$PLT is a fictional project created as a class project for my UX design class at the Nashville Software School. I was responsible for the entire process over the course of four months, including research, wireframes, mockups, prototyping, testing, design and presenting the project. The client brief was simple: research and create a payment app named Rhino Splits, aimed at millennials.
Challenge Statement: Create a safe, easy to use solution for sending money in a digital world.
Research Process & Key Insights
I began the research process by using two methods: in person interview and anonymous survey. Each of these methods focused on the participants’ peer to peer payment habits and preferences, along with basic demographic information. Of the survey participants, the average person was age 29, single, and college educated with an income range of $40-$45k. Payment apps were mostly used for quickly paying rent/utilities and repaying friends/family for food, concert tickets and gifts.
While gathering insights from users, a common theme was being able to maintain positive relationships with friends by repaying them. How quickly one pays(or doesn’t) has social implications for the individual within the group, which I found very interesting. While most users reported using Venmo as their peer to peer payment app, they were open to using a different app if other friends started using another app. Though most users didn’t share their purchases with friends within payment apps, the majority of users liked to see what their friends had purchased and the ability to comment or interact. Additionally, the name Rhino Splits was confusing to users. My suggestion was to shorten the name to Split, which implies the app’s purpose and was easier to remember.
Time Frame: 5 days
Key Persona
Using the data from the survey and in person interviews, I created a key persona based on demographic info, pain points and use.
Zack
Age: 29
Marital Status: Single
Education: BBA
Income: $47k
Hobbies: Traveling, collecting vinyl
Goals: Paying off student loan debt, getting better at budgeting
Frustrations: Constant car repairs, managing income
Uses peer-to-peer payment apps for paying room mate for rent/utilities and repaying friends for concert tickets, dinner, etc.
Customer Journey Map
To create the customer journey map, I chose a scenario where Zack is out with his friends and he picks up the bill. He opens the app, selects the option to split the bill, selects which friends to message with the total then gets notified when the payment is received, From there, he can transfer money to his bank account.
Wireframes
Keeping Zack’s customer journey in mind, I began sketching out my ideas for each step through the app. I went through multiple iterations with the layout, including updating design elements such as button shape, message alert placement, microcopy and color.
I purposefully kept the app design simple yet clear, with plenty of white space. In keeping with the clean design, I chose brand colors that underscored the idea of simple, clean design with green, white and gray as the primary brand colors.
Time Frame: 3 weeks (including iteration and design)
Prototype
After refining my initial layouts and design in Photoshop, I created a basic prototype to test with InVision. I walked through each step of Zack’s customer journey through the app, making notes about changes to ensure the entire process was simple and intuitive. I made noted changes and tested the final version again. After testing the prototype myself, I enlisted an expert QA for additional testing and feedback, which was invaluable.
Time Frame: 3 weeks (including testing)
Lessons Learned
Through this entire process, I learned a lot about design and how users move through digital products like apps. I enjoyed identifying pain points and getting feedback from others, including an expert QA. I also felt like the design process drove home the need for design systems earlier in the process to provide visual direction and easily recreate or redesign screen layouts. My background experience writing site content and A/B testing were assets as I thought through each word and phrase used in the app.
Next Steps
Create branded icons to integrate into the app
More extensive user testing
Incorporate interactive social elements such as emojis, “badges” and more
Add budget features or integrate with other budget apps like You Need A Budget, Mint, etc.
Tools
InVision, Sketch, Photoshop, Slack, Google Slides, SurveyMonkey