The primary objective was to redesign the existing app to enhance user-friendliness and streamline the user flow. Given the app's complexity, the main focus was on ensuring users clearly understood their tasks and how to accomplish them.
We introduced new features and overhauled the overall app experience based on user studies. Additionally, we transitioned from the traditional light mode to a dark mode to create a more modern and fintech-oriented aesthetic.
As the team lead, I established the design vision and guided the product direction. Mentored junior designers and conducted core research which influenced the design decisions.
The app's simple yet innovative scope combines rewards programs with open banking. Users can leverage spending data to earn rewards from favorite brands, exchange points between loyalty programs, and share spending data to earn extra points.
This app leverages users' spending data to create a new rewards program system utilizing open banking.
The platform features a points system, but its main appeal lies in the ability to transfer points between various partnered businesses.
Users can earn points through their usual purchases and also have a secondary way to earn points by sharing their spending data with businesses.
FreedomPay aimed to improve their existing mobile app, Finite. The current version faced several issues, including user experience challenges, navigation complexities, and a lack of cohesive design language.
The product’s information architecture was ambiguous, which made it challenging for the users to navigate within the application and the possibility of losing context through the process.
There was no primary button to guide users through the main sections of the app, and input fields had low discoverability, making it difficult for users to make informed decisions.
Users were confused about the product's functionality. Many parts of the app lacked clear visual and informational hierarchy, making it difficult for users to use the app effectively.
The user category and primary persona include individuals aged 16-24 aka Gen Z who use reward programs. This diverse group engages for various benefits, mainly to save money. Thus, the primary persona represents the average user focused on obtaining discounts and expecting a simple, clear process.
We began with a UX audit of the existing app, followed by user testing to extract insights and identify pain points.
We did a deep dive into understanding of all elements at play. Loyalty programs, data-privacy, the tendencies of Gen-Z, Web3, & blockchain technologies, are all divisions of the Freedom Pay vision we are designing, researching for. Developing a knowledge base of information that was relevant in this area to help us try and answer some of the questions as given.
What information are users willing to give up for the sake of a reward?
Is the user’s trust impacted by the amount of monetary reward provided?
How do other loyalty programs operate? What their unique selling point?
What makes them unique to others? What are the dividing factors?
After getting a better grasp of the problem statement via secondary research, we decided to chart out a concept map which would help us understand loyalty systems and their inner components. The concept map would help us provide a structure to build the redesigned app upon.
Our interviews consisted of 5 Gen Z participants, that use(d) various rewards points services to address the earlier goals.
Most of the time users only sign up or exchange data with these services if there is some sort of sign up offer or incentive.
Brand loyalty and trust heavily influence program choice, with lesser-known programs reducing user interaction and data sharing.
Convenience attracted users to reward programs. Easy integration of rewards during purchases increased continued use.
My main goals for the redesign were to present the concept clearly, showing users why and how it benefits them, and to ensure the user experience is intuitive and streamlined.
To address users feeling lost and lacking context, we introduced a detailed onboarding process. It explained the app's purpose, introduced major components, and demonstrated how users could benefit from its features.
The redesigned homepage featured a zero state with context cards to familiarize users and a populated state showing the FP balance, new invitations, and coupons. This ensured users had a clear overview and didn't feel lost.
The old credentials screen had many icons without descriptions, requiring users to click each one for details and status. We redesigned these icons into individual cards with status and descriptions. Filters were added for easier navigation.
Similarly the Discovery portion of the app had a complicated user flow and some elements which could be improved upon. Some parts we actively worked on were the layout, structure and status of Shoutback cards and Coupon cards.
Initially, understanding the scope and problem statement was tough. But after a lot of research and focusing on problem framing, I found a clear path forward. The tight time constraints were challenging, but sticking to a schedule and using design sprints helped. Overall, it was a really fun experience! :)
