UX Case Study - Mobile Application Design
Unified Mobile App (B2C)
For ABC Municipal corporation
1. Project Overview
ABC Municipality, a key government entity in the UAE, is set to consolidate its 22 mobile applications into a single, feature-rich application. This new app will offer seamless 24/7 e-services, including single sign-on, payment gateway integration, and extensive information, benefiting UAE citizens. The project aims to enhance ABC’s brand value and promote ease of living in UAE.
Role
In my role as the Lead UX Designer, I conducted research, created wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and collaborated closely with developers to ensure seamless implementation.
Timeline
The UX phase of the project spanned 4 months, from initial research to the final UX deliverable.
2. Project Background
ABC Municipality plays a crucial role in driving city’s development and currently offers numerous e-services via 22 mobile apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. To align with its vision of providing continuous and integrated e-services, ABC’s IT department has decided to merge these apps into one unified application. This initiative supports ABC’s mission to deliver excellent services and improve the quality of life for UAE’s residents.
Business Objectives
- Develop a reliable and foolproof application that includes a comprehensive services catalog, serving as the ultimate “Go-To” guide for services, entertainment, and recreational events.
- Enable public access to most services offered by ABC Municipality through an iconic mobile application that provides smart and integrated services and solutions.
- Align the project with ABC’s IT strategy and the Paperless strategy.
- Enhance the brand value of ABC Municipality by delivering a world-class mobile application that meets emerging market developments.
End Users
Provide all important ABC Municipality services through a single application for the ease and benefit of the people.
Citizens of UAE
- Students
- Salaried individuals
- Businessmen
- Homemakers
- Entrepreneurs
- Corporates
- Government entities
3. Understanding the Business Goal, Problem, and Scope
Business Goal
Problem Statement
Scope
- Consolidate Applications: Reduce the number of mobile applications by merging most of ABC Municipality’s services into one bilingual application, aligning with the UAE Government’s initiative.
- Enhance and Add Services: Improve existing features and add new services based on customer and department requests.
- Departmental Collaboration and Analysis: Collaborate with respective departments and customer care to streamline features/services according to customer categories and needs. Utilize mobile app analytics (e.g., installations, transactions, ratings, happiness index) to understand and enhance the application’s importance and functionality.
- Unified Customer Experience: Provide a comprehensive, unified application covering all service requirements for different user categories. Allow customers to check the status of service requests without multiple logins. Collect feedback through surveys to improve services and gauge market trends.
3. UX Process Timeline
1-3
Research and Analysis
4-7
8-11
12-14
Final Design and Handoff to UI development team
4. Research and Analysis
Documents analysis
- Pain Points and Challenges: The fragmented user experience across 22 apps, high maintenance and operational costs, and difficulty in managing and updating multiple platforms were significant issues.
- Desired Features and Improvements: A unified platform with single sign-on, bilingual support (English and Arabic), and a comprehensive services catalog with smart and integrated solutions were the desired improvements.
Competitive Analysis
ABC Municipality benchmarked against leading apps, highlighting the need for a unified platform with single sign-on, bilingual support, and a comprehensive services catalog. This aimed to enhance user experience and provide seamless e-services.
6. Design and Deliverables
User Tasks
Identified and documented key user tasks to ensure the unified application supports seamless completion of essential activities, enhancing user satisfaction and efficiency in interacting with ABC Municipality’s services.
User Task
User Flow
Designed and mapped user flows to streamline interactions within the unified application, ensuring an intuitive and efficient journey for users as they navigate ABC Municipality’s services.
User Flow
Prototype
Delivered a clickable prototype, showcasing the proposed user interface and interactions. This prototype allowed stakeholders to interact with the design and provided a clear vision for the final product.
Competitive Benchmarking
Conducted an analysis of top applications to identify best practices and innovative features. Focused on implementing single sign-on, bilingual support, and a comprehensive services catalog to enhance the unified platform for ABC Municipality.
competitive Benchmarking
Information Architecture
Developed a clear and intuitive information architecture for the unified application, ensuring easy navigation, logical organization of services, and seamless user experience across all features and content for ABC Municipality.
Information Architecture
Wireframes
7. Handoff to Development
Design System
Delivered a comprehensive design system, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and simplicity across all user interfaces. This system included a cohesive color palette, typography guidelines, reusable UI components, and clear design principles, significantly enhancing user experience and operational efficiency for the users.
Visual Mockups
8. Results and Impact
Business Benefits
- Improved User Experience: Users now have a single, comprehensive platform for all their needs, making interactions with ABC Municipality seamless and efficient.
- Cost Efficiency: Reduced maintenance and development costs by consolidating multiple apps into one.
- Enhanced Brand Value: The unified app strengthens ABC’s reputation for providing advanced, user-friendly e-services.
- Increased Accessibility: Bilingual support in English and Arabic makes services more accessible to a broader audience.
- Strategic Alignment: Supports the UAE Government’s initiative to reduce the number of apps, enhancing overall digital strategy.
Metrics and KPIs
- User Adoption Rate: Measure the number of users transitioning from the old apps to the new unified application.
- User Engagement: Track daily and monthly active users to gauge app usage.
- Customer Satisfaction: Use surveys and feedback forms to assess user satisfaction.
- Transaction Volume: Monitor the number of transactions processed through the app.
- App Performance: Measure response time, uptime, and crash analytics.
- Feature Utilization: Analyze which features are most used and identify any underutilized areas.
9. Lessons Learned
Key Takeaways
- User-Centric Design is Crucial: Understanding and prioritizing user needs leads to higher satisfaction and engagement.
- Stakeholder Collaboration is Key: Effective communication and collaboration with stakeholders can help manage expectations and address concerns.
- Iteration and Testing are Essential: Continuous improvement through iterative design and testing ensures the final product meets user and business goals.
- Cultural Sensitivity Matters: Localizing content for different languages and cultures is vital for accessibility and user acceptance.
Challenges
- Stakeholder Management: Navigating the diverse and sometimes conflicting requirements from various stakeholders.
- Multiple Iterations: The project underwent numerous iterations to meet high standards of usability and functionality.
- Cultural Considerations: Ensuring the app catered to local cultural norms, providing content in both English and Arabic.
- Technical Integration: Merging features and services from 22 different apps into a single platform without compromising performance.
10. Conclusion
Final Thoughts
11. Appendices
Additional Documentation
Supplementary materials, detailed reports.
12. Acknowledgments
Following individual and team’s invaluable contributions to this project
- Front End Development Team: For their dedication and skill in bringing the design to life with seamless implementation.