financial information.

Implementing Feedback

We removed the GIF feature:

• It was the cause of too many unnecessary clicks

• It undermined the legitimacy/trustworthiness of this service

• There was no option to personalise

• It was polarising with users.

We implemented the option to register at the start of the process:

As previously stated we conducted user interviews alongside our user tests.

We starting by collating a list of goals:

• Understanding users thoughts and emotions surrounding their community

• Learn more about users communication preferences

• Understanding users behaviours and feeling about cash gifting online

• To gain clarity on how users manage their personal finances between countries

• Learn more about how users financially support friends and family

In order to validate the assumptions we had about what users would want and need from Unplex we made a list:

• Indians living abroad partake in cash gifting

• Most 1st Generation Indian immigrants support family back home

• Fintech apps are widely used across the world

• WhatsApp is commonly used to stay in touch

We divided our interview questions into six categories:

1. Community

2. Communication preferences

3. Cash Gifting

4. Personal banking

5. Family support 

6. Trust online

Making sure to address the topic of cash gifting, something that our clients felt could differentiate their service from other comparable companies such as Remitly. Users were asked “Can you tell me about how you feel when you receive a gift of money online? How does this compare to receiving money as a gift in person?”

Focusing on a Cash Gifting Feature

The strongest insights we received from users were about cash gifting culture, the act of giving and receiving money to celebrate a plethora of different occasions, such as the birth of a baby or a new job, usually given alongside a blessing to the recipient: With the limited time we had to work with Unplex, we felt our time would be best spent following our strongest insights to create a cash gifting feature, our clients were happy for us to do so, expressing again their want to foster community and connection through their service. Here are some of our findings:

In person only

Although all of our users were familiar with cash gifting and had participated in it, many of them had stopped the tradition once they moved abroad. There are practical elements that contribute to this, the need to request bank details from the recipient for example. Users had experience of family members refusing to send details as they felt it was not polite to request money themselves. The physical act of handing someone a beautifully decorated/hand-chosen envelope was not being replicated by a simple bank transfer, taking away the value and excitement related to the cultural practice.

Users shared:

• “You are unable to convey emotion with bank transfer”

• “India has a very cash gifting culture, but since I don’t live in india anymore, I don’t do cash gifting as much these days”

• “If I ask for their bank details they will not send them, as culturally they don’t want to just take money” (it’s polite and respectable to say no and put up a fight if possible)

Alternatives

Since bank transfers do not hold the same meaning, users found alternative ways to ‘gift’ people money such as Amazon gift cards or simply not gifting the person altogether.

Users shared:

• “The alternative to that (cash gifting) is a gift card that a lot of people give each other if they do not give a particular gift”

• “I gift my niece amazon gift cards because they do the same for my child”

• “I don’t gift money I tend to go to Amazon and buy a voucher”

Persona

By taking each of the trends we discovered through affinity mapping, and creating ‘I statements’, the voice of our persona Virat began to emerge:

Virat moved to the US in 2008, he communicates with his family and friends via WhatsApp, whether they are back home or in the US, it is the platform that keeps them connected. Staying up to date with friends and family is important to Virat and helps him to feel part of his community, which gives him purpose and enables him to feel supported.

When special occasions arise, Virat tends to send gift vouchers, it’s easier than a bank transfer which feels far less personal. Not being able to partake in cash gifting face to face is a frustration for him, it is a tradition that had special significance in his life, and not being able to do it now serves as another reminder of the distance between him and his loved ones.

Problem Statement & HMW Statement

Establishing a persona allowed us as designers to empaphise with our target users and gain insight into their needs, motivations and behavioirs. After gaining understanding of our persona’s characteristics, goals and pain points, we can define a problem statement that addresses their specific challenges and aspirations. This in turn helped us to craft a relevant and focused ‘How Might We’ statement, that will help us remain focused on the user needs when it becomes time to brainstorm potential solutions.

Design Studio

Having researched the cash gifting space and established a strong problem and HMW statement, it was time to organise a design studio. We invited two instructors from General Assembly to join us for this activity.

We each divided a sheet of paper into eight sections, giving us all one minute per section to sketch a new potential solution. After we each had eight sketches, we presented one by one to the rest of the group, before opening the floor for feedback and clarifying questions and answers. Each person was given 3 votes, to stamp on or beside their favourite 3 ideas out of the 48 sketches drawn. Some ideas were represented a few times amongst the group while others were completely unique:

• An envelope/card that user can tap to open, replicating the traditional experience (3 votes)

• The ability to attach a video with the money transfer (2 votes)

• A voice note attached to the money transfer (2 votes)

The results:

It was evident that each of us felt value must be added to the transaction to make it desirable for users. The envelope idea received the most votes, it did not stray from the origins of cash gifting, it instead replicated the experience in a way that users would hopefully find nostalgic as well as meaningful.

We agreed that although each idea generated in the design studio was strong, that the envelope would be the strongest concept to take forward and develop as a feature.

We then decided to take time to individually sketch lo fi wireframes, depicting how we each envisaged the feature could be implemented within the native app, giving ourselves 20 minutes to do this individually, before returning to present our ideas. 

Sketching the user flow:

We each had differing perspectives initially, since I had put together the research we had done on traditional envelopes, I knew that some featured a single rupee on the outside, to follow the tradition of gifting an amount that ends in a 1, it is seen to some as being more auspicious as it signifies the beginning of something, in contrast a number ending in a 0, indicates an ending and can be seen as bad luck. Therefore my wireframes featured a selection of traditional envelopes that I intended to feature designs that would be recognisable, nostalgic and meaningful to users.

One designer’s sketches focused on a card inside the envelope with varying designs, similar in format to Moonpig. We discussed as a team our different perspectives and found a lot value in eachothers designs, ultimately deciding to combine some of the screens to create an initial flow that we would begin to wireframe in mid fidelity, at this point we chose to focus on the traditional approach, giving users the ability to choose from a range of envelopes, but also allow them to attach a note/message.

A very important aspect of this task was remembering the stay focused on what we could realistically acheive, the feature would have to be placed within the structure of the existing beta app provided to us by the clients, we knew that we would address the UI at some point, but our main priority was establishing the usability and desirability of our new feature for Unplex:

Mid Fidelity - User Testing

Between us we created a palette based on our favourite elements of both the website and the beta app, Unplex’s current style was a nearly-black background with high contrast pops of colour and white text which we felt worked, we stayed true to their signature blue which was present on both platforms, while making sure to select a good range of different colours, versus the various shades used particularly on the beta app, the use of multiple shades of the same colour could be confusing for users, ensuring that we create consistency in our choices was a top priority. We also identified the font used on the beta app to be Lexend, a font that was very legible and suited the desired tone for Unplex.

3. Now on the ‘Gift details’ screen, he sees Seema’s name and phone number at the top, and below are two fields where he can input the cash gift amount either in his local currency, or Seema’s local currency, he wants her to receive 7001 rupees, an amount ending in 1 to symbolise new beginnings and so types directly into the ‘They receive’ field. 

He decides to write a personal message for Seema to read when she opens the envelope, as well as a short voice note containing a blessing, once completed he selects the ‘Next’ CTA.

If Virat were to press the back symbol after inputting the gift details, he would receive a modal, asking whether he would indeed like to delete this transaction, to save it as a draft, or simply cancel the action:

4. Virat lands on the ‘Gift preview’ screen, immediately the envelope opens and closes once to show him how the animation works, he can see the envelope is labeled ‘Tap to open’ and so he tries it out himself.

Below the envelope is a carousel of envelope designs that he can select and preview, whether the envelope is open or closed, the colours change allowing him to see every design in great detail. He chooses red and selects the ‘Next’ CTA:

5. He arrives at the ‘Payment summary’ screen, where again he finds Seema’s name and phone number at the top marked ‘To’.

He reviews the numbers, seeing the amount Unplex charges itemised alongside the total transfer amount and the amount Seema will receive in rupees.

After he is satisfied the details are correct he selects to pay using Apple pay, and selects the ‘Pay now’ CTA.

If Virat were to press cancel, he would again receive the modal from the previous page asking him to confirm the deletion of this transaction, to save to drafts or to cancel the action:

Client - Final Thoughts

In our last meeting with our clients we did a 20 minute presentation for them and the class itemising all the steps we took to validate our choices as UX designers, splitting the presentation into two parts; Sprint 1 and Sprint 2.

At the end of the Sprint 1 section, I presented the prototype of our finished WhatsApp flow again for the benefit of our instructors and peers.

The Sprint 2 was our opportunity to tell the full story to our clients, walking them through our process, Journey Mapping, Affinity Mapping, UI Audits, Competitive Analysis and more.

Towards the end I presented the finished prototype of our Cash Gifting feature, acting as Virat I walked through the process, following the structure I laid out in the ‘How Does It Work’ portion of this case study. At the end we presented some of our Next Steps:

• Explore where ‘send’ and ‘gift’ features should sit within the app

• Build out the scheduling feature

• understand  more about the perimeters of adding a video

• Explore further plans for the envelopes: we recommend seeking out Indian artists to not only recreate popular designs, but creates unique pieces of their own which could even be charges extra for, adding even more value to this feature

• Do a deeper dive into the UI of the app

Our clients were very pleased with the work we had done developing this feature, and shared with us their desire for us to continue to work with them to create the entire app. We thanked them for the way they respected, collaborated and supported us throughout the process, it was a genuine pleasure to work with them.

Ultimately we created a feature as a team that we were all extremely proud of and believed in as far as its potential to garner Unplex success with their users.

Key Findings

My key takeaways from this project are:

• Establish open communication with clients early: by giving our clients our agenda from the outset and creating a Slack channel, we set the tone of this project. The Slack provided a way for us all to stay aware of developments, building trust and fostering a collaborative environment between us all.

• The power of creating a schedule: by mapping out our agenda for each day, we were not only able to share that information with our client, but forecast when we as a team might need to change tactics in order to reach targets. For example, when we could see waiting for our clients to be available to participate in a design studio would delay the progress of our project by a couple days, we pivoted and gave notice to two instructors that we would appreciate their participation instead.

• Follow your strongest insights: Cash gifting emerged as a priority for both the clients and the users, we were able to see our clients intentions to address the problem through GIFs and even well designed pictures, but in our research phase we identified that vital aspects of what made the practice desirable and valuable to our users were missing.