Investor Mobile | New Native Navigation

The image above shows a single dashboard navigation on a mobile phone. There is a greeting at the top and a summary of all accounts right below that. Next there are cards for each account type a user may have with graphics and metrics on how their individual accounts are performing with the option to add funds and/or to invest their funds.

Before Updates

The image above is what I started with and it has the greeting with total portfolio at the top bar level. Beneath that you can view total account metrics with graphics and the ability to change what timeframe the user wishes to see. There are placeholders for the navigation.

TL;DR

Type of Company: Finance (SaaS, B2B, B2C)
Problem: New Navigation + Modernization of UI
Tools: Interviewing, Usability Testing, Figma Prototyping, JIRA
Solution: We added new navigation to the dashboard at the account level and not the global level as we had anticipated.
Skills: Research, Analysis, Interaction, Accessibility, Information Architecture, Visual Design

Pain Point:

The design is confusing and hard to understand the visual hierarchy. There is no clean way to view additional features like account transactions. A user has very little way to interact with the app without some way to navigate. The design feels outdated.

Objective:

To build a net new UI with updated navigation which allows the user to access global elements as well as specific account level features.

Considerations

  • The navigation needs to be intuitive and easy to find.

  • The persona type is varied.

  • A new design system needs to be added and catered to the new app design by modernization and accessibility.

  • There are two types of navigation; one for the specific account level and one for global elements.

Strategy:

  • To create options for navigation to specific account levels and then to test them to find out which is more intuitive.

  • Consider next steps like the interaction and start testing for which is more intuitive.

Test plan:

We created 3 prototypes to test. In the first one, we concentrated on WHERE the user prefers to access account level navigation.


Option 1: To access the account level information in the actual account card in the dashboard and continue with their journey.

Option 2: To access the account level information in the global navigation -> then choose the account level information and continue their journey.


User Story


“This screen is a dashboard presentation of high level pertinent information for your account(s). No scrolling on this dashboard is necessary. Please show us how you would find your “Investment Activity” so you may view your “Transactions” for your account, “Investor Account *1234.” The goal is to show us how you will find your Transactions for your account. Please speak aloud as you navigate through the prototype.“

Explore the video walk-through!

Results are in!

“I like when there are three dots right beside the account. I like that I don’t have to click and go through multiple steps to access my account.”

~UserTesting

Then - assuming we knew which would win, we tested the global navigation prototype in two different layouts.

We decided to test two different layout types.


Option 1: When user goes to the global navigation - the tile they need to access would open by pushing the other tiles down and then allow the user to choose their account level to continue their journey


Option 2: When user goes to the global navigation - the tile is pressed and an overlay appears with the account type selector.

The simultaneous user testing prototype walk-through:

Oops! To sum it up for y'all in the back seat!

We anticipated that users would prefer the account level navigation hidden in the global navigation. Guess what? We were so confident - that we tested two different layouts for user to access their account level navigation in the global menu. But, we were wrong! They preferred the account level navigation in the dashboard. So we wasted work and testing hours on a prototype which is now no longer a consideration. We learned the lesson everyone falls into as they do user testing at some point - you can’t assume you know what user’s want. It was a good lesson and humbling as well.