CASE STUDY: Questioning the usual

A problem space team was working to decrease the drop-off rates in Grab app's e-wallet activation process. The main issue was the high drop-off at the phone number verification stage, potentially due to low SMS receipt rates. Various solutions, including altering the verification method, were under consideration.

The team initially overlooked the possibility of eliminating the phone number verification step since it had been always been present in every e-wallet registration process.

We proposed a simple solution: remove this step, as users' phone numbers are already verified during Grab registration and through ongoing use of Grab services. This not only completely removed the 20% drop-off rate, but also saved on SMS costs and engineering effort.

CASE STUDY: TIMELINE NEGOTIATION

Despite adding additional members to the team and reducing the scope to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), the timeline remained unachievable. It appeared that our only option was to work overtime to meet the demanding deadlines.

However, a pivotal breakthrough occurred when we engaged with the compliance team. Leveraging their extensive experience, they provided insights into the specific criteria that the regulator prioritizes during the approval process.

We identified features initially deemed crucial for MVP but not imperative for regulatory approval, such as the discovery journey. We were then able to meet the timeline by submitting a more targeted MVP for approval and refine the remaining features while awaiting regulatory clearance.

CASE STUDY: PROBLEM-SOLUTION FIT

The business team requested the design of a cash-out fee controller. This feature is designed to incentivize fees for cash-out transactions, which is essentially the same as encouraging users to withdraw their money from our platform.

Upon inquiry, the team aimed to encourage drivers to transfer earnings from the Grab app to the Grab e-wallet (OVO) by offering cash-out incentives. They hoped drivers would shop in OVO first before cashing out.

Upon further investigation, the underlying reason was a previous implementation of cash-in fee controller aimed at boosting the top-up volume. They saw extending this to cash-out transactions as a logical step.

We persuaded the team to directly allocate the budget for shopping incentives, particularly through targeted promotions for drivers, as a more strategic approach.

CASE STUDY: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF AN ILLUSTRATION

A designer from another team advocated for using an error icon, believing it would expedite users' understanding of the situation. However, my team disagreed as we had consistently used a specific illustration for the generic error page.

Here’s my guidance for her …

It's essential not to champion consistency just for its own sake. Everyone should agree that the primary goal of an illustration is to provide immediate visual cues before users read the accompanying text.

However, it's equally important to convey the right emotions and perceptions. We need to be careful if the chosen illustration overly emphasizes negativity, as an error icon may come across as too harsh.

Consider a customer service representative delivering a negative message. Typically, we'd soften the impact rather than delivering a blunt "no". Similarly, our chosen illustration should balance clarity with a nuanced approach to avoid overwhelming users with negativity.