ROLE
INDUSTRY
TIMELINE
TEAM
OVERVIEW
Introduction
The United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), widely recognized as Africa's Global Bank, operates as a multinational pan-African financial institution. Leveraging its extensive experience spanning over 70 years and a wide international reach, The bank has established subsidiaries across 20 African nations, along with offices in London, Paris, and New York. The bank's headquarters are situated in Lagos, Nigeria. UBA is renowned for its technological prowess in the African banking industry, leading the way in providing secure and reliable financial services and ensuring sustainability for its valued customers.
Problem
The UBA Merchant Portal is a reconciliation platform that helps UBA Merchants accept and reject claims made by customers when there is an issue at the point of sale(POS). The platform’s goal is to keep the merchants informed and help the merchant take any necessary action before the bank makes any decision to refund money to the customer, as that is a default. At that time, the system was very outdated with a nonexistent visual and user experience.
Goal
Undertake a comprehensive redesign of the entire platform, with a strong emphasis on enhancing functionality, accessibility, and aesthetics to deliver an elevated user experience for merchants and internal teams.
Audit
As an already established product, I started with an audit of the current product and we had a discovery call with both the users and the internal teams. It was amazing to see how the current platform was being updated as it had not been updated in a very long time.
Some screens from audit.
Here are some insights from the audit carried out:
The design of the platform is very outdated.
There were a lot of user accessibility issues and alignment.
There seems to be a lot of unnecessary information requested from the merchant.
The dashboard did not cover all of the important information at a glance needed by the merchant
There was no effective way to notify the merchant of claims by the customers.
Information Architecture
I created an information architecture that ensures a user-centric approach, guiding merchants through each step of the claim process with clarity and efficiency.
Information Architecture
User Flow
This user flow streamlines the merchant's task of reviewing and responding to claim requests, ensuring a clear and efficient process.
Final Designs
Following multiple iterations and feedback sessions, the final screens aimed to enhance functionality, accessibility, and aesthetics to deliver an elevated user experience for merchants and internal teams based on user needs and preferences, ensuring an optimal and user-friendly experience.
Handoff
I prepared a comprehensive handoff document with connectors for the UX Developer, including design specifications and interactive prototypes. This document outlined user flows, scenarios, and development notes, fostering understanding and enabling real-time communication. Following the completion of front-end development, a feedback session with the developer ensured alignment across all design aspects.
Subsequently, the project was transitioned to another team for pilot testing, with established ongoing support channels to facilitate collaboration and address any clarifications during further development and testing.
Handoff page showing connectors and development notes
Outcome
The redesign received widespread acceptance from both the merchants and internal teams and is expected to significantly increase fund reconciliation with its seamless navigation, making the claim process effortless for both merchants and internal teams
Key Takeaways
The process of design is iterative, as users are constantly evolving. Continuous updates are essential to align products with evolving standards and user expectations. However, in large organizations, projects often face extended timelines, navigating through various levels of approval and prioritization amidst the multitude of projects. This structure can pose challenges in ensuring timely adaptations to meet evolving user needs.
Collaborating within a large team, which included fellow designers, a UX writer, and members from diverse backgrounds, was a new and enriching experience for me. The process was enjoyable as it fostered the exchange of knowledge and expanded our collective perspective on user problems. The collaborative environment allowed us to bounce ideas off each other, gaining valuable insights and approaching challenges with a more comprehensive outlook.
Disclaimer: The content presented in this case study is based on my own observations and does not necessarily represent the official views of UBA. Confidential data has been intentionally omitted where required.