UXDA

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of the e-business division for Citadele bank, responsible for the bank's e-channels. We provide daily banking services and private-capital management for private individuals and businesses in the Baltic countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UXDA?

We needed to create a mobile banking app which would help customers work online, and also attract new customers. We had an existing app which offered 2 main services: checking an account’s balance and its payments. It had been built in-house, and we weren’t sure that it was the best solution we could offer to customers. Our challenge was to build the best mobile banking app in the region, which would help our customers switch from online banking to mobile banking and attract new customers. We reached out to UXDA, asking for an independent view.The app had to be simple so UXDA had to deal with the complexity coming from the fact that app had a significant role in attracting and onboarding new customers as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UXDA was originally asked to audit our existing app, as well as conduct interviews with customers, in order to gather independent feedback on how it worked. For the second initiative, UXDA helped draw out user journeys and created wireframes. They again spoke to some users, but to a more limited extent. The main interviews had been conducted during the audit, and nothing much had changed.

We had a brainstorming session in order to set expectations for the new app. UXDA performed market research and reviewed our documentation. We were asked what our company wanted to offer to customers, and, based on this, UXDA started to prepare user journeys. We reviewed them over Skype calls every other day, going through what had been completed so far. They made corrections when needed.

We didn’t work in the same office, even though I would have wanted to have more face-to-face conversations, but we were able to work as a team over Skype. Unfortunately, after 2 months project was stopped, but it was due to other internal decisions made by the Bank.

How did you come to work with UXDA?

We already had previous experience with UXDA (they did our current mobile app audit) so we decided to go a step forward and let them help us to create the new app, so as to not make the same mistakes we had with our current app. We initially found their team 2 years ago, after I found their website accidentally, and saw that we were located in the same city. We met each other and had a discussion, but we didn’t have any projects at the time.

When we started to consider an audit, we decided to give UXDA a try. We liked the company and their experience, and it was important for us to obtain a quick result on the second engagement, so we didn’t go into a long tender process for choosing among multiple companies.

How much have you invested with UXDA?

The cost of their work was between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the first project with UXDA in autumn 2016, and worked for 2-4 weeks. The second project began in January 2017, and was stopped after 2-3 months, around March, because of an internal decision. Both my team and UXDA’s were disappointed, and we did try to resume it, but it didn’t happen.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our management was happy with what had been done, but, due to other priorities, the work was set aside. It will probably resume at some point. The final deliverable was a design concept for the app’s main user journey around account balance checks and payments, which are 2 important areas for our customers.

We implemented many of the changes suggested by UXDA, even before the audit came to an end. We saw an increase of mobile app users and the number of payments done through the app, month-by-month. This may not have been wholly because of the work we did with UXDA, though.

How did UXDA perform from a project management standpoint?

They did well, but I would have liked to have more face-to-face, on-site conversations. We are UXDA’s only local customer, so they mainly work remotely, and are used to this type of daily business.

The scope of the project was challenging to fit within the deadline, so we decided to reduce the scope, in order to at least get a significant result for the management, before the work would be paused.

What did you find most impressive about UXDA?

We were impressed by UXDA's passion, speed, and their ability to deliver quick and reasonable solutions in situations where we seemed to be stuck. Taking the scope into account, the project deadline was very challenging. As the deadline approached, we had to decide if we wanted to prolong the project or reduce the scope. We decided to reduce the scope.

I don’t have a good comparison point, but I would definitely work with UXDA again if I had the opportunity to. They are experts in banking and finance, and it is their main strength. It was easy to work with the team, and we could achieve things quickly by not having to explain the meaning of each service. With other companies we’ve used for projects like our website, it was tough, and it took a long time to explain that a bank was not an e-commerce shop.

Are there any areas UXDA could improve?

They are experts in banking, which is very good, but, on the other hand, if the client wanted to step outside of the daily banking routine, and offer something new to customers, UXDA’s team finds it harder to think outside the box. They were afraid to offer some radical changes, ones which banks don’t usually approach. This was what we particularly asked for and expected from them, and I told UXDA numerous times that they should forget the classic bank model.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a payment-gateway services company. I am an operations manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UX Design Agency?

We wanted to design a user-friendly and new-age experience for our clients. We decided to hire an agency for this project in order to get specific UX insights for the component that defines usability: interface design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We plan on having the design trademarked, and it hasn't been launched yet, so I cannot go into much detail about it. I can tell you that UX Design Agency is working on a reporting interface which will help clients see the backend processes for their transactions, in terms of finance, risk items, and account management.

We had a collaborative process wherein we sent UX Design Agency our specifications and had them reviewed. We had calls after each report and answered questions in order to give UX Design Agency a better understanding of our functionality and design requirements. There was a lot of work in the beginning until we settled all key elements related to colors, proportions, and so on.

How did you come to work with UX Design Agency?

We searched online for UX companies and reviewed multiple portfolios. In the end, we came up with three options which were contacted and asked for details on pricing and timing. At the time, we were pressed for time and wanted to start as soon as possible. We decided to go with UX Design Agency because, price and time-wise, they were within scope, but also because they had previous experience with our industry, namely banking and finance.

How much have you invested with UX Design Agency?

The cost of UX Design Agency's work was around $15,000 to $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with UX Design Agency in October 2016. The project was finished in January 2017, but we have an open agreement with them. Whenever we have a new item, we will contact them, decide on a price and timeline, and continue working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Unfortunately we don't have any feedback yet, but we anticipate that the platform will be very user-friendly and straightforward. We wanted to have a bare-minimum user manual, and for everything to be obvious and in-your-face. This won't be true for every person, but the ones in the industry should know where to look and how to find something.

The feedback from within the company has been very good.

How did UX Design Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

From this point-of-view, UX Design Agency is very organized. They assigned an account manager to us who helped throughout the project, acting as a single point-of-contact. We haven't had to interact with numerous people or stay on long calls. UX Design Agency provided deliverables at every stage. After our initial call, during which we explained our requirements, UX Design Agency provided wireframes based on what elements should be included, and where. They then started the work on the design itself, gave it to us for feedback, made changes, and delivered all the raw materials in the end, including PSD files, mockups, and UX files containing all elements and descriptions.

The project took more effort than we expected, since there was a lot of back-and-forth between us. I think that UX Design Agency wanted to understand the project well, but they had some problems in certain areas. In the end, the result was okay.

We are based in Romania, while UX Design Agency is in Latvia, so we worked remotely. At some point, we would have wanted to work out of the same office, since that would have made communication faster, but we mostly used email and Skype. UX Design Agency's team had very high availability.

What did you find most impressive about UX Design Agency?

As I've mentioned, UX Design Agency provided all the work materials to us. Our UXPin files are still available and we can use the clickable prototype for ongoing development.

Are there any areas UX Design Agency could improve?

It would be a good idea to at least have one face-to-face meeting with the client, in order to get all the ideas from the start. Some aspects can be captured better this way than by phone or email. UX Design Agency is a pricy company, but I believe that these are the industry levels. They were willing to perform any modification we requested within one or two hours, though.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Intellect Design Arena is a company that develops software products for banks around the globe. I’m head of digital for our division that focuses on Transaction Banking.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UXDA?

We build quite complex applications for a domain where sophisticated user experience design principles are not commonly applied, which was why I came to Intellect. The digital strategy and needed to be revisited and modernized. In this case, we had to make sure that we brought the right domain knowledge to the table. Banking is a very proprietary domain, particularly transaction banking. We were looking for a team with a basic knowledge of banking. They didn’t have to specialize in corporate banking per se because that’s hard to find. We were not looking for sophisticated things like personas, user scenarios, and user stories. We’d pretty much captured them already. What we needed was a very good translator who can quickly deliver high quality lo-fi and hi-fi designs. That’s pretty much what we use UX Design Agency for. They’re working day to day with our domain experts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UXDA came in when we were pretty much ready and we knew what we wanted. Our priorities were clear on how we wanted to launch our refined products. We brought UXDA aboard and they hit the ground running. The onboarding was very short, thanks to the preparation we’ve done and the way we’ve structured our efforts and processes. Initially, we briefed UXDA on the personas, user scenarios, user stories, and requirements of our business. They translated those into lo-fi wireframes and turned them very quickly into hi-fi screen designs for both mobile and web. We use InVision to make them instantly clickable and ready for RITE testing.

UXDA assigned 6 people to this project; a big part of their team is on it. We are producing quite an impressive amount of prototyping because banking is a complex and very wide domain. We have around 450 applications for our transaction banking applications covering cash- and liquidity management, trade finance, payments, supply chain, etc. That’s pretty much the service that UXDA delivered to us. It’s a very domain-intensive area, so typically we ask for something a bit more conceptual from a design agency. That’s quite hard if you don’t know corporate banking in general since it is a highly regulated industry. It’s not only about, “Oh, that’s a really cool feature.” Some banks don’t allow certain features or they don’t work that way in dealing with the complexity of those things. That’s pretty much why we’re having a quite active role on the conceptual part of things. We always wanted to work that way.

How did you come to work with UXDA?

I already had a relationship with UXDA. We collaborated on retail banking projects and I’ve known UXDA for 7 months or so. I think I found UXDA through Google. I was really looking for a design agency that had good banking knowledge on a basic level. UXDA had a very nice promotional video about some work they did on banking. To make things easier, it was quite important that our vendor had domain knowledge and design expertise.

How much have you invested with UXDA?

We typically pay $35,000 to $45,000 a month for UXDA’s services.

What is the status of this engagement?

UXDA is working on a retainer basis and there’s no defined end date in sight. We have no contract for multiyear projects but as long as things go well, this is a longer-term affair. We’ve been working together now for 5 or 6 weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

UXDA is extremely helpful to us. They are just really good producers and good translators of what we want to build. The quality of their work is high. For us, high doesn’t mean it looks good, as we measure quality differently. First, it means simplifying baseline interactions between the bank and the customer. We push for easier and less complex solutions and UXDA immediately understands that. That’s important. It helps that UXDA has a relatively short learning curve since the project is quite proprietary.

We’ve already done some internal presentations and people were really blown away. That says a lot. However, the standards for UX in traditional banking are not that high so I asked the opinion of people from industries with high UX and CX standards. If I combine the feedback I got internally, UXDA’s work is light years ahead of where we were. Their output is really leading edge for this industry. For the first time in a long time, I’m really excited about designs because I enjoyed both the process and the end result. I’ve done a lot of design processes where I was satisfied with the end result but getting there was extremely painful. It took a bit of the positivity away to know how hard it was. In this case, I’m quite happy as everything was relatively smooth.

We did a lot of things in a quite short period, which was beyond my expectations. I think it’s because of the chemistry of our teams. My takeaway is that it helps if you have worked with a team before. You know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so there is almost no friction. They’re equipped to give you what you’re asking for. Both sides knew what to expect from each other. I’m so excited about what we have produced with UXDA. The quality of the outcome is high and the process is very satisfactory.

How did UXDA perform from a project management standpoint?

UXDA did not handle project management. It may sound a bit arrogant, but I’m working for a company with sophisticated processes. We know how to build products and how to get products out the door. We used our infrastructure, our processes, our people, and our knowledge for this project. We’re pretty much leading the dance because know what we want. Product management is pretty much on our end, so it’s not reasonable to rate them on that. It wasn’t part of my expectations. We also don’t have fixed prices because we were focusing on quality. If it takes a bit more time or more money to get there, that’s fine with us. Of course, I have a budget; don’t get me wrong. The most important thing here is the outcome, and I am extremely happy with that.

What did you find most impressive about UXDA?

They’re highly professional. Our collaboration is easy, straightforward, and nice. There were no ego clashes and no friction. Also, UXDA consistently delivers high-quality results. It’s not like they have days with good stuff and days with horrible stuff and I think, “Who is working on this now?” It’s a relatively small team and they’re quite dedicated. For us, what makes UXDA stand out is their knowledge of banking, which is what we are looking for. That’s why I did business with them again when I moved from one company to another. They were the first ones I called.

Are there any areas UXDA could improve?

It might be challenging for them to behave like a full-stack agency. I’m not sure you can expect them to take everything from top to bottom. They might be capable of that, but that’s not the way we use them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of BAB Limited; that’s the abbreviation of Bank Account-Based Blockchain. We are based in London in Canary Wharf, specifically in the One Canada Square, which is a very famous fintech hub in Europe. We are 6 people at the moment, but after the MVP, it will be much smaller.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UX Design Agency?

We were developing a high-tech app that would allow users to open a bank account within seconds, anywhere in the world. It would use facial and voice biometrics as well as artificial intelligence. To validate the account, a user simply opens the app, takes a selfie, and confirms using voice biometrics. The app would be based on the blockchain and smart contracts. To be honest, that technology was very challenging for a lot of designers in the market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UX Design Agency started working on my project from scratch. They developed a persona for the user point of view. Then, they created situations and case studies to see how customers would use the app. They also implemented the wireframes. In addition, UX Design Agency assisted us with branding and created logos.

How did you come to work with UX Design Agency?

I found them through Internet research. I contacted many companies who claimed they were innovative, but UX Design Agency stood out. They had worked with big companies like Backbase, a front-end for banking that is very famous in the market. They were the ones who designed a part of Backbase systems. I was impressed since Backbase transformed a legacy banking system to digital banking. UX Design Agency was also more transparent because they put their price on their website. There are no hidden charges and it’s straightforward. That’s what I like about them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we started in early July of this year. We are still working together, and we are going to continue doing so for the next 1 or 2 years. We are building up the minimum viable product so that by October, users can start downloading and using the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

UX Design Agency was really very innovative, and I can say this because I can see the results. They translated our idea straightaway into a tangible system. They have implemented the majority of features that we discussed and their design is very modern. In terms of design, colors, and themes, they are really perfect. Design for me is not about appearance, it’s about how easily I can use a product. They think out of the box, they are flexible, and they do their own research. They are a very small company but they delivered very quickly. In 2 or 3 months’ time, UX Design Agency delivered almost 90% of the project.

How did UX Design Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

I cannot manage the project myself, so they assigned us a dedicated account manager who I consider an expert in the field. They are doing very well in terms of follow-ups and all of these things. We have many tools, but we use InVision, Google Docs, and Basecamp a lot.

What did you find most impressive about UX Design Agency?

The greatest advantage of using UX Agency is that they are specialists in fintech. They know all about financial technology companies and banks. That’s what I really like about them and that’s why I will always use them. They understand the client’s pain and they are dedicated to resolving it. It’s not just designing an application, they are also implementing something groundbreaking. That’s exciting for me because if I see something new and innovative, I like it. But if they implement something that is already in the market, it doesn’t really excite me. Yes, you can have copycats, but they created something unique. Above all, I was impressed with how they translated the ideas into a tangible application that users can use. That’s the most important thing.

Are there any areas UX Design Agency could improve?

I think we struggled a little about connectivity: social banking and social money connectivity. They have to improve how they connect people in a very innovative way. We needed something new, innovative, and easy to use so people can get connected in one application, like Facebook. Of course, that’s for bank and financial services. Apart from this, I think they’re okay and they are really doing well now. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for an online bank.

What is your position?

I am the manager of user experience and user interface design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with UX Design Agency?

We were in need of an agency with specific knowledge of the financial industry and the user experience for financial technologies. We found that UX Design Agency's experience was a coveted skill and allowed them to complete their research quickly.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We have worked with UX Design Agency for the past nine months or so and communicate with them daily as we work on our design. They have provided customer journeys, wireframes, site maps, mockups and prototypes for us.

How did you come to work with UX Design Agency?

I found UX Design Agency on the Internet. They had an edge up on other agencies because of their experience working with banks around the world. It was challenging to find an agency that specialized in our vertical and industry, but they came out on top pretty much from the beginning.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost is between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It is ongoing, and I predict it will continue indefinitely for now. I consider UX Design Agency's participation essential as our company grows.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

It's still rather new, so I don't have metrics yet.

How did UX Design Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

UX Design Agency's project management is wonderful. We have meetings every morning even though we are on different sides of the world. They are able to provide a summary of everything they've done in the past month, week, or whatever timeframe we ask about.

What distinguishes UX Design Agency from other providers?

Their experience with fintech [financial technology] really sets them apart.

Is there anything UX Design Agency could have improved or done differently?

There is nothing I can think of offhand. We haven't had any challenges with distance at this point. It's been just fine.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a company that provides financial services technology for financial institutions in emerging markets.

What is your position?

I am the product manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with UX Design Agency?

We have a set of smartphone apps that we wanted to update to be aesthetically pleasing and visually appealing. We also wanted to add functionality like the use of the camera for document scanning and other features similar to that.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

UX Design Agency helped us design the new applications. After getting a thorough understanding of what we wanted, they started creating drafts and wireframes to create the foundation for our apps.

How did you come to work with UX Design Agency?

We found many different mobile design agencies in London, but most of them were very costly. After some extensive research, we found UX Design Agency. One of the deciding factors for us was their experience with financial services apps. They have created similar apps for many other clients, so we knew they had a good idea of what features to build into it. Cost was also a big factor for us, so it was important that they were competitive on that front.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is complete from a design perspective. We are now on to part two and have partnered with a developer to build the app itself.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

This is hard to quantify since it hasn't been launched yet, but there are two benefits for us. We now have a more functional product and are able to respond to customer feedback like document scanning. The second benefit is that it is very marketable because we can show customers the features even before it's released.

How did UX Design Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

UX Design Agency did very well. We found them to be very professional. They helped us determine which design elements were best for the user and were very receptive in terms of including the content we wanted. That phase was very useful to tease out the most prominent features and functions that we were looking for.

What distinguishes UX Design Agency from other providers?

UX Design Agency has a lot of subject matter expertise, and they asked us all the right questions very early on. They tried to understand our business sector and the quirks around emerging markets.

Is there anything UX Design Agency could have improved or done differently?

We found them to be good, and we didn't have many major hiccups. There's nothing that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Digital Officer of a financial services firm.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Providing affordable, member-centric financial services to Californian communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire UXDA to accomplish?

• Create a market-leading digital banking experience based on capabilities of a particular platform

SOLUTION

How did you find UXDA?

Industry Knowledge

Why did you select UXDA over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Quality

How many teammates from UXDA were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Design a market-leading digital banking experience based on the UX/UI of the Candescent D3 platform. Key deliverables:

• Stakeholder interviews
• Contextual market research
• User personas
• Product strategy
• Product value storyboard
• Information architecture
• Red route analysis
• User journey mapping
• Mobile UI wireframes
• Visual metaphor
• Design concept
• Wireframes & design detailing (desktop and mobile)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Stakeholder acceptance of the deliverables. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The UXDA team was very engaged and responsive from the kick-off. Everyting was turned in on time, and on budget. 

What was your primary form of communication with UXDA?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Very creative. Likely one of the best, if not the best, digital banking UX/UI agency in the world. Solid UX process.

Are there any areas for improvement or something UXDA could have done differently?

Open a US location, to reduce the time zone difference. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the AVP, Application Development & UX of UNFCU

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a not-for-profit cooperative with a mission to serve the financial needs of the UN community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire UXDA to accomplish?

• Retail mobile banking UX/UI assessment

SOLUTION

How did you find UXDA?

Online Search

Why did you select UXDA over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from UXDA were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Evaluate the mobile user experience for retail customers at UNFCU to identify possible usability issues and explore recommendations. Based on this assessment, develop an action plan outlining the following initiatives to enhance members' digital experience: removing friction points and addressing their needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

UXDA provided final report that detailed key insights and major paint points for our mobile platform in terms of UI/UX.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, UXDA met all goals and timelines for this project and was in constant communication throughout the process.Excellent work!

What was your primary form of communication with UXDA?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

UXDA was very efficient in their timelines while providing a quality output on their deliverables.

Are there any areas for improvement or something UXDA could have done differently?

Open a NY Location for onsite collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Lead UX/UI Designer of SurePrep, Part of Thomson Reuters

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We create tax automation software for tax professionals and taxpayers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire UXDA to accomplish?

• Redesign tax professional platform
• Refactor UX architecture
• Provide a fresh, modern user experience for our tax pro clients

SOLUTION

How did you find UXDA?

Online Search

Why did you select UXDA over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned
• Great case studies

How many teammates from UXDA were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Discovery, user interviews, user journey map, user workflows, user personas, wireframes, prototypes, user testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Project has not yet been finished, but the most important measurable outcomes will be, positive client feedback, time saved, and increased adoption rate.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was excellent. Communication was detailed and consistent. Project updates emails weekly, weekly virtual meetings, constant communication via chat. Items always delivered on-time.

What was your primary form of communication with UXDA?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

UXDA has a very refined, efficient, and detailed process that is very impressive. The UX architect (Arita) who is assigned to us highly skilled, knowledgable, and a pleasure to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something UXDA could have done differently?

I honestly cannot think of any areas that need improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Founder of Goalry. A one-stop “Money Mall” where people can manage goals in an immersive and fun way.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UXDA?

We needed a beyond excellent UX/UI design firm rooted in financial services and willing to think completely outside the box. We needed a design that creates a unified experience that guides the user toward different financial goals with a strong educational basis about finances and support by like-minded people. A must-have service that shifts the behaviors of how people deal with their finances and much more in every aspect.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched the globe for a UX/UI design company that could meet the challenge of creating a paradigm shift in financial services. We call this shift "Immersive Finance". Great design needs to turn something complex into something simple. We found UXDA was best fit to deliver on our vision. Actually, we felt UXDA was the only one who could deliver on our radical approach to making finance more user friendly.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We set out to create a Financial Goal Mall: One place to reach financial goals and comparison shop for any money matter. It does this through the metaphor of stores in a physical mall with four floors: Finance Stores, Education, Social and Shopping. UXDA did an incredible job walking us through each of the steps to complete our vision including a competitive analysis, market research, user personas, user journey map, red route analysis, information architecture mind map and wireframes.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

My team worked directly with a Lead UX Architect / UX Consultant, Account Executive, Lead UX/ UI designer and many others in the organization worked on our project indirectly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are more than pleased with our v1 results of Goalry. Our virtual 3D “Money Mall” has tens of thousands of happy members. One of the things we are most proud of is the gamified social aspect of Goalry on the 1st floor. We create a sharable "Memory Book" that keeps people motivated towards their goals powered by money.

While we are still early in our journey, with the help of UXDA's 2x award-winning design, we're on our way to delivering on the promise of "everything finance, shopping, plus more in one immersive space."

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project and design teams were very effective in their process and communication. Along with weekly calls, it was very easy to collaborate with them through Invision boards and timely deliverables. I often joked by saying "every day feels like Christmas working with the UXDA team"...delivering joy is what they do. Often it felt that the team knew what I was thinking with no or very little explanation.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

At the end of the day, their work shows for itself. Take a look at some of their case studies and content they produce for the industry on their website. They stand out from the pack at first glance, but even more impressive is that as a client I just can't believe the excellence at every stage. Beyond impressive and if the rating system could allow for 8 stars out of 5, we'd give them 10.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Honestly, no. I just hope they can keep that hunger to think different and continue to deliver what customer's are delighted to use. We need the same brilliance they delivered in our v1 for v2 and beyond.