Polski
#CustomerJourneyMap, i.e. the customer’s journey to the destination
The customer journey map is nothing more than a visualization of the process through which the customer must go in order to finally purchase given product or service.
Customer Journey Map allows us to see the pain points and find problems that may have a negative impact on the customer experience, and thus also on sales and conversion. In the financial industry, developing a good Customer Journey Map is a way to improve the customer service process, as well as adjust the product to the users’ requirements. It also helps to gain a key competitive advantage in difficult and complex businesses and facilitates cost optimization. It is not without reason that this concept is often combined with the word “experience”, as it is the creation of the Customer Journey Map where the work on a positive CX begins.
It is worth noting that the creation of the Customer Journey Map does not end after filling in the appropriate fields in the form. As a rule, the Customer Journey Map should be constantly refreshed, updated and supplemented – ultimately, it is a measure of the success of the product, which requires constant monitoring during all stages of its journey to the customer.
You can read about how to create a Customer Journey Map step by step at Ailleron UX LAB here. In cooperation with Ailleron, the global banking giant Credit Agricole created its own Customer Journey Map.
“Together with Credit Agricole, we have created 7 omnichannel maps and developed over 130 recommendations. It was a great and inspiring cooperation, which resulted in high-quality maps, which the bank uses every day when making decisions and taking up new activities” – emphasizes Patrycja Leszek-Królikowska, General Manager UX Lab at Ailleron.
“Accurate mapping of customer journeys has allowed us to better understand our processes. Thanks to this, it has become clear what we should focus on to provide our customers with the best possible experience” – adds Agnieszka Spólnik, Chief Product Owner at Credit Agricole Bank Polska S.A.
Protip: When working on the Customer Journey Map, use the interactive whiteboards available in Miro or Mural tools. Whiteboards are especially useful when working on a Journey Map with a customer as part of a remote workshop.
#UXUsabilityAudit – is your product useful?
Usability audits are nothing more than the process of checking digital products (websites or mobile applications) in terms of usability, i.e. adaptation to the needs and expectations of recipients. The User Experience usability audit is particularly useful when we want to learn about the strengths or weaknesses of the solution, improve conversion or set further directions of development. The methodology of UX audits is based on two tools/approaches:
- Heuristic analysis, which consists in checking the website or mobile application for (most often) 10 heuristics of Jacob Nielsen. In addition to the most popular Nielsen heuristics, the heuristic assessment also uses Gerhardt-Powals cognitive principles or Schneiderman’s principles.
10 heuristics of Jakob Nielsen
1: Show system status.
2: Refer to the real world.
3: Give the user full control and freedom.
4: Stick to standards and be consistent.
5: Prevent errors.
6: Show, instead of forcing user to recall.
7: Ensure flexibility and efficiency.
8: Ensure aesthetics and minimalist design.
9: Ensure effective error handling.
10: Provide help and documentation.
- Cognitive path, or cognitive walkthrough. During this type of research, an expert (analyst) performs a specific task on the website, e.g. makes a purchase or subscribes to the newsletter. The goal of such a cognitive journey is to simulate the real path to conversion that a potential customer must go through. UX researchers conduct cognitive journeys based on previously prepared maps.
Conducting a UX audit requires specialist knowledge, tools and experience, especially if we are thinking about improving complex products from the Fintech industry. An audit should be handed over to professionalswho have experience in the financial services sector. An example of a well-conducted UX audit can be the analysis of applications submitted by a mobile app and a website for Santander Consumer Bank.
“Customer Experience is of the utmost importance for us. We listen to the needs of our customers and try to constantly improve our processes so that they are convenient and friendly for the users. This is the key to the success” – noted Wojciech Mikołajczyk, Senior Digital Banking Development Manager at Santander Consumer Bank SA.
“Santander Consumer Bank cares about the best User Experience of its customers both in the mobile application and on websites, which is why the analysis of applications was the key to providing easy and friendly solutions for customers” – adds Patrycja Leszek-Królikowska.
Protip: Combine UX audit methods with usability tests to have the most reliable data for analysis.
#DesignSprint, that is to say, do not forget about creative workshops with the customer
Design Sprint is an extremely popular workshop methodology invented by Google Ventures. The goal of Design Sprint is to find answers to business questions and needs through design exercises, testing ideas and prototyping. It is a universal methodology that – in fact – fits many types of projects, including those from financial areas.
During 5 stages (Understand, Sketch, Decide, Prototype, Test), workshop participants basically design a solution from scratch. The most important goal of the workshop is to minimize the risks that arise (or may arise) when launching a new product on the market.
On the part of the supplier (entity organizing the Design Sprint) the workshops are attended by:
- Facilitators – specialists certified by Design Sprint Academy with great experience.
- UX designers.
- Technical and business leaders.
- Experts in related fields, depending on the type of project.
Design Sprint is primarily people, a properly selected team – it is only thanks to providing various competences that it is possible to develop a great solution. Nowadays, with the use of the right tools, such workshops can be carried out 100% remotely. It is worth looking for design teams that have experience in organizing Design Sprints online.
SGB, the Cooperative Banking Group, also benefited from the support of Ailleron during the development of the mobile application for its clients.
“It all started with Design Sprint. Cooperation, commitment and passion always produce great results. In this case, they are reflected in SGB Mobile. The team’s participation in creative workshops stimulates the imagination” – recalls Artur Józefowski, Director of Mobile and Internet Banking Bureau at SGB Bank.
“Creating an application for 182 Banks is a real challenge so the results achieved with SGB Bank on Design Sprint are all the more pleasing. Thanks to our commitment and common vision of the product, we have created an innovative mobile application that is constantly developing” comments Patrycja Leszek-Królikowska.
Protip: Specialists from different departments, with different points of view, should participate in the UX design sprint process. The variety of positions makes it possible to combine all the necessary competences and guarantees high quality of work.
We already know why it is worth taking care of User Experience during design work on Fintech products. It is worth knowing that in addition to the methods listed above, there are also a number of other metrics used in the process of creating the appropriate User Experience. In the usability tests eye-tracking or heat map analysis are also very often used, as well as analyses and statistics provided by Google Analytics, which prove to be also extremely useful.
#UsabilityTests, or how to make a product even better
Without usability tests, there is no good UX and no user-centered design – this is the truth that all professional researchers and Mentors of User Experience will subscribe to. Usability tests are a method of UX research, which consists in checking the usability of a given solution with the direct participation of the user from the target group of the product. Such tests are most often carried out on a clickable test environment, i.e. a prototype.
During usability tests, the respondent performs specific tasks from the “live” scenario session with the moderator. The moderator observes the user during the performance of individual tasks, asks questions (but does not make suggestions) and analyzes the entire session. In the era of the pandemic, usability tests are best carried out remotely, using a communicator that allows you to record sessions and conveniently share your screen. Notes and remarks from the tests should be collected in one report, which is extremely useful in the process of later making corrections to the prototype.
Usability tests are particularly important in the process of designing digital financial solutions. Fintech products must be intuitive, simple and, above all, devoid of critical errors, in short – should be fully accomplished.
Protip: Prepare at least 5-6 tasks for usability tests, as well as additional questions that you will ask at the end. Ask about the impressions from the tests, user thoughts, the simplest and most difficult tasks during the session.
The text was prepared in partnership with Fintek.pl. On the subject of Ailleron’s cooperation with Santander Leasing we talked recently with Adrian Kaczmarek, Paweł Krasuski and Patrycja Leszek-Królikowska. You can also listen to a podcast about this cooperation recorded by Izabela Kozakiewicz. You can read about e-lease challenges for 2022 here.
