Resolve
Challenge
In today's digital age, making informed decisions in various fields can be incredibly challenging.
So how do we address this problem?
That's where a platform comes in - an app named Resolve where reliable experts offer personalised guidance and support to those seeking advice. This platform provides a trusted source of advice, giving users clarity and confidence in their decisions amidst the chaos of the digital world.
My Approach
My approach began with defining the problem and conducting thorough research of existing apps to identify opportunities. I then conducted user surveys and interviews, uncovering key insights and pain points. To understand users better, I developed user personas, journey maps, and user flows. Using card sorting tools, I created the information architecture, followed by low-fi sketches and mid-fi prototypes. After iterative testing and improvements, I finalised high-fidelity prototypes.
Why?
Well, trustworthy experts are hard to come by. People often rely on family or friends for advice, which may not always be helpful. Social media further complicates this with overwhelming and often misleading information.
Problem Statement
The user requires personalised guidance from reliable professionals with expertise in personal finance, legal and taxation, who would genuinely understand their issues and resolve them effectively.
I've chosen to use a double diamond strategy as it offers advantages through its four-stage approach, emphasising both divergence and convergence thinking while prioritising explicit problem definition, along with its inherent flexibility.
Design Methodology
Introducing Resolve: A web-responsive app for personalised guidance in personal finance, tax, and legal matters, connecting you with top experts to navigate your unique challenges and get tailored advice anytime, anywhere.
Click on the mockup to check out the prototype.
Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis of two existing websites, namely JustAnswer and Clarity, who are direct competitors, providing expert consultation. My main motive was to understand what is out there in the market, to understand the strengths and gaps they might be having.
Focus on connecting users with experts across various fields.
Focus on connecting users with experts across various fields.
Opportunities
Streamlined UX Design: Address identified gaps in user experience design, focusing on optimising user flows, navigation, and overall usability for a more intuitive and satisfying experience.
Enhanced Website Audit: Implement a feature allowing users to preview the platform's offerings before committing, fostering trust and confidence in the service.
Expanded Free Features: Introduce additional free features to enhance user engagement and provide value, encouraging users to explore and utilise the platform more extensively.
Flexible Pricing Options: Introduce flexible pricing plans to accommodate varying user needs and budgets, promoting transparency and affordability.
Prompt Expert Responses: Prioritize enhancing response times during peak hours and ensure sufficient expert availability, improving user satisfaction and trust in the service.
Market Analysis
I conducted user surveys in order to find out the domains in which people require maximum expertise and the issues they face while seeking expert consultations.
Survey Findings
I also spoke with various individuals, including young professionals and retirees, who frequently seek expert guidance. My goal was to understand the potential user problems currently experienced when trying to find expert advice.
Key Insights
Lack of Personalised Advice:
Users have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of personalised advice tailored to their specific needs from any available source.
Financial Management Challenges:
Most users are facing issues when it comes to managing finances and going through the complicated process of tax filing.
Cost Concerns with Expert Consultation:
Users are hesitant to choose expert consultation websites due to their high cost.
Frustration with Unreliable Information:
Users often get frustrated by the abundance of unreliable sources of information, leading them to make mistakes in pursuing their goals.
Why did I narrow my scope
My initial strategy of a generic approach for my expert guidance app, attempting to cover various fields helped me recognise the lack of a strong research base. I decided to adjust my strategy to focus on fewer domains. This shift allowed for more in-depth research, yielding valuable insights.
Where did I shift my focus
During my initial research, I discovered that while users seek expert guidance in many areas, there's a predominant need for personal finance assistance.
They also highlighted issues in legal and taxation domains, citing delays and missed opportunities. Consequently, I shifted my focus to cater specifically to personal finance, legal, and taxation, where the need for guidance is most highlighted.
80%
83%
70%
want to seek expert advice in personal finance
use search engines like google to seek advice
have difficulty finding reliable experts
Quantitative Analysis
Research Goals
After shifting my focus to personal finance, legal, and taxation, I conducted another round of interviews with a few individuals who experienced significant issues in these areas. I was interested to know and understand specific challenges they faced & the reasons behind their difficulties in addressing these matters. The interviews were held on zoom.
I asked questions about:
The difficulties encountered in handling financial matters, comprehending legal and taxation terminology.
Their preferred sectors for investment.
Positive and negative encounters during the search for advice.
Primary sources of information & obstacles experienced while gathering information.
Affinity Map
After gathering a lot of information from the interviews, I created an affinity map, categorising the information into frustrations and positives.
Key Pain Points emerged from the data:
Users find it difficult to understand personal financial concepts, which hinders their ability to make informed decisions.
Users encounter challenges in planning their budgets effectively.
Users often lack a mindset towards intelligently growing their finances, focusing more on short-term thinking and having excessive spending habits.
Users feel overwhelmed gathering information from various platforms and become lazy and confused due to information overload.
Users do not know the right place to look for knowledge.
Users find it difficult to grasp tax laws and legal language due to its complexity.
User Personas
I have created two personas namely, Arjun and Anita, to represent two types of individuals that I felt would reflect the insights I gained from my research. While their interests may align, their goals and motivations differ.
User Journey Maps
I constructed user journey maps for both Arjun and Anita to visualise the frustrations they might encounter throughout their user journey. This method enabled me to empathise with the users' perspectives and pinpoint solutions tailored to their individual challenges and circumstances.
User Flows
I developed a user flow to visually represent the diverse pathways users can follow while using with the app.
Flow 1: Book a call with an Expert
Arjun wants to start investing in his kid’s higher education. Due to his time constraints in researching different investment opportunities, Arjun chooses to “Book a call with an Expert” to understand of various investment strategies.
Legend
Card Sorting
We used an Open Card Sort with Optimal Workshop to learn how users see and organise features in our web app. 5 users took part, putting features into categories that made sense to them.
Similarity Matrix
Dendogram Analysis
In evaluating the inputs, we conducted a thorough analysis of the data using a similarity matrix and dendrogram. This allowed us to delve into the relationships and hierarchical structures within the data gathered from the card sorting exercise, to ultimately develop the Information Architecture.
Information Architecture
Lo-Fidelity Sketches
I sketched out some ideas keeping in mind the user tasks and flows, to quickly gather feedback on the concepts while keeping focus on essential user interactions and functionalities.
Mid Fidelity Prototypes
I went one step further and took the ideas from paper and made them digital. They are a bit more detailed and realistic, but not as polished. They helped me to test usability and functionality more effectively, while still being flexible enough for improvement.
User Testing
I recruited 6 participants to test the prototype and give me feedback. My aim was to evaluate how well new user grasp the application and assess the ease or difficulty they experience with the user flows.
User Testing Affinity Map
Iterations
After conducting tests, I've implemented some revisions in the app to enhance its overall functionality.
Homescreen
In the user testing for the Scan Bills and Budget tools, users struggled to locate the features and expressed the need for direct access. Additionally, confusion arose with carousels, prompting a redesign of the Homescreen for improved usability.
Book an Expert Screen
To improve readability and user clarity, we relocated payment options after the user initiates the call scheduling process, allowing for comfortable reading and a seamless booking experience.
Call Confirmation Screen
In response to user feedback during wireframe testing, we enhanced the call confirmation page by introducing edit buttons for Date and Time changes, eliminating redundancy and improving information flow. Additionally, a payment summary was added to instill user confidence during the payment process.
Scan Bills Overview Screen
In response to user feedback during wireframe testing, we enhanced the call confirmation page by introducing edit buttons for Date and Time changes, eliminating redundancy and improving information flow. Additionally, a payment summary was added to instill user confidence during the payment process.
UI Design
Colours
Typography
Tab Bar
Buttons
Iconography
Illustrations
UI Gallery
Onboarding
Login/Signup
Book a Call with Expert
Budget Tool
My learnings
Prioritise user needs:
Putting users and their needs first at every step is key. Always asking for and thinking about user feedback is really important because it helps ensure a successful outcome.
Ask specific questions:
Putting users and their needs first at every step is key. Always asking for and thinking about user feedback is really important because it helps ensure a successful outcome.
Have a comprehensive overview:
It's easy to lose track during design and iterations, so it's important to self-reflect periodically to stay focused on the big picture and not forget about user needs.
Persistence is the key:
It's okay not to be perfect right away. Getting really good at something takes time and effort, and it's normal to face challenges and make mistakes as you go.
Learn from other’s experiences:
Looking at past work and learning from others is helpful when designing. It can inspire new ideas and possibilities.
Future Roadmap
I am proud of how the initial version of the app turned out to be in terms of the feel and look. However, it's crucial to nail down the core functions before adding extras features. Therefore, I plan to launch the initial version, gather user feedback through testing, and concentrate on enhancing those functions.
Then, I plan to introduce the following:
Creating and integrating new tools.
Crafting a smart tax planner allowing active consultation with tax experts.
Building a Legal Language Simplifier, providing analysis and interpretation.
Establishing forums for user engagement.
Throughout my project, the primary objective was to create a platform connecting individuals with trustworthy experts in personal finance, legal matters, and taxation, ensuring personalised guidance for those in need. The main challenge I encountered was during the research phase, where unclear information forced me to redirect my focus. Thankfully, with the guidance of my mentor, I managed to overcome this obstacle. Additionally, the project journey taught me a lot more valuable lessons and insights: