Product Case
Service research and redesign of a mobile app based on problems identified in the user journey.
This app has very few active users.
The client came to us because the app had few active users and wanted to understand how to improve the experience and increase engagement.
Instead of assuming the problem was in the interface, we decided to investigate the service as a whole. We needed to understand how the app fit into users' journeys and whether usability was really the main barrier.
The challenge, therefore, stopped being just redesigning an interface and became understanding why the app was not being used.
We started with qualitative research to understand the service from the perspective of those who used it. I conducted shadowing, observing users in real situations, contextual interviews, and in-person user interviews.
We also talked to professionals from the different internal areas involved in the service, seeking to understand how the teams related and what problems happened behind the scenes of the experience.
To complement the qualitative data, we ran a quantitative survey, promoted on the client's social media, with questions about the company, the service, and the app.
Finally, I conducted a heuristic analysis of the journey inside the app, seeking to identify friction points and usability issues.
When cross-referencing the research results, it became clear that the problems were spread across different points of the service — from communication failures between internal teams to issues related to the relationship between the company and its clients.
The main finding, however, was that the app did not solve a relevant problem for users. Moreover, its existence and purpose were not communicated clearly, so many people did not even know it existed or what it could be used for.
These learnings changed the direction of the project: instead of just optimizing the existing interface, we rethought the purpose and experience of the app and also documented opportunities for improving the service.
Beyond the new app experience, we documented the problems identified in the service and recommendations to support its evolution.
Research insight
Research showed that the problem was bigger than the interface: the app did not solve a relevant problem for users within the service.
Research findings changed the project direction: beyond redesigning the app, we began proposing improvements to the service itself.
I can share more details in a conversation.