​Application Redesign

Problem
Covenant Eyes, a SaaS, offered tiered subscriptions requiring clear differentiation within the user interface (UI).  Interaction design and UI varied across platforms, causing user confusion.

Measurable Outcomes

• Unified mobile experience for iOS and Android
• 4% reduction in contacts to customer support for administrative actions on mobile
• 2 point increase of customer satisfaction via NPS in combination with other concurrent initiatives. 
• The project revealed the development environment on Windows could not update the UI easily. This situation hindered the unification of UI across mobile and desktop platforms.
• Bonus outcome: Increased communications across Product, Engineering, Customer Service, and Executive teams for other projects

​My Role
As a UX researcher and designer on an agile development team, I led user experience activities from research to final UI design.
 
I initiated conversations and meetings with Product, Engineering, Customer Service, and Executives to take a technical update opportunity to unify interaction design and UI across platforms, particularly user-preferred mobile.​



Approach
​
Research

• Stakeholder conversations and meetings revealed differing priorities and concerns.
  • Product and Engineering: Technical feasibility concerns; Tight timelines left little time for research
  • Executives: Apps must emphasize world-class customer service
  • Customer Service and Engineering: Hidden features for troubleshooting

 

• Quantitative Data Analytics
  • Customers installed and logged in
  • Mobile: about 55%
  • Desktop: about 45%
    
    
• App Analysis
  • An overview diagram facilitated communication across four engineering teams and customer service. The SaaS interactions varied significantly across platforms. The design goal was to make the UI appear as similar as possible on every platform.

The four platforms and 'all platforms' are indicated by color. This diagram reveals the varied interactions available on each platform. These inconsistencies led to user confusion and increase contacts to customer support.

• Quantitative and Qualitative Customer Feedback Survey
  • Top customer need for desktop and mobile app: 75% fast access to reports and account details
  • 90% Own a mobile device, across ages and genders
  • Open ended questions provided qualitative insights regarding needs, goals, and pains they experienced while trying to accomplish their goals.
    ​
• Quantitative Card Sorting understand information grouping preferences.
  • I engaged 150 customers with unmoderated card sorting with all common interaction design components of the SaaS.
  • Customer participant attributes
    • Used the service for at least a month
    • Installed and logged into mobile and desktop apps
    • Logged in to website
       

Design
After analysis of the card sort, I designed three information architectures. I engaged three more unique customer groups of 100 each with the same attributes in Tree Testing to gain insights on the best performing information arrangement.
 
Combining research findings, I focused on a mobile-first experience, focused on easy access to reports, and extended designs to desktop.
 
Design iterations were tested in unmoderated first-click testing for highest comprehension and performance.

Messy but effective interaction map for Android client

Platform-specific interactions were designed to meet user goals within project scope. For example, a customer support menu consolidated various contact methods.

---

A few of the updated interfaces on mobile. Everything was updated: information architecture, colors, icons, interactions, and information displays.

Bonus outcomes

• I shared the unmoderated tools with the rest of the design team, encouraging them to use unmoderated testing when tight deadlines left little time for research.
• Jira cards with research plans, Confluence documentation for ‘how to’ processes and research findings reports equipped designers conduct unmoderated research in other projects

​Results and Lessons Learned​

• The complete redesign of the IA and IxD and resulted in reduced  call volume for account admin tasks on mobile apps.
  
• Mobile development teams received bug reports directly from users in real time.
  
• Research findings and designs were shared multiple times a week in Agile standups, so Product and Engineering team members were always up to date.
  
• Each research and design update included an artifact which the listener could respond.
  
• Customer service and QA were partners in this work, and their insightful concerns about accessibility, localization, and in-app purchases (e-commerce) were addressed weekly. Localization was never realized, though the apps were developed for internationalization.
  
• Due to time and technical constraints, the project focused on mobile, delivering a unified experience.
  
• Communication with all stakeholders in Product, Engineering, Customer Service, and Executives ensured shared understanding, fostering updated interaction designs and design adoption.
  
• This project highlighted the value of user-centered design, even within technical and time limitations. User needs and collaborating across teams were prioritized and the outcome was a unified mobile-first UI with positive business outcomes.
  

Back to Selected Projects