Reminder App

User Research
Information Architecture
User Interface
Prototyping
Usability Testing

Overview

Biz Cue is a Reminder App that makes it easy for citizens to take care of their interactions with state agencies in one place. Biz Cue compiles and presents all the information needed to take action.

Problem

In a busy world, it’s a challenge for citizens to keep up with tasks they must fulfill with state agencies. The current way they are notified is outdated and cumbersome. In addition, citizens are generally uninformed and frustrated about the entire process.

Solution

Create a Mobile Reminder App (iOS and Android) that helps people to track essential dealings, such as license renewals, property tax deadlines, etc.

My Role

User Research
Workshop Facilitation
Information Architecture
User Interface
Prototyping
User Testing

Tools

Figma
FigJam
Numbers
Google Docs

My Process

Discovery

Kickoff

We had a kickoff meeting to ensure all stakeholders were heading in the same direction and learn about the business goals and how we would solve problems.

Key Takeaways:

The business aimed to create a mobile application to help citizens stay informed about state interactions.
The deliverable would be a prototype for MVP with enough features to attract early adopters to validate the idea.
This solution would decrease the resources (call center, mail, and chat) that provide this information, which would retain revenue and reduce workload.
The Development Team planned to use a framework that allowed them to write a single native app that could be installed across multiple operating systems.
Users targeted – homeowners, voters, and motor vehicle owners.

Comparative Analysis

I looked at similar apps to learn what’s working well and what could be improved.

The apps contain some standard features:

Users are reminded via alerts and notifications
Tasks are displayed in a list
Users could update their preferences
Option to mark a task as complete
No internet is required for some functions

User Research

Stakeholder Interviews

I interviewed stakeholders to uncover user needs and issues.

"I didn't have the opportunity to vote because the registration came in the mail too late!"

"I forgot to pay my property taxes and lost my home."

Key Takeaways:

Citizens were informed by mail or phone calls about the tasks they needed to complete with the state.
- People moved residence frequently, and sometimes the addresses were invalid, so they didn’t receive notifications.
- Some changed their phone numbers or didn’t listen to voicemails.
The Call Center received a high volume of inquiries about due dates and how to take action on business needs.
- Finding the proper department to transfer to is time-consuming, and often callers are routed back to them.
Citizens were paying late fees for forgotten renewals, and employees must deal with their frustration.
Many say they don’t receive voter registration in the mail on time, so they miss the opportunity to vote.
People wanted to know about upcoming events and closures due to the holidays. They were making trips to the offices when they were closed.

Many questions arose from these interviews:

How could we make it easier to notify citizens of important dates?
How could we direct them to take action in a timely manner to help them avoid missing deadlines?

User Personas

Using information from the findings, I defined 3 personas representing our target audience.

John

62 years old, married, 3 adult kids, retired
John is retired and spends a lot of time at home. It's always a hassle when it comes time to pay a bill, as he doesn't like to get out in traffic and drive too often.

Goals/Needs
- Pay bills on time
- Keep up with deadlines

Frustrations
- Traffic is annoying, and prefer to avoid driving to pay bills.
- Worried about missing a payment.

Technology
- Not tech savvy - has an iPhone but doesn't know how to use it well.
- Fear of technology

John

20 years old, single, no kids, cashier
Tom is a young adult who likes to hang out with friends and is always on the go. He's generated speeding tickets, forgot to pay them, and now his driver's license is suspended.

Goals/Needs
- Needs to be reminded frequently to stay on top of important business.
- Keep tasks under control.
- Support if he forgets something.

Frustrations
- Forgets deadlines
- Money is tight, a challenge to pay late fees.

Technology
- Apple User
- Enjoys Messages

Jamie

35 years old, married, 2 kids, cashier
Jamie is always busy tending to her kids and keeping up with the household. As a result, it's hard for her to keep track of items to do.

Goals/Needs
- Keep track of deadlines
- Stay informed about upcoming events
- Feel organized and in control
- Ensure her privacy is protected

Frustrations
- No extra time to handle business
- Feels overwhelmed at times
- Lose track of her deadlines

Technology
- Andriod User
- Social Media

Ideation

I Like, I Wish, What If

I held a workshop with stakeholders to generate ideas and compiled a list of possible features using the I Like, I Wish, What If ideation method.

We couldn’t include all of these features for MVP, so we had to prioritize and choose what could serve as the best solution possible for our users.

Features

Onboarding – new users

Location – Ability for users to select and update their location
Services – Ability for users to select and update services that apply to them
Reminders – List of tasks and deadlines, and direction to take action
Notification Settings – Option to receive alerts and notifications
User Profile – Ability for users to update their profile
Support – provide help if users need it

Information Architecture

I based the site map on the primary features of the app. These features would become part of the navigation.

I synced with the development team to ensure the data on the screens could be retrieved from the database.

2 paths had to be considered:

New Users – Create Account, Onboarding
Existing Users – Login, Password Recovery

Wireframes

I created wireframes and presented them to stakeholders for feedback. We learned that our onboarding process was overwhelming, and we simplified it. After working through a few iterations, I developed the layouts below.

Hi-Fi Design

Mockups

Once the wireframes were approved, I followed their brand guidelines and translated them into high-fidelity screens in preparation for testing.

Usability Testing

I created a prototype to perform usability testing to uncover issues and measure the ease of use.

The goal of testing was to:

See if participants could navigate through the prototype successfully and if there were any friction points in the flow to eliminate confusion.
Clarify if people could add their location and select services to track.
See if participants could choose ways to be notified.
Capture if they know how to take action before a deadline.
Collect feedback and give users an opportunity for suggestions.

I ran a moderated test and observed participants as they completed tasks.

Results:

We received a lot of positive feedback from the usability testing. The overall design and layout of Biz Cue were simple and user-friendly enough for participants to navigate through the app and add services.

I needed to increase the size of some of the fonts and icons so it was clear, easy to understand, and tap.

"I do not have to enter a lot of data, just my zip code, and select the services."

"Email does not help me because I do not check my email always."

"Oh, this is good. I won't forget to renew my tags."

"The app has a good design and is easy to use."

"Some of the words are small and hard to read."

Handoff

I incorporated feedback into the final mockups before handing them off and the flow to the Development Team for guidance as they coded the app.

Lessons

This project had a lot of requirements with little time to iterate. I would have liked to have access to real users and conduct more testing, which is very important when building an app. I had to rely on stakeholders’ insights to develop the features.

I learned how important information architecture is. The goal was to inform the user within seconds.

I’m proud of the work achieved within a short amount of time.