iPru Pulse - Mobile Application Enhancement
Initial Steps
Usability Analysis
Parameters :
• Ease of Navigation
• Discoverability
• Cognitive Load
• Consistency
• Flexibility and efficiency of use
• Aesthetics and minimalistic design
• Error prevention
• User control
• User help and documentation
Highlighted Issues :
• Overall landing screen - Landing screen is a long page of public timeline and no indication to take the next steps.
• Conversation & Messages - User can view the message on clicking on the grey area which is not intuitive enough for any user.
It is also not indicative that which message is ‘Read’ and which is not.
• Notifications - User see multiple notifications and the moment he cancels and come back again you see a blank screen. It is possible that user might have not seen all the notifications and kept it for the later view and just want to close the notification window. Screens missing consistency.
• Broadcasting Feature -
File - Users can attach files and broadcast. Clicking on an attachment icon user uploads images, but there is no way to remove attachments.
Form - Clicking on ‘form icon’ user redirects to the ‘Attach Form’ screen. Clicking on ‘Create a Form’ link further takes the user to the dedicated screen, now there is no button provided to go back.
Visuals were confusing, Titles were given similar look and feel as of CTAs, which is totally confusing for users.
File - Users can attach files and broadcast. Clicking on an attachment icon user uploads images, but there is no way to remove attachments.
Form - Clicking on ‘form icon’ user redirects to the ‘Attach Form’ screen. Clicking on ‘Create a Form’ link further takes the user to the dedicated screen, now there is no button provided to go back.
Visuals were confusing, Titles were given similar look and feel as of CTAs, which is totally confusing for users.
• Navigation - Menu is divided with two headings ‘Main Menu’ and ‘Quick Navigation’. Quick Navigation was going below fold.
• Quick links - In the Public timeline at the bottom, we have ‘Quick Links’ and the menu items are different than the ‘Main Menu’. Here the user would get confused whether this quick link and the main menu ‘quick navigation’ is different.
• Communities -
To access the communities user clicks on the menu whether to check ‘Your Community List’ or ‘Community Directory’. Now, both these links opens the same screen whereas the expectation of the users are different. In ‘Your Community List’ user expects to see the list of community tagged/subscribed by him/her but they see a long filter screen and later see few details which are again not properly indicative.
In ‘Community Directory’ user expects to see all the communities available to see and subscribe but they see again a long filter so on.
To access the communities user clicks on the menu whether to check ‘Your Community List’ or ‘Community Directory’. Now, both these links opens the same screen whereas the expectation of the users are different. In ‘Your Community List’ user expects to see the list of community tagged/subscribed by him/her but they see a long filter screen and later see few details which are again not properly indicative.
In ‘Community Directory’ user expects to see all the communities available to see and subscribe but they see again a long filter so on.
• Cancel button is not used appropriately across the screens, somewhere ‘Cancel’ is used and other places ‘Close’. Both are having different meanings but function same way, hence need to rethink on it. Functionality of ‘Cancel’ button was confusing.
• Validations are not used properly, it doesn’t indicate to the required places and show all the validations on top of the screen which is not user friendly.
• Through mobile app user cannot upload a video.
• Navigating back from any screen is unpredictable because user won’t know where it will take them.
• UI functioning was not as per expectations.
• User cannot delete the data uploaded by them.
• No user guide.
Usability Findings Report :
Detailed review was done for each and every workflow. Report was created & presented to the client and other stakeholders.
Issues were highlighted purely on the basis of our assumptions and without any primary or secondary stakeholder /user research because of time and budget constraints.
• Somehow, the results felt incomplete.
• Actual users were not involved in any discussions.
• It was not convincing that solution could only be the improvisations in current app.
So, Insisted on talking to end users directly.
Further Steps
User Research
• User feedback sessions were conducted where we interviewed 15 users including sales representatives and management trainees.
• Most Used Features: App Launcher and Directory Search
• Users feel discouraged. If someone is using app, it is considered as ‘Having less work and more free time’.
• Average Rating on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest )
Insights
• Users feel demotivated.
• Users did not know about many of the features app is having.
• There’s a need for user guide or help.
• No notifications for available app updates.
• The seniors are not using app.
• One on one chatting feature is required.
• No contextual timeline.
User's Wishlist
• Single sign on to browse the applications with no additional windows or tabs.
• Help file or FAQ’s to refer.
• One to one chatting with the internal users.
• A contextual timeline, to see what they are associated with.
• App users wish to see the following applications integrated with Pulse:
- eMuster
- Product Calculator
- Navigator
- Login Assistant
- Downloadable documents, related with loan and other useful ones
• They wish to see the motivational comments / quotes from the senior managers or managements
• Some thought of the day.
UX Recommendations
• The moment any user logs in to the application, a step by step user guide has to be provided to take the further step (at the very first login and on any update).
• To start with we can provide the bare minimum features to the users so that they can start using with no confusion or fear.
• Many of the users have no idea about the features exist in the application, we can make it available upfront the most common features of the application.
• We recommend to encourage the users for eg. the best post of the month / week, etc. and give reward for the same.
• Media sharing feature can be made more intuitive and user friendly, at present user has no clarity about the same.
• System must throw the notifications(push) on any type of update happens in the system, there are user who have not updated the application from more than 6 months because they have no idea of any update.
• We can start a practice to provide ‘Tip of the day’ about the applications so that user would know about the features. For e.g. 'Do you know that you can create a community for you and your colleagues, click for more details?' etc.
• We recommend the management to write a monthly post and an occasion based post, e.g. A monthly or quarterly target achieved post, Festival greetings, etc…
Monitoring the user behavior on a regular basis is recommended, hence a UX study/feedback session is recommended in every 6 months.
