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Moderated usability testing for financial well-being application

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Problem

Paven is a financial well-being application has seen growth in adoption but faces retention challenges, relying heavily on push notifications and homepage content.

My Role

As a Co-lead Design Researcher, I conducted heuristic analysis, led participant recruitment, conducted insightful interviews, and delivered critical findings to the design team.

Outcome

The usability testing resulted in a 22% reduction in development costs, faster time to market, and improved user engagement.

Overview

Client:
Meta

Duration:
June 2023 - June 2024

Methods:
Usability Testing

Team: 
Design Researcher (2)

Tools: 
Research: Google Meet

Data Collection, Analysis & Reporting: Google Sheets, Respondent.io, Miro, Google Slides

Design: Figma

Context

Meta employees face significant financial stress, leading to a productivity loss of 240 hours and $25,000 per employee annually. Paven, a financial well-being solution, addresses this by offering personalized, self-guided financial management tools.​

I evaluated seven new Paven features through moderated usability testing in two-week sprints. The user-centered design approach identified usability issues and optimized features for a seamless experience, aiming to reduce financial stress and improve productivity.​​

Research Goals

1. Understand the usability and intuitiveness of Paven's new features.

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2. Identify pain points and areas for improvement in user interaction with Paven.

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3. Assess the long-term value perception of Paven as a financial well-being companion.

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4. Increase the number of repeat users and improve engagement.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

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  • EXPERT INSPECTION

    • Competitive benchmark

    • Heuristic Analysis

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  • USER-FACING TESTING

    • Participant recruitment

    • In-depth interviews (Qualitative, moderated)

    • Data analysis​ and synthesis

    • Usability issues and recommendations​​

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Methodology

Methodology

EXPERT INSPECTION​

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  • Competitive Benchmark:​

    • Conducted secondary research to understand user needs and market trends, informing our heuristic evaluation and guiding the development of testing scenarios.

    • ​The foundational research ensured my approach was grounded in real-world insights and industry best practices.

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  • Heuristic Analysis:

    • Conducted expert inspections based on selected usability heuristics.

    • Applied universal and curated heuristics for comprehensive assessment.

    • ​Identified and documented usability issues.

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USER-FACING TESTING​​​

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  • Participant Recruitment:

    • Recruited 6 participants for the usability testing sessions for each feature.

    • Shared a screener to assess participants' financial behaviors and literacy.

    • Ensured a diverse mix of participants to cover various user perspectives.

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  • In-Depth Interviews:​

    • Facilitated the sessions using Figma prototypes and Google Meet for virtual conversations

    • Provided scenarios and tasks to evaluate the ease of navigation and feature usability.

    • Collected qualitative data through think-aloud protocols, observations, and post-task interviews.

 

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  • Usability Issues and Recommendations:

    • Identified Usability Issues

      • The home screen seems slow, with only half the page loading quickly.

      • Difficulty navigating between home, benefits, and explore sections.

      • Poor contrast ratios and text truncation issues make content hard to read.

    • Recommendations​​

      • Differentiate the purposes of home, and benefits, and explore sections for better user understanding.

      • Increase text-to-background contrast ratios and avoid text truncation to improve readability.

      • Improve loading times and ensure the full page loads quickly.

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Research Questions

USABILITY CRITERIA: â€‹â€‹

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1. Intuitiveness:​

  • How intuitive is the Home screen in conveying key benefits and the mental model of Paven?

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2. Navigation:​​​

  • How easy is it for users to find the necessary content/features?

  • ​​​​​How easy is it to navigate the Explore page and find specific content?

  • How easy is it for users to navigate between different Goals and Life Path options?

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3. Content Discoverability:​​​

  • Do users easily understand the purpose of each section on the Home screen?

  • How effectively does the Explore page highlight popular or recommended content?

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4. Ease of Use:​​​

  • How easy is it for users to update their personal information and financial situation?

  • How clear and understandable is the Goals page for setting and managing financial goals?

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5. User Satisfaction:​​​

  • How satisfied are users with the overall user experience of Paven?

  • What features do users find most valuable or lacking in Paven?

Findings

Findings

USABILITY CRITERIA: â€‹â€‹

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1. Intuitiveness:​

  • Users found the Home screen cluttered and overwhelming, making it difficult to grasp key benefits quickly.

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2. Navigation:​​​

  • Users struggled to locate specific features due to a lack of clear visual cues.

  • The categorization and navigation of content in the Explore section were generally good but needed further testing with relevant tasks.

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3. Content Discoverability:​​​

  • Users found the purpose of each section unclear and had difficulty distinguishing between them.

  • ​Users often missed popular or recommended content due to lack of prominence.

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4. Ease of Use:​​​

  • Users faced challenges updating their personal information and financial situation because of hidden options and a lack of clear navigation cues.

  • Users found the Goals page somewhat confusing, with unclear instructions on setting and tracking goals.​

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5. User Satisfaction:​​​

  • Users were generally dissatisfied due to cluttered screens and confusing navigation.

  • Users valued the self-service and Explore features but found the profile update and goal-setting functionalities lacking.

BEFORE

AFTER

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Impact
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Impact

22%
reduction in development costs through early identification and resolution of usability issues
Faster time to market: The streamlined development process allowed Paven to launch four weeks sooner.
Improved Product Quality: Enhanced usability and user satisfaction through continuous testing and iteration.

Reflections

  • I've learned the critical importance of designing with the user in mind to create an intuitive and effective financial platform.

  • Continuous testing and iteration have proven invaluable in refining features and enhancing the overall user experience.

  • Working closely with design, content, and development teams has shown me the significance of effective collaboration in integrating user feedback.

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