revamping Fidelitys apple watch experience

 
 
 
 

Fidelity had an Apple watch app that was created in 2015, and left untouched and not updated since then. As being part of the Emerging Technology team at Fidelity, it was my job to update the app to match the new design system standards, and add in deeper functionality to an otherwise shallow and defunct product.

 
 

My Role: UX designer, qualitative research, visual design, and usability

Tools: Sketch, Invision, Photoshop

My Contributions:

  • Researched/develop stats for dating apps
  • MSCW for overall criteria for the app
  • Focused on time alignment for daters

  • Created questions for user interviews

  • Conducted interviews

  • Defined user flow and journey maps

  • Wrote copy for "no match"

  • Designed high-fidelity wireframes

Methods Used:

Business research
User interviews
Affinity mapping
Persona development
Scenarios/user flows
Sketches
Layout
Wireframes
Comps
Usability testing
Prototype

 
 

WHAT I’M SOLVING

 

The Problem

Fidelity has over 100k monthly users for their Apple Watch app, but had not updated it in 6 years. The UI was tiny and inconsistent, and the app had only the absolute basics in terms of information for users about their accounts.

 
 

APPROACH

 
 
 

Research: Here I'll learn how the current app functions, and what competitors are doing in comparison.

Define: Questions that pop up during the analysis are pushed into user interviews- where I'll poke, prod and gain insight to define how people who currently use the app feel about the experience, and what features do they wish they had.

Ideate: Once I'm clear on the user needs and concerns, I'll mock up the app with the new design standards, and try to map out what the new features could look like using successful aspects of its competitors, and my ideas for improvement.

Test: Using the designs made from the attempt at updating the app and adding in features, I'll then user test to establish a foundation.

Iterate: With the findings from the user testing, I'll start the process over again by applying the feedback.

 
 

Research

 

Industry Overview

I started out by conducting research on the dating app landscape and found the following stats:

 
 
 
 
 

Competitor Research

My team then researched competitors in the dating app space. Below is a detailed SWOT analysis (strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats).

 
 
 

Strengths

  • Strong visual look

  • Unique concept

  • Meets user pain points across all dating platforms

  • Game style feel

  • Focused approach with one match a day

Weaknesses

  • Little user control

  • Onboarding is long

  • Timing constraints

  • Matching logistics

  • Low market share

  • Higher likelihood of not receiving a match

Opportunities

  • Revenue from restaurant incorporation

  • Clear reasoning for what sets it apart

  • Market penetration for paying users is low across all apps

Threats

  • Many competitors

  • Low number of users

  • Lack of marketing

  • Many constraints

  • Difficult concept to understand

  • Tinder tried similar idea for easy dates

 
 

User Flow

Once I had a better idea of where The Round fit in with current dating apps- I created a user flow map, keeping in mind what happens when people try to coordinate a date, and their times don't work. 

 
 
 
 
 

User Journey

Given the amount of constraints of the app, I also created a user journey map to predict where the pitfalls for the users may lay- and with this, I could anticipate how it would affect other parts of the app.

 
 
 

interviews

 

I was interested in hearing from people who regularly use dating apps. I wanted to learn why they use apps, and what makes them want to follow through to set up a date after receiving a match. The other things I was looking to learn was:

 
 

Example Questions:

  1. When looking for a dating app, what criteria do you use when choosing to try something new?

  2. Do you have any fears or hesitations around using a dating app?

  3. What are the hardest parts about setting up a date with someone you've matched with on a dating app?

  4. What would you tell yourself about yourself if you didn’t get a match?

  5. What would you do immediately after not getting a match?

 
 

DEFINE

 

With the Interview questions set and competitive research done- It was time to define what was learned, and help explain what those discoveries could mean for iterations on the app.

 
 

Interview findings

 
 

I used the affinity map method to synthesize the data from the interviews.

 

Our dating app users:

Feel insecure and have a distrust with dating apps:

  • More so when they don't receive a match

  • The quality of the person they will meet

  • That people are not as they appear online

  • The stigma of meeting people on a dating app

  • Apps can feel seedy

Find dating apps to be a waste of time:

  • To keep swiping and not receive a match feels like wasted effort and demoralizing

  • Matches rarely go somewhere

  • Many people never message

Re-asses their matches after receiving them:

  1. Usually, people do a re-review a persons profile

  2. Decide if they are truly interested or attracted

  3. Will reach out after if the answer is yes

  4. May re-asses their own profile to make things similar to their matches interests

Go on dating apps and return because:

  • Gives them confidence/ego boost

  • They are in the mood to meet someone

  • They are feeling confident that day

  • The potential and possibility is exciting

 
 

Personas

Goals

  • Find a meaningful connection and get off all dating apps

  • Feel like there is a degree of control with setting up a date

  • Wants to experience more follow-through from others

Challenges

  • Tired of being ghosted by people after messaging

  • Distrustful of dating apps since he has had very few experiences that feel positive

  • Concerned about the quality of people in person

How The Round can help

  • Create more accountability for users by requiring users to provide times available

  • Provide more detailed profiles with mandatory photos to reaffirm about someone looks

  • Take away the drawn-out process of making choices

 

Goals

  • Be spontaneous and meet someone quickly when she is feeling up for it
  • Generally likes to meet new people often
  • Reduce the back and forth of where to meet and when

Challenges

  • Will switch apps immediately if she doesn’t find someone that excites her
  • Easily bored by people
  • May be more casual then others, has a hard time committing to more

How The Round can help

  • Create more investment in others by having users fill out more detailed profiles

  • Create excitement through a gamification feel

  • Make the process of choosing times and restaurants easy

 

IDEATE

 

After research was done, it was time to try and shake out some ideas.

sketch

I sketched and worked out a path with results from the previous steps.

 
 

TEST

 

user testing

In the usability tests of our initial low-fi version, we found a number of things we needed to iterate on: 

  1. The language needed to be clearer for people to know they were to select times to hang out that same day

  2. Trying to reduce the number of steps by adding more content to one page, made directions less clear, and the overall look more cluttered

  3. The copy on the buttons was ambiguous as to what was happening next

  4. Users felt frustrated they couldn’t see other users times selected when they didn’t match, since they may willing to be flexible by an hour

 
 

ITERATE

 

With the feedback received through usability tests, I worked on revamping aspects of The Round to keep things clear and motivating 

I focused on:

  1. Simplifying the content of the time selection page

  2. Make the text clear as to what was expected of the user

  3. Users needed to see the times selected by their counterpart

  4. Men and women felt differently about themselves when they didn’t get a match, we needed to cater to each gender to encourage them to return

All changes can be seen below.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Want to see the flow in action?

 

Click to view prototype

 
 

REFLECTIONS

Challenges

  • Flow for selecting times was clunky, needed to cut down on the number of screens
  • Consistency with design placement and aesthetic
  • Because of many constraints, there will be fewer matches

Solutions

  • Borrow UI aesthetic from other successful time-choosing apps
  • Clear communication for when times don't align
  • Copy that keeps users motivated when they don't receive a match

Next

  • Usability test with scenarios of very invested in the selected date, versus a little unsure
  • When there is no match, AB test language on "no match" page
  • Conduct further research