Continuous design support for mobile app
Bofin is an ambitious fintech startup that connects financial institutions and service providers with end users.
They are the first attempt at creating a marketplace where high street banks enter into competition and where users pick and choose the services they like best. Usability is an essential requirement in the fintech space so once the framework for the backend was in place, they engaged with us to start work on the user experience of the mobile app.
By the time we started to work together, Bofin had ramped up a team of 50+ developers who were all busy overcoming the technical challenges posed by such an ambitious project.
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS
Digital Strategy Consulting
Information Architecture
UX Design
Wireframing
Interactive Prototyping
UI Design
Quality Assurance
User Testing
From frenzy to process
Initially the startup wanted a quick execution of a very limited MVP that they wanted to release early. In essence we had only two weeks to deliver a complete financial services application. Once this hurdle was overcome, they brought us on board indefinitely and we started to work in design sprints.
Yet, the design of the app was far behind development. We worked module by module, and each design sprint had a different focus. We worked closely with the head of product and were in daily contact to cope with the extreme time pressure. There was no time for proper requirements gathering. In about two months design had caught up with development.
This was a great occasion to bring more structure into the processes, and we engaged in an iterative exercise to upgrade the product development and design workflows. This added structure improved the quality of the app.
We’re quite impressed with their work, as they’re committed to understanding what we were trying to solve.
FULL SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
The fintech startup had a team of 50+ developers and they were under constant pressure to deliver faster. Not an easy life. So we did our best to support them. For example, we adapted our processes to reflect their needs. We also helped them by testing and preparing assets just they way they liked them.
Every 3 weeks we had a session where we tweaked the process to suit their needs. Once they had enough designs to work on and we had a little time, we prepared an extensive styleguide and design system to streamline the code.
Handover to the in-house design team
It took almost a year to create all the modules that will eventually make up the app and to put a design system in place that can cope with the long term development of the product. With a clear product path and a mature design vision, it was time for Bofin to bring the design team in-house.
The fact that we had documented all the designs neatly and organised them according to the product roadmap made the handover easy. We offered them full support during the transition phase and they adopted most of our procedures.
Our senior team offer lift and predictability
When Bofin reached out to us, they had a 2 week project in mind. Seeing our initial delivery, they decided to bring us on fully to design a product that was expressive of their vision. We ended up working together for almost a year, until the design matured and they were able to bring it in-house safely.
Over the course of the design engagement, a key success factor was the close integration between the teams. As is typical for any startup priorities and challenges evolved constantly, but we were able to adapt and to be a pillar of stability for the startup.
OUTCOMES
First MVP delivered in 2 weeks
Design for alpha delivered in 2 months
Seamless handover in 2 weeks
Full design system delivered for the long term vision
No deadline missed in 12 months
