Groundfloor Finance | Dashboard

The image above depicts a dashboard display with high level account information. To the left is a navigation and to the right is a dashboard customize drawer which allows a user to decide if that component is important and allows them to place any of the dashboard components wherever it works best for them.

Before Updates

Image above shows a personalized greeting with the amount of available funds a user has in their account in order to invest with. Below that are 4 cards with information a user might want to know so they can fully take advantage of their account.

TL;DR


Type of Company: Finance (SaaS, B2B, B2C)
Problem: Outdated Code + "Start Page" is not intuitive and does not show the actual high level account information a user wants to see.
Tools: Interviewing, Usability Testing, FullStory, Figma Prototyping, JIRA
Solution: Updated code + user-friendly dashboard which will reduce CS tickets.
Skills: Research, Analysis, Interaction, Accessibility, Information Architecture, Visual Design

Pain Point:

The main entry page is on old code base and the layout + information is less than useful for the user and is not very modern.

Objective:

To continually iterate in increments - usability testing along the way - so, that we can have more control over ensuring the user's needs are met so that Groundfloor can grow and retain it's customer base.

Considerations

  • Due to the current "starter page" being on an old code base, iterations would need to be added incrementally and would have constraints based on the old code architecture.

  • The user persona type is varied and can be anyone from power-users to beginners who have never invested in their life and are concerned with the idea that this product might not be for them.

Strategy:

  • Research Fullstory to understand how our users are utilizing this screen.

  • Usability test by categorizing components and information via card sorting.

  • Collaborate with engineering to understand user-type information and define which persona type will be able to view specific information.

First Iteration - "The Quick Fix":

On the image above, a banner was added to encourage referrals. Below that a wide card was added with high level information about a user's account with the added ability to "Add Funds." Pertinent features are placed below the high level information at the bottom. Another card was added to feature some opportunities a user might want to know about for power users and for new users - it gives a teaser into how the product can make them money.

Initial Feedback

“I would like an enhancement that allows me to better visualize overall portfolio performance, such as historical year by year return, year to date return, etc.”

~ groundfloor user

“... it is missing something OBVIOUS ... it should show how much you have invested, and make it easier to look at your current investments that are not yet matured.”

~ groundfloor user

“... I think having a “notifications” section that I can easily access that shows what properties have had notes updated ...”

~ groundfloor user

Takeaways:

  • Our users did not like the categories and groupings the SME’s had proposed - seeking instead a MUCH more simple approach and grouped them with industry terminology instead of proposed scientifically correct categories

  • Users are more likely to work on a desktop over tablet or mobile.

  • There are a lot of things which were added in years past which are rarely or not used at all.

  • The majority of my interviewees had ideas on future features which can help make this flow more user-friendly.

  • Some things which were designed with one purpose were used for a completely different purpose - confusing solutions as a workaround for what they really need to happen.

  • There were unknown and unlogged bugs

This is where we paused to test the layout.

Below is an image of all the options we tested.

Guess which one the user's chose?

If you guessed the option 9 (the vertical layout), then you would be correct. My team and I were betting on one of the horizontal layouts and threw in the vertical just because. Glad we did! It turned out to be what the user’s wanted.

Where Do We Go from Here?

  • Deep dive into Fullstory in order to understand if we are meeting the user's needs

  • Continued Usability Testing to ensure we are building the right product.

  • Consider updating the navigation along with the new dashboard proposal to ensure better interaction for the user.