The Backstory
Diool is a B2B digital platform that's a game-changer for African companies. Think of it as your go-to hub for streamlining business payments. We're talking about centralizing transactions, fast-tracking payments, and saving time. The cherry on top? Partnerships with big names like Orange Money, MTN, and Express Union to make mobile money collection a walk in the park.
So, What's My Jam?
I hopped on board as Diool's solo designer, working elbow-to-elbow with product managers, engineers—you name it. Six months in, I gave the platform a total facelift while juggling new features and ongoing site tweaks. But wait, there's more! I also fine-tuned the onboarding experience, crafted an Ops portal for manual KYC checks, and designed a super-smooth payment request feature.
What's the Deal? Goals and Problems
Our mission was crystal: make the platform a dream to use for business owners and distributors. Users were scratching their heads over making transfers and reading their transaction history. Plus, the cash-is-king economy created a hurdle for digital invoice payments. So, I steered the ship towards an intuitive design that nails both digital and cash payments.
The Recon Phase
Cue the usability test. Two days, 24-27 people, and 15-20 minutes per session. And guess what? Only a 35% task completion rate. Ouch. The pain points ranged from a lousy navigation experience to unclear icons and complex user flows.
The Game Plan
Armed with these insights, I tackled the Information Architecture using Hick's Law to keep choices simple and straight-up. For the visual design, I embraced Gestalt Theory to create a layout that makes immediate sense. And the color palette? Swapped it out for muted tones to make the platform WCAG compliant and easier on the eyes.
Design Wins
Redesigned Dashboard
Who doesn't love quick, actionable insights? The new dashboard delivers just that—clear financial overviews customized for each user role.
Unified Transaction History
I got rid of the tab clutter and merged all transaction info into one neat table, making life a lot easier for users. Added a filter menu and an export feature. Less brainpower needed, more action taken.
A Seamless Payment Transfer Flow
Let's talk money transfers. The older system had an annoying quirk: to send money to a new contact, you had to add them separately first. An extra step, more time wasted. In fact, this task had a 0% completion rate during the usability test.
So, I implemented the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework to cook up a sleek new transfer flow. Now, users can add a new contact in the same flow where they're sending the money. It's a win-win: users save time and stay in compliance with all the rules and regs.
Was It a Hit? Absolutely.
Our redesign efforts didn't just pay off—they soared. We’re talking a 45% spike in user adoption and a 60% jump in customer satisfaction. Oh, and our customer base? Quadrupled. Yeah, that's a 400% increase, folks.
But wait, there's more! I conducted another usability test focusing on the same tasks as before to measure our improvements. Guess what? The completion rate skyrocketed from a dismal 35% to a whopping 100%. That's right, a perfect score. And let's not forget the existing users; they were head over heels for the new design.
Takeaways: The Gold Nuggets
Look, every project is a learning journey. This one reminded me that usability testing isn't just useful; it's vital. And never underestimate the power of small changes; they can make or break your user experience.
So, that’s the Diool story, but rest assured, this isn't the end. We're always evolving, always learning. Stick around to see where we head next. Cheers!