B-Wom
UXUI Designer,
Project Manager
Sketch, Zeplin
4 weeks
To solve the app’s low user retention, our team focused on identifying the right problem and prepared milestones prioritizing actionable solutions.
B-wom is a mobile app offering personalized care plans through customized goals and the means to meet them with daily exercises and informative articles.
Our team consisted of three designers, was tasked to redesign the platform to increase user engagement and retention. I was fortunate to lead the project with the team and directly communicate with the stakeholders.
Why aren’t B-wom users returning to the platform?
In hopes to bring back the users, the company rolled a striking promotion for the paid services in the app.
But despite the effort, the app continued to have an early dropout rate with low user retention. It was important for the company and the team to identify and solve the right problem.
Research
User Interview
Through direct interviews, we learned our target users’ values and goals in using the app. The insight revealed the highs and lows of the app that would eventually shape our solutions.
Heuristic Analysis
Our team conducted a heuristic analysis for a usability evaluation. The goal was to identify any visible usability issues based on a list of predefined design principles.
Usability Testing
Along with the heuristic analysis, our team also conducted usability testing for a group of new users to exactly pinpoint the part or screens with usability issues.
Competitive Analysis
By comparing the features with the competitors’ products, we wanted to identify any key features that were lacking or could be highlighted in the app.
So, what’s the problem?
Misleading messaging and design
“Am I setting these goals, or are these set for me?
Users had difficulty pinpoint what was happening on a screen, what it meant for them, what the next step should be. This unclarity hindered the users from properly using the app to its full potential.
Poor Navigation System
“How can I change my exercises? Is there a way for me to find a specific article I want to read?”
Users failed to locate where to go in order to achieve their goals. Even if they did arrive at a point, the process was frustrating and arduous.
Technical Issues
There were several technical errors - would not load past the initial registration questions, the saved data would be refreshed randomly, screens randomly freezing, etc.
We created a list of these technical problems to be sent over to the support team.
How might we bring clarity and better communicate the value of the app to the users?
Challenge
How might we 1) be instructive on the actions and objectives happening on the app, and 2) establish an intuitive flow and navigation system?
Impact
If the goals were met, B-wom users would be more confident in using the app and ultimately understand the true value of the app. And ultimately, increase user engagement and retention.
Deciding what to deliver first
Understanding that our client’s tech support team was highly limited, the tech work had to be strategically divided. We recommended de-bugging all of the technical issues before diving into updating any flows and interfaces; even with the new changes, it would be no use if they’re not functioning properly.
Proposed Solutions
1. Streamline the Onboarding Process
We streamlined the onboarding process by:
1) combining the several questionnaires happening at different points, and
2) introducing a step explaining what the app does and offers (only for first-time users).
The current flow embodied that structure thinking the users would explore the home screen before completing the profile. This structure proved to confused the users and only caused frustration of having to face the questionnaires twice.
Help Users Connect the Dots Between the Questionnaires with the Results on the Home screen
As obvious as one may see, the usability testings revealed the users failed to understand that the goals and exercise routines have been set based on the result of the questionnaire. Our solution involved a loading screen that would get the message across.
Update the Tab Based on the Use Frequency
The proposed solution was to update the main tab based on the level of users' highest activity on the page. The goal was to increase user engagement by making the pages they visit the most on the app more accessible.
In this process, a new tab, ‘Education’, was introduced to optimize the experience in finding articles. We discovered from the research that the B-wom’s users were interested in the articles, but the current design made it difficult to access the articles — i.e., users would have to scroll indefinitely until they found articles they want to read. By creating a separate tab, the articles became easier to access even on the go which would eventually increase the app’s overall usage time.
Implement Intuitive Design with Better Accessibility
The overall updated design aimed to:
increase accessibility by displaying frequently used actions more prominently on the screen
optimize the navigation process by compartmentalized content/information in relevancy
ultimately intuitively navigate users through different screens that would help achieve their goals.
Another design goal was to align the interface with the correct functionality of the service. For example, the current design of the ‘Goals’ tab implied that the users could track progress, and disappointed the users when it turned out to be static images.
