digital work.
I. overview.
THE CHALLENGE: Create a mobile subscription management application that can be used by a broader audience than my stakeholder’s desktop-only website.
THE OUTCOME: A mobile application that provides a comprehensive snapshot of user’s subscriptions, and enables them to easily manage those subscriptions.
MY ROLE: Lead UX Strategist (research, interaction design, visual design)
II. map.
Before diving into the discovery portion of product development, I put together a project plan that would organize and systematize my approach, as well as provide time limits for each part of the process. Creating a project plan is particularly important for a project like $cribe that needs to move from a blank slate to a high fidelity prototype on a limited time table.
SECONDARY RESEARCH: MARKET RESEARCH
I started my research by taking a look at other industry leaders in the space like TrackmyBills, Truebill, & Subscription Manager. I wanted to learn more about the functionality of each service, what components they had in common, what qualities set them apart, and what I liked and disliked about each product. Based on that research, I developed a shortlist of action items- application qualities that I felt were important to integrate into a new application.
Ultimately, I discovered that to make $cribe not only competitive but to create something BETTER than what exists in the market, I’d need to incorporate some core functionality that enables the user to:
See all of their subscriptions in one place so that they can get a comprehensive view of their spending on subscriptions
Allow users to unsubscribe from their subscriptions to reduce needless spending, and
Notify users if any of their subscriptions are about to be auto-renewed so that they can make a decision about whether they want to renew the subscription and continue spending money
Enter subscriptions manually or connect their bank accounts, as other applications limit the user’s ability to choose
III. sketch.
USER FLOWS
With my research in mind, I mapped out a potential end-to-end user experience as a foundation for creating my user flows, and to help orient my solution sketches. Then, using Miro I translated my end-to-end user experience into a visual user flow for both new and existing users.
LOW-FIDELITY SKETCHES
Using those flows as a guide, I began sketching low fidelity wireframes to get an idea for how the application would be laid out, and ultimately prototyped. By inserting these sketches into Invision, I was able to transform them into a clickable prototype for my first round of usability testing.
IV. validate.
USABILITY INTERVIEWS I
Before my first round of moderated testing, I drafted a test script, which included a comprehensive list of tasks I needed users to work through in order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of my design. Using that script, I got to work- interviewing 5 users with specific qualities specified by my stakeholders. To qualify as a “user” I ensured that each participant:
Uses a mobile phone daily
Is over the age of 30
Has a bank account, and
Subscribes to at least two services
My research questions were all geared towards learning whether:
The onboarding process is intuitive
The learning curve of new $cribe users as they navigate the application, and
The most common errors users make as they complete basic tasks
I took notes during each session, and after each interview, I recorded any issues along with their priority rating and a plan for integrating them into the next iteration of the application.
V. design.
BRAND IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT
Then, after evaluating what existed in the space, the pros and cons of each available option, and my user research, I began developing what was missing in the subscription management space.
I created a company name- $cribe with a dollar sign, because I wanted a name that was a little edgier than the competition. And I wanted it to appeal to users in their 30s who make up the main user base for the product. I picked the word Scribe specifically because it starts with an S similar to subscription, and shares many of the same letters. It’s short, memorable word, and means “a person who copies out documents, especially one employed to do this before printing was invented.” The meaning, though a little dull, connotes a feeling of reliability, antiquity, and tradition- arguably the perfect tone for a product dealing with finances. By pairing that conservative meaning with an edgy font, you have the perfect name for a modern app.
Next, I developed a color palette, fonts, and UI kit that I felt best aligned with $cribe’s brand. The main colors in my palette are a true white I call “Peace of Mind”, which feels crisp and clean, a near black called “Easy Sleep” which works nicely for high contrast, a vibrant green called “Pay Day,” and a regal purple tone called “Trust.” Green and purple were easy picks for me- green is traditionally a positive color and is associated with money and wealth. Purple is a color associated with royalty and leadership. The logo utilizes a font called “Afrah,” which has a similarly regal, modern quality to it. And for the font throughout the app, I selected SF Pro, as it’s the standard for ios applications and would feel secure, reliable, and complimentary to the logo.
HIGH FIDELITY DESIGNS
With my first usability test complete and my brand identity created, it was time to really dive into $cribe’s design and create my high fidelity wireframes. Due to the time and budget constraints on this project, I started with a basic User Interface Kit, which saved me a bit of time up front, and tailored existing screens or created new ones in Adobe XD to incorporate my own layouts, colors, and components. Each decision was influenced by my competitor research, user feedback, and the goals specified by my stakeholders.
VI. iterate.
USABILITY INTERVIEWS I
After prototyping my high fidelity wireframes, I went through a second round of testing with five new users. These users shared the same quality as those I tested in my first usability round, and were asked the same questions. My goal was to learn whether this iteration of my designs solved the issues that came up when testing my original sketches. Ultimately, outside of a minor contrast issue and the realization that a few of the components weren’t connected properly in my prototype, this last round of testing revealed very few issues and resulted in an intuitive and helpful user experience.
I’m particularly proud of this project because its development was a bit out of my comfort zone- admittedly finances and financial management aren’t strong suits, and unlike many of my other projects, this wasn’t a topic I felt ultra passionate about from the get go.
However, as I dove into $cribe, my feelings changed. I decided to approach the assignment from a different angle- what would make someone like me EXCITED to manage my subscriptions? And what would keep users on the other end of the spectrum, folks who LOVE to geek out on finances, want to use this app? In the end, I believe that this approach is what made the end result so delightful and user friendly.