UBA MOBILE BANKING APP REDESIGN (A UX CASE STUDY)
Role: UI/UX Designer and Researcher.
Team: Individual.
Project Timeline: 1 week.
OVERVIEW
Almost a year back I opened a UBA (United Bank For Africa) account (UBA is a financial institution in Africa) and as a millennial it was just right for me to use their mobile banking app which provides simple banking services like transferring of funds, buying of Mobile data & airtime, checking of account balance among others easier.
NEED FOR A REDESIGN
One of the main reasons why I decided to redesign the UBA mobile banking app was because it was lacking when it comes to the user interface. Though functional for it’s purpose, the UI has many features which I think were unnecessary for a banking app, and this made the app stressful to use. For instance, why do you think it is necessary for users to change the wallpaper of their Login screen? like seriously why?(LOL).
This and many other unnecessary features and also some UI flaws I noticed are what led me to a redesign and also being a regular user of the app gave me an upper hand in the redesign process and how different features could be re-organized to enable a smooth and overall pleasing experience.
RESEARCH
Next is RESEARCH, I needed to know what other users think about the current UBA mobile app, their pain points, what they want to see improve and things they want to see removed completely.
I went with the interview approach for both Quantitative and Qualitative data because it has proven to be one of the most effective way to communicate user needs and feelings and to get specific data directly from the users.
Also because it was a mini project so I just talked to family and friends who use the app.
To make this effective and so I can get specific data for analysis, I prepared five questions to ask the Interviewees.
- How often do you use the mobile banking app?
- What do you mostly use the app for?
- What is/are your major challenge(s) when using this app?
- What are the things/features you want to see removed?
- What do you want to see added/improve on the app?
Below is the final result I got from each question asked and some exact words in quotes of some of the major PAIN POINTS faced by the interviewees.
Out of the TEN users I interviewed, Seven said they use the app daily, Two said they use it at least four times a week and only one user said she rarely opens the app and she prefers the USSD Banking instead. In her words..
“That app? It hangs a lot on my phone and it’s very stressful to use. the only reason why I still have it on my phone is because I use it to confirm if a transaction is successful because sometimes SMS alert delivers late.”
For the next question, nine out of the ten users use the app for fund transfer, six users use it to purchase airtime and mobile data directly from their account, two users use it for bill payment, two users use it to check account balance and transaction history only and only one user uses it solely to confirm transactions.
I asked if they have ever used the lifestyle section of the app and they all said NO.
“The app is very functional. I mean, it does exactly what a mobile banking app should do but the thing is they are too many unnecessary features on this app like who wants to change the background picture of a login page? that I’m so sure nobody has done before.”
Talking about major challenges when using the app, they all complained about the amount of steps they have to take before getting to the home page as a returning user. Six out of them complained about how stressful navigating the app is and also how unprofessional (Ugly) the general UI is as three didn’t care about design but speed and fast response time.
“I feel like using the app to check simple things like account balance is a waste of time because the steps I have to take to sign in alone is a bit long and tiring.”
For features they want to see removed, only two out of the ten interviewees said they should completely remove the Lifestyle section as they thought it is useless and unnecessary while the rest said they wouldn't remove anything but improve on the design and organization of already existing features.
“I really won’t remove anything, I just feel there is a way they can be better arranged for Instance instead of having to choose between Lifestyle or Banking from the onset why don’t we just do it in the app itself. Maybe in the menu or even in the quick actions.”
For the last question, Seven out of the Ten users wanted to add a cards section in the menu where they can check for their card details and also block stolen or misplaced cards. And they all asked for a general revamp of the app.
“Guy let’s be honest, that app is not fine at all LOL, I know its functional and fulfills it’s purpose but at least be pleasing to the eyes na.”
Solution
After getting the useful information needed for the redesign, it was time to work on a solution to fix the major problems faced by users.
Solutions include:
- Faster Login process.
- Reorganizing the entire home and menu screen for easy navigation while providing better design quality.
- Redesigning the Transaction history and Funds transfer process screens.
USERFLOW
I designed a Task flow taking users from the splash screen to a successful fund transfer.
DESIGN
LOW-FIDELITY SKETCHES
Below are some not so fine sketches I made for the visual design and prototype process to ideate user flow.
HIGH FIDELITY SCREENS
After several iterations to suit users need, I finally came up with high fidelity screens.
LOGIN PROCESS
Initially, the user experiences a flash screen with the UBA logo and then after a very short period of time screen automatically changes to the Signup/Login page. A new user signs up for the service while a returning user goes to the Login screen.
Unlike the current app, a returning user won’t have to see the signup/login screen every time he/she opens the app but is instead, taken directly to the Login page.
In the redesign, I completely got rid of the “choose how we serve you” screen because I considered it a waste of time as all the interviewees said they haven’t chosen the Lifestyle option before and moreover, users can still get access to the Lifestyle section when they are in app. This also solves the problem of longer login steps.
THE HOME SCREEN
The redesigned home screen houses the menu at the top left corner and user profile picture at the top right corner just like the current app design, a personalized welcome back message and after that, you see the account number, account balance and transaction history tab then some quick actions just like the current application but now with only the important services most users use. I also kept the Lifestyle option in the quick actions because it is a part of the UBA app and I wouldn’t want to get rid of it completely.
FUNDS TRANSFER PROCESS
Below are the process screens for funds transfer before and after the redesign.
OTHER SCREENS
Menu
TRANSACTION HISTORY
CONCLUSION
This Project being my first UX design process, I got to understand the concept of user research and also the process of designing for users and not just what looks pleasant to the designer. I also got to understand how to implement the needs of users to produce a useful and aesthetically pleasing solution through design. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed redesigning it.
Feedback are highly appreciated.
THANK YOU.
PS. THIS IS JUST A PERSONAL REDESIGN AND IS IN NO WAY CONNECTED TO UBA OR UBA MOBILE BANKING.
