top of page

UX/UI Designer

Cove Wallet

A UX Case Study

Group 104.png

The Project

The goal was to create a finance app that eliminates the need for multiple finance apps.  Designed for everyone, it was created to accommodate a wide variety of personal finance needs. 

My Role

UX Researcher

UX Designer

UI Designer

Context

Sole Designer

Career Foundry Course Project

Duration: 5 months (part-time)

Tools

Ideation | Figma, Sketch, Procreate, Adobe Illustrator

Prototyping | Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Balsamiq

User Testing | Wufoo, Zoom, Adobe Illustrator 

The Process

cive.png

research

define

ideate

test

iterate

Research

Competitive Analysis

Competitor Profile 

 

  • Market Strategy

  • Key Features

  • Market Advantage





 

SWOT Analysis

UX Analysis

 

  • Usability

  • Layout & Navigation Structure

  • Composition





 

 

  • Strengths / Weaknesses

  • Opportunities / Threats





 

Summary

Where Paypal and Venmo excel is in their usability, familiarity, security, marketing and reputation, and clear and simple layouts. Competing with them would require the same levels in all these areas in addition to the added features. However, neither of these apps focus on creating an all-encompassing banking experience, and this is where I believe there is room to create something.

Looking at Paypal & Venmo:

They’re finance apps, and they have their strengths, but neither is an all-in-one simplified digital wallet

Surveys & Interviews

In order to add value through my designs, I needed to understand how people currently use financial apps and discover what problem is the correct problem to solve. In order to do so, I conducted interviews with 4 people ages 19-52 of various demographics via Zoom.

What could I learn from talking to these people?

I wanted to understand current behaviors of other people regarding personal finance

I wanted to understand how people currently felt about digital finances

I wanted to uncover what features would add the most value to each person

Enjoyable Banking

Keep it Simple

Accommodate the Variety

Many people use the app of their bank, despite usability issues or limited functionality, which leaves room for improvement in enjoyability.

People steered clear of complicated banking methods and features.  People were drawn to the straightforwardness of tasks such as transferring money, checking a balance, or paying a bill. 

The way that people approach finances varies greatly, especially across demographics. 

Define

User Personas

Before creating User Personas, I created user stories to better understand someone’s potential needs. This also helped me decide on the functional requirements for Cove Wallet, so that I could refer back to them throughout the project and keep focused.

Based on these user stories, I created user personas. Cove Wallet’s target market is large, so I chose to create two main user personas to represent the market under age 30 as well as the market above age 40. I identified that those I interviewed below age 30 commonly used digital banking apps while those over the age of 40 leaned towards a combination of digital and print methods.

Based on these user stories, I created user personas. Cove Wallet’s target market is large, so I chose to create two main user personas to represent the market under age 30 as well as the market above age 40. I identified that those I interviewed below age 30 commonly used digital banking apps while those over the age of 40 leaned towards a combination of digital and print methods.

Group 2.png
Frame 17.png

Mental Models

Using all of the research collected, I created a mental model for each user persona in order to understand how someone might interact with the app, and to create a more intuitive experience from start to finish. 

Untitled design (30) 2.png
Group 107a.png

Information Architecture

Based on the insights gained from the initial content audits, competitor analysis and card sort from my user interviews, I designed the sitemap.

IA draw.io.png

Task Flows

Finally, I created a task analysis and user flow for each persona. This gave me a clear picture of the steps that someone would need to take to get to their final goal, and how to deliver this goal in the most effective manner possible.

Karrie's Objective

As a frequent online shopper, Karrie would like to review her recent purchases across all credit cards and see the total number spent.

Task Analysis

Tasks:

  1. View Dashboard

  2. Spending in navigation bar

  3. Select "Create Spending Report"

  4. Enter dates or "Last 2 Weeks"

  5. Select "All Cards"

  6. Select "Generate Report"

Start Point: Dashboard
Success Criteria: View Spending Total

karrie.png

Jackson's Objective

Jackson wants a way to send money to friends quickly through an app that will track and combine his spending so that he can keep track of how much he has spent. 

Task Analysis

Tasks:

  1. View Dashboard

  2. Send & Receive on Navigation Bar

  3. Search by phone number or email

  4. Type in amount

  5. Choose a way to pay

  6. Review Transaction

  7. Send or cancel

  8. Confirmation Screen

  9. Return to Dashboard

Start Point: Dashboard
Success Criteria: Confirmation Screen

hacso.png

Ideate

Wireframing & Prototyping

Since simplicity and ease of use are some of the biggest aims of Cove Wallet, the number of screens were kept to a minimum and I wanted to focus on highlighting the core features. I started with pen and paper wireframes, and created multiple versions of each screen until I found a combination of features that I believed could help someone solve problems in an intuitive way.

Low-Fidelity Mobile 

Create
Spending Report

Cancel a
Subscription

Transfer Money

groups.png

Mid-Fidelity Mobile 

Group 105.png

Test

User Testing

"Ok, I have my working prototype, let's see how people interact with the design."

Background

The goal of this study is to observe and document the learnability for new users interacting with Cove Wallet for the first time on mobile devices. Specifically, I wanted to observe and measure if people could understand the app, its functions, and how to complete basic initial functions such as logging in and searching for and navigating to a specific task.

Methodology

Metrics

Moderated Remote Usability Tests:
Participants tested a mobile prototype while meeting online with me via Zoom

  • Learnability: Success Rate

  • Errors: Jacob Neilson Scale errors

  • Efficiency: Length of time completing task

  • Satisfaction: 1-10 point rating scale

  • Is it understandable?

  • Is it easy to use?

  • Does it add value?

  • Does it solve the problem?

Rainbow Spreadsheet (1) 2.png
Group 72.png

I then created Usability Test Results through Affinity Mapping I extracted Positive Quotes, Observations, Negative Quotes, and Errors from my interviews. I created a Rainbow Spreadsheet and identified which areas to iterate.

Iterate

Resulting Designs

I made changes based on the user feedback and then reached out for additional feedback from some fellow designers. I created a newer, high-fidelity version of the app that featured improved spacing, larger icons and clearer text.

To this design, I applied the Gestalt Principles, color theory and made use of grids to ensure consistency within the entire app.

Frame 19.png
model=iPhone Pro-12-11-X, style=outline 2.png
Frame 5a 2.png

Accessibility

To these changes, I also added a few of my own after conducting research on accessibility in design in order to meet WCAG requirements.

1. Placeholders vs Labels

Originally, Cove Wallet’s sign in screens made use of placeholders instead of labels. Now, each form input field has its own label, and the placeholder text provides an example of what someone should type.

2. Error Messages

Error messages, when shown, will be indicated by color as well as an icon. This is to better accomidate those with color blindness. Additionally, input fields will include icons to help indicate their purpose.

3. Increasing Visibility

Fonts were increased and containers were made darker in order to increase visibility. Contrast was adjusted to a minimum of 4.5:1 across all elements and screens.

Design Language

Lastly, I created a design system language that could be followed in the future to ensure consistency throughout the app. 

Group 88.png

Final Designs

subs.png

Subscriptions

This feature solves the problem of not knowing how much is being spent on subscriptions each month. Viewing each subscription gives a list of previous payments and allows someone to cancel a subscription without leaving the app.
 

Send / Request

This feature operates similarly to Venmo and Paypal. The benefit of using Cove Wallet’s Send / Request functions is the ability that Cove Wallet has to provide accurate spending reports that encompass all transactions that enter and leave a person’s bank account.

model=iPhone Pro-12-11-X, style=outlined 1.png
fdfd.png

Analytics 

Analytics provides graphs, records of debts, a calendarized view of upcoming bills, savings plans, spending reports, and more. The goal is to provide someone with organized information about their finances so that they can make better financial decisions.

Designed for Growth

Finance is a broad subject, and many more features can be added to Cove Wallet all with the goal of adding value to each individual. One of the ways that Cove Wallet was designed for growth is through the widget option on the home page. 6 functions are displayed as widgets on both the analytics and the home page, and an option to swipe horizontally will reveal even more. There is the potential to customize the home screen so that someone’s most used widgets display first.

model=iPhone Pro-12-11-X, style=outlineds 2.png
Group 40 2.png

Retrospective

I had a lot of fun during the ideation for this project. To get inspiration for this project, I paid attention to things that I wished existed / things that I would change about apps I currently use. It’s still crazy to me that I can make those things real. I gained a much deeper understanding about what UX is, and how much of an impact it can really make. It instilled in me a sense of purpose as a designer to add as much value as I can to others’ lives.

Something I was careful to consider throughout this process was my own personal bias. I've learned how it can be helpful to take few steps back and really look at something through the eyes of someone else. It was amazing to me to understand how differently people approach finances, and try to come up with solutions that add some benefit to all.

My biggest challenge was learning UI and illustration elements. Once I had brainstormed what I wanted to build, the actual building was the tricky part. I took the most time on this project learning UI techniques, and was amazed at how much my design skills improved in just a few months. It was really inspiring and encouraging to see myself take on a challenge and make a lot of progress in an area that I really cared about, and I’m grateful to have had the challenge.


What’s next for Cove Wallet?
 

  • Adding more features (based on research)

  • Testing to see how well Cove Wallet solves real-life problems and test to see how well it integrates into people’s lives

  • Improving UI, icons, and illustration elements

bottom of page