Approach
A common design challenge is the addition of new features to an existing context. Instead of simply adding a new section to an already complex app, I proposed a complete UI overhaul, focusing on user outcomes, instead of feature additions. We leveraged insights from user sessions, feedback, and app tweaks to accommodate the new feature and enhance potential areas.
Solution
I pretty much saw this task as an excuse, to do much needed revamp and implement things we had in the pipeline. We had already begun work on a design system and decided to use this to work towards a more modular approach to the UI - making it easier to add things in the future. This frontend task didn't complicate the development process more than if we had developed the feature separately, but it had positive effects on all areas of the app.
Highlights
Accomplished within a month.
Modular approach provided greater flexibility for future feature additions.
Conversion increase from 22% to 37% in one of our key KPIs.
In order for the customer to get offers from different banks, a robust and easy to use tool is needed for the banker to give an offer and onboard the user. A completely new version of this system was already in the works, when I started at MyBanker.
Challenge
I knew precious little about banking and mortgages, before tackling this challenge. Luckily, most of the new B2B suite had already been planned, so I mostly could focus on the key aspect of the service: How the banker should give an offer, to the customer - and use as little time as possible doing it.
Besides the usual qualitative research, I spent a lot of time looking at HotJar recordings, on how offers was created in the old system. This gave me a lot of insight into the bankers flow and helped me prioritize functionality.
Result
Well… when releasing the new version, the feedback was overwhelmingly negative. All the bankers hated it. So we had to act fast and start interviewing them about their issues.
Turns out, that the only thing they really liked in the new version, was the only custom designed part of it - the part I had worked on. It wasn't the features or information, but the way it was structured and presented, that made no sense to them. So I got to work, doing sessions and made a complete UI overhaul of the system, to better fit into their workflow. It took about a month and had it taken any longer, we might have started losing business partners. Luckily, we managed to ride of the storm.
Key take aways
Asking the users which features they want and cramming them into an interface, is not UX work.
Don't assume users will like your new system, just because it is prettier than the old.
In-house experts are not your end-user.
Not doing actual design work before developing and shipping a product, can be fatal.
Check out some other work
