RIA APP

Problem: The previous Ria app was a stripped-down version of the website. It allows users to register and send money, but functionality outside of those two processes is limited.

Goal: Increase the usability of the Ria app; allow users to do everything they can on desktop while also taking advantage of the unique capabilities of a mobile phone

Solution: Conduct user interviews and research to get to the bottom of our users’ wants and needs, then after careful consideration and analysis, launch the Ria 2.0 app with an emphasis on UX and decreasing cognitive load.

The brief was simple: redesign the Ria money transfer app to allow users to send money to their loved ones in a quick, intuitive, and secure manner. Going into it, we knew that an aging database built on an outdated architecture complicated things significantly, but we compiled our wishlist of features for an MVP launch and got to work.

The Ria mobile app was a unique challenge because we were tasked with including all the functionality of the new Ria website and with adding new features on top of that web functionality. We had existing research from the web redesign, but we created new personas for the app for two reasons: first, our research indicated that a significant number of Ria’s app-based transfers came from communities in which a smartphone was shared amongst different families or villagers, so we wanted to be sure to design for those scenarios. Secondly, we also needed to design for more affluent customers who had clear expectations for the app and its features before even using Ria. By understanding these two dichotomous groups, we fully committed to designing for a global audience regardless of income, familiarity with technology, or nationality.

Must haves included:

• Biometrics for login and transfer confirmation

• OCR for scanning credit and debit cards to add new payment methods

• Push Notifications for rate alerts and transfer updates

• Share functionality to quickly and easily provide recipients with their order numbers

• Improved map functionality to allow for easier selection of pickup and dropoff locations

A simplified registration process was considered for MVP launch but was ultimately decided to be too far out of scope to allow for a timely launch, so it was moved to a fast-follow item.