Photo: Paul Hanaoka na Unsplash
One of Brazil’s top 5 banks contracted Try Consultoria to conduct an in-depth investigation through usability testing. I led the project from the proposal phase, overseeing the team throughout the testing process, analysis, and final delivery. The primary goal was to assess the user experience of the bank’s mobile app and identify key opportunities for improvement.
The project aimed to evaluate the app’s navigation and overall usability. Through a comprehensive analysis, we delivered a detailed overview of the current user experience, providing clear recommendations for enhancements that would improve both functionality and the overall user journey.
A significant challenge in this investigation was the need to conduct the usability tests in person, involving both current account holders from the bank’s competitors and the bank itself. We used real accounts and real transactions to ensure the testing accurately reflected the same challenges customers faced.
Additionally, due to a client request, the tests were conducted during the most difficult time of the year—the week before Christmas and New Year's—to ensure delivery within the fiscal year. This presented a range of challenges, and my role was crucial in coordinating the team. Key difficulties included:
- Opening new accounts to ensure testing occurred in a real environment.
- Coordinating the logistics of transactions, including managing funds and ensuring the feasibility of operations.
- Finding participants willing to take part during the holiday season.
- Managing the complexity of the test, which involved numerous transactions per participant and the coordination of those transactions.
- Addressing security issues, such as account blocks or system-triggered security measures.
- Adapting the SUM method of measurement to create a unique index for this contracting bank required a thorough study by research specialists.
Despite these challenges, the project was successfully completed, delivering valuable insights to the client and ensuring a smooth, data-driven path to app improvements.
Photo: Lukas Blazek na Unsplash
We conducted 18 individual usability testing sessions, including in-depth interviews and usability tests, between December 12, 2023, and January 5, 2024.
The methodology used to obtain the results was SUM, which is a metric that aims to unify other commonly used metrics in usability testing.
During the 18 individual usability tests, we tested both the bank's app and its competitors, alternating the order of the players and between customers and non-customers of these banks.
The competitors analyzed were Itaú, Nubank, and Mercado Pago.
11 tasks analyzed
1.5 hours per session
Each participant tested both the bank's app and a competitor's app for comparison
Analysis based on the SUM methodology
Final report delivered with over 30 items, including problems or improvements, with practical recommendations for adjustments
I lead the Try team, focusing on:
Team Leadership: training, aligning processes, understanding roles, onboarding new members, and sharing responsibilities.
Project Management: ensuring deadlines are met, overseeing delivery responsibilities.
Planning: organizing demands based on the project timeline, setting clear deadline deliveries.
Leadership Alignment: facilitating essential communication between leadership for successful project outcomes.
Creating UX Culture: developing flexible, creative processes with designers, enhancing seniority and decision-making power within the UX team, and acting as a bridge between Try and procuct area of the client.
Team Orchestration: identifying and addressing issues, ensuring adherence to rules, and maintaining organization in tools like Figma.
Process and Standards Development: establishing team processes, including Figma standards, design systems, and sprint rituals.
Ritual Definition: conducting daily updates to keep the team informed and weekly critiques to review and address potential issues.