UX Case study for an exchange cryptocurrency mobile wallet — Quikoin
Introduction
The main focus of the app is to make crypto trading, simple and straightforward for a not-so-crypto-savvy user. Personally, I found crypto a very scary subject cause of how most platforms focus on the lines and graphs, I wanted to design an app that anyone would be encouraged to use.
I use crypto apps and I own them. The major focus of this app design was to make the crypto wallet easier and more usable for the regular user who isn’t crypto savvy and also to shorten the learning curve of crypto apps.
For the lots that are not familiar with Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, I’ll briefly highlight them.
Cryptocurrency: A cryptocurrency is a form of “DIGITAL MONEY” that can be used to buy goods and services. It is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology.
Blockchain Technology: A blockchain is a shared distributed and immutable ledger that holds information about online transaction data, not only for cryptocurrency but for healthcare, food safety, and many more. Each block contains an uncrackable cryptographic hash of the previous block and a timestamp that protects your data. It is immutable which means the details on a blockchain cannot be altered.
The Process
In completing this Case Study, I used the Design Thinking framework in problem-solving. This Design Thinking framework consists of 5 stages (Empathize, Define, Ideation, Prototype, and Test). However, I only use 4 of the five stages of Design Thinking.
Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user and redefine problems in an attempt to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding. I would walk you through my process of designing Quikoin using the five phases of the Design Thinking process.
- Empathize — with your users
- Define — your users’ needs, their problems, and your insights
- Ideate — by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative solutions
- Prototype — to start creating solutions
Emphatize
Empathy allowed me to be open to the experiences of people from different backgrounds and see things from their perspectives. It is an essential part of user experience that required me to immerse myself in the user’s experience and thoughts to uncover deep needs and insights. I started my research by checking through a lot of articles, books, and videos to learn everything I need to know about blockchain technology and UX issues faced by users in this industry.
Online Research
Based on data I got from the KoinWorks website. Nearly half of millennials (49%) say that the economic downturn has changed how they think about saving, investing, and spending, and now they save more for emergencies than anything else. While 44% of millennials are saving for emergencies, only 29% are for retirement. Another twenty percent saved to buy a car and 26% to buy a house. From this research data, I get those Indonesian millennials to have a habit of saving, with different goals.
Online Survey
This research aims to discover or explore the advantages and disadvantages of financial applications used by users. Of the 40 users who filled out this online research, I found that:
- 75% of people never or are not currently using it, and the remaining 25% admit that they have/are using crypto and blockchain apps to save their money.
- There are five different applications used (Pintu, Indodax, Pluang, Binance, and Huobi).
Benchmarking
I also do a benchmark of competitors who provide a cripto and blockchain services. Aspects that I analyze from the benchmark include the application’s features.
Define
In this stage, I put together the information I created and gathered during the Empathize stage. This is where I analyzed and broke down my research insights and observations into chunks in order to define the core problems. I defined my problems and whom I’m solving problems for.
User Research
Quikoin is an apps that aims to change this mindset, with a mobile app that helps make trading, transferring, and payment of crypto currency simple, yet easy to understand. As a UX designer partnered with Quikoin, my task was to design this app with all of these goals.
- Feature and flow comprehension
- Ease of use
- Discoverability and flagging user questions or concerns
- Usability testing
- Current user problems or difficulties
- Try to solving user problems.
- It allows the user to buy/sell/trade crypto currency.
Project Goal
Quikoin is a startup that aims to change this mindset, with a mobile app that helps make trading, transferring, and payment of cryptocurrency simple, yet easy to understand. As a Product designer partnered my task was to design this app with two main functionalities:
- It allows the user to buy/sell/trade cryptocurrency
- It gives the user a better experience
Pain Points
- User needs different apps for buy / sell and trading.
- User do not comfortable to use limited banking system for payment.
- User wants to get simple and easy trading system in lowest time.
- Service charge must be for a certain amount of crypto transfer.
- Without service charge sharing crypto with friends and family.
- User wants to simple login process and easy system for using crypto wallet with best security.
Proposed Solution
- The user can do Buy, sell, trade, withdraw, deposit from one app.
- The user can use international payment method and add their own country payment method.
- The trading system will take the least amount of time and will be able to crypto prices and trade on the same screen.
- There is no service charge for a certain amount of crypto transfer.
- If users want to share crypto with their friends and family. Then they do not have to pay any service charge
- User can use this app simple and easy way, there have a simple log in process with best security system.
User Persona
From the data obtained from the research and Pain Points, I created a persona that can represent the user in real terms.
Ideate
In this phase, I had already understood the user’s needs, analyzed the research insights and observations and I was ready to start generating ideas. The ideation stage required a lot of thinking, I had to brainstorm and identify possible solutions to the problem.
Some HMWs
How might we provide our users with a better way to backup
How might we make it intuitive enough for both experts and newbies
Some Ideas generated after the ideation process:
- Based on research, I learned most crypto users tend to have multiple coins and prefer multi-wallet apps which I offered in my app.
- I provided extra backup options.
- I integrated charts and graphs and other trading options to help a user make decisions faster.
- I provided an intuitive onboarding to ease new users into the app and provided tooltips to guide a user’s decision-making every step of the way.
I kept several principle in mind, these are principles for designing a great UX cryptocurrency technology
Designing for understanding
By simplifying the message for the more casual users and understanding their behaviors you can make sure that all the information presented on your website is valuable and clear, so the user does not need to have any prior knowledge of the technology.
Designing for communication
The language used in the applications should be clear, concise, and in alignment with the user’s natural communication patterns.
Designing for trust
When dealing with highly sensitive data, maintaining the user’s trust is critical. Users must perceive the applications to be reliable, trustworthy, and stable. This is accomplished through data exposure, consistency, feedback, and active guidance. Designing this into products means providing the user with clear feedback and active guidance through every task.
Prototype
User Flow
After getting all the information and data from the users and indentyfying the problem. I am able to draw user flow and wireframes that I could make sure that I am taking care of users pain points with the current buy/sell/trade cryptocurrency process. So that I could give a more user centred prototype, below are some initial rough user flow.
Colors
Before I started my design, I created a basic design system, containing the elements I was going to need to build the Hifi prototype. Concerning colors, I chose calm blue and elegant blue. For the calm blue, I chose a hue under hex-code #375ECF and for the elegant blue is #1C0C54. Blue is a safe color to use because it has a calming effect.
Banks, such as American Express, JP Morgan and Citigroup, have used blue as an attempt at giving customers a sense of trust. They are signaling through color that they will protect your money and sensitive information. For my application, I picked a shade that reminded me of calm, Caribean waters.
Typography
Open Sans is an open source humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Steve Matteson. It was developed with an “upright stress, open forms and a neutral, yet friendly appearance” and is “optimized for legibility across print, web, and mobile interfaces.”
Onboarding
I designed a splash and intuitive onboarding that throws light on the core features of the crypto. As designers, we’re responsible for guiding our users through this transition since people are still trying to learn about the benefits of blockchain and what it means for them.
Sign Up / Sign In
The goal Sign In flow is to verify information about the user and create a security code. It required a simple and quick process so the user doesn’t get discouraged and turn off the app.
Home
Trading Process
The user can browse through a portfolio of currency wallets and convert money from one wallet to another hassle-free.
Buy, Sell, Send, and Receive
Every user has a problem buying and selling coins. I changed the exchange flow to buying and selling flow so the feel of the app is closer to a typical shopping app.
Conclusion
Designing the app has been a challenging and rewarding journey. It was clear from the onset that the major challenge will be to simplify the trading process of cryptocurrencies. I understood the needs of the users through the survey and conversations. Finally, I faced the challenge of creating an engaging app both from the user experience perspective and the visual perspective.
What did I learn?
Designing the app has been a challenging and rewarding journey. It was clear from the onset that the major challenge will be to simplify the trading process of cryptocurrencies. I understood the needs of the users through the survey and conversations. Finally, I faced the challenge of creating an engaging app both from the user experience perspective and the visual perspective.
What are the next steps?
- Deep research about specific features
- Usability test of the prototype with users
- Improve user flow
- A comprehensive business model