Mobile App design for SBI Cards (SPLITO)
Role: research, workshop, usability testing, 0-1 product design
strategy
Overview
SBICards wanted to introduce their BNPL product SPLITO, the latest Buy Now Pay Later
(BNPL) service, which allows users to divide their total bill amount into various
instalment options spanning 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months providing users with ultimate
flexibility, which was new to market in the BNPL segment.
The product is now in 'UAT' stage, and soon it will hit the App Store and Play Store.
Design requirement
- The mobile app should be appealing to the younger generation
- SBIC consciously wanted to keep away from the 'legacy' of SBI, product to not visually reflect any association with SBI
- The product should evoke 'the secure and reliable' feeling
- Should be flexible and affordable product that encourages repeat usage without any apprehensions or concerns about their expenses and credit scores.
My role
- Induct client on the design process, values and the additional timeline with a compelling narrative.
- Collaborate with the client to set the expectations clear, and communicate their responsibilities to make the product deliverable a desired one.
- Identify the right talents and led the to carry out research, collaborate efficiently with the client, and who can manage ongoing requirements. . Guided the team on the UCD process, and shared my knowledge on the nuances of the process.
- Collaborate with the tech and API team, and facilitate smooth effective communication & collaboration between design and development teams.
- Overseeing user research activities to gain a deep understanding of user needs, behaviors, and motivations. Ensure that the research findings actually inform design decisions and validate design solutions.
Key Challenges
- The design team lacked visibility into the available APIs / SDKs and directly engaged with the client to build the app. While the design team reached an agreement with the client on a particular decision, the development team did not endorse this decision, leading to challenges and potential conflicts between the teams.
- Both teams lacked a clear comm protocol, and the organisation had encouraged a 'client-first' approach, often saying 'YES' to the client's requests. However, this led to a situation where the design team would agree with the client's requests, only to find out later that the development team did not support them, causing conflict between the two teams.
- Ultimately, this led to an unjustified delay in the approval of the design, subsequently impacting the development process
Solution
- Created a communication protocol that every team member would follow and brought out a 'signoff' practice within the team with the entire development team. As an organization that is development-centric M2P primarily focused on development, and often design had not been fully appreciated. However, during the workshop, dev team members felt heard, became actively involved, and gained a newfound appreciation for the design process and the expertise of designers.
- Fostered a space for collaborative work between design and development, to ensure that the design and development teams are aligned and trust each other. This resulted in narrower room for misunderstandings or misinterpretations of design specifications.
- Educated the design the team to be empathetic with the development team. Designers then started discussed their ideas and intentions, while developers provided input on feasibility and technical considerations.
Other Contributions
- The client was keen about the onboarding process and the landing page, and what goes into the landing page / dashboard. To ensure that it meets various business function's requirements, facilitated a workshop with SBIC stakeholders, involving product, digital marketing, branding and other teams.
- This helped SBIC quickly understand how things work in a mobile app, and the team could contribute well and arrive at an agreement between themselves.
Activity - Prioritising features engaging all key stakeholders
- This activity helped SBIC to think through the offerings, values and business objectives and they re-prioritized features and offerings.
Collaborative approach with Client
- Clients felt engaged and empowered by the opportunity to actively participate in the decision-making process. They felt included and valued for their input, and it fostered a sense of ownership and involvement in the product. This greatly reduced the change requests which otherwise usually is a common challenge for the design and development teams.
- Some of them had not been involved in such workshops before, and they were pleasantly surprised by the collaborative and inclusive approach. . This also led to a positive shift in their perception of the project and the team.
