Role User Research, UX/UI Design, Illustration Team MBA:Cameron Jones, Jessica Bisher, Vanka Prabhu. BioTech: Chris Yang Client Able Lending Year 2015
Able KeepinTouch
a web and app enabled service that eases the communication of Able's borrowers and backers, makes their business successful and makes loan default rate lower.
Project Brief
User Research
This is a business service design problem, but when researching into the context, the team comes to a understand that this is not only about keeping a business, but also about keeping relationships. So in search of interviewees for our in-depth interviews, we do not just approach small business partners, but also people with close relationships. We design the interview guide to cover the non-business part of life and we get great insights from there.
Interview Highlights
After the interview, we confirmed that for small business partners, making and keeping a business is not always business style, it is deeply mixed with their daily life. And people tips of keeping relationships really are universal. To think of service features, we create the persona of typical Able borrowers and backers with their life stories. This process triggers the generation of ideas.
Persona
Feature Design
Based on the insights and persona, we select the feature candidates:
A shared digital diary encouraging user to capture, archive and review the path along the way of business
A messaging portal allowing the borrowers and bakers to communicate both business and fun stuff.
A friendly dashboard giving insights of the business
A profile page sharing contacts and to showcasing business, also connecting with other businesses funded by Able.
...
The Mobile App
We design the mobile app to include the most essential parts of KeepinTouch service.
PATH is a mixed stream of shared moments and invites to new events, to accompany the journey of user making business. Photos and videos not only celebrate the achievements and joy, but also serve encouragement in down times. Users can easily post event invites directly in the stream and get respond, so get-together shall happens more.
Meanwhile, PATH is light for Able's server, because it hosts all the posts on other social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and uses hashtags to locate them and display them in KeepinTouch app via APIs. No image and video needs to be stored by Able. Users also benefit from this. Because so they can show and share their experience to a bigger group of audiences.
CHATS is a place for sharing information, documents, thoughts, experiences or lovely kitty pictures on the go, since they are all important for keeping the business.
PROFILE allows everyone to share their contact information, monitor the loan statues and showcase the business. Users can also find other businesses and groups in Able's network. In the mobile app, the profile function is kept minimun, only most important informations shows here.
MORE is a tab for everything else, such as app settings, social account management, Able business tips and legal information.
Wireframes
Color Scheme and Visual Design
The Desktop Web
The desktop web for Able KeepinTouch is a more comprehensive portal. Features and their locations are little bit different here than the mobile app, to take advantage of the lager screen.
PATH posts can be checked in an more interactive timeline and a more immersive view.
MAP and PROFILE let users locate nearby businesses backed by Able and check their detailed information for potential collaborates.
FEEDS page expands the Able business tips feature lives in the "more" tab on the mobile. Now there is a full page showing picked industry news and more detailed business guidance.
DASHBOARD on the web is more than just a peek. Here it offers all kinds of tools and diagrams for users to customize. Users can manage and get insights for their businesses, and talk and share the stats with partners.
CHATS is everywhere! It slides out on every page by one click. So users can talk all around and share many.
Web Design
Simply KeepinTouch.