AL HILAL APP REBOOT
02
A subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Commercial Banking (ADCB), Al Hilal Bank approached our research team with a request to collaborate on usability testing for a revamped app.
The new digital banking proposition involved separate apps for parents and their kids. The digital offering would also consist of a marketplace where users would be able to shop, book flights/hotels, buy tickets to events/movies etc. Another part of the proposition was a gamified child savings account that teaches children how to earn, save and spend money. ADCB wished to set up a community of participants to test and validate the different app features before launching
CONTEXT & NEED
TARGET AUDIENCE
Prototype evaluation was done with a Beta community - a small sample of hundred participants who routinely trialed different features over the span of a year. There were a mix of Al Hilal/ADCB account holders and non-users with accounts in other local banks.
In terms of demographics, there were Emiratis (50%), Arab Expats (20%), Asian Expats (20%), Western Expats (10%). There were both men (working) and women (working/non-working) with children. Participants were English-speakers to test the English prototype (app launched in Arabic & English)
METHODOLOGY
Our research team adopted an agile workflow model. Through agile testing, we were able to work in tandem with developers, customers and product owners to understand the product’s pain-points, strengths and other minute elements. Our team worked on weekly sprints to test prototypes with different community members.
We did remote moderated usability testing as it allowed essential discourse on key usability parameters and helped uncover opinions on the value of features. Guides were approved by all teams before each sprint. During the sessions, customers were asked to use with the prototype on their phones while sharing screen - questions were asked simultaneously.
UX/UI EVALUATION
During the first month of testing, all stakeholders agreed on a fixed format for the usability reports. Each sprint had outlined goals and features to test. Feedback covered aspects of 'comprehension', 'interaction', 'navigation' and 'design' - qualitative scores were reported for each parameter.
A prioritization matrix was used to determine the most pressing features to fix before the next sprint. The most frequently mentioned and obstructive features were concentrated on the top right section of the matrix. Each entry on the matrix was also extensively explored in the report.
IMPACT
After close to a year of sprints and SCRUM sessions, the new and improved Al Hilal app launched in February 2022. The release received significant local attention for the wide range of financial products and partnerships.
Customers find the host of new features exciting, particularly the digital marketplace and gamification features for children. The general sense from customer reviews is that browsing the app is a pleasant, user-friendly experience
REFLECTION
Highlights
Challenges
New ideas
ROSE
THORN
BUD
Community set-up allowed for repeat participants to view the effect of their suggestions after subsequent sessions. It made the user feel important and essential to the building of an app
In multiple sprints, I was the facilitator of the moderated sessions. It was often difficult to determine when to ask focused versus broad questions. If the question was too broad, the answer may be longer and take up too much time. Alternatively, a narrow question would have constrained the user's commentary
To better manage the implementation of feedback, there could have been better communication between research & design teams on task progress. For example, the focus could been key outcomes versus output honing in on user requirements and acceptance criteria