Driving a user-centred approach on a rapidly growing payments product

My role: User research lead

Team: 2 Product managers, 2 Designers, operations & account managers.

Context

A start-up team launched a payments product to enable hotels to take payments from guests. Following initial sign-up, hotels needed to go through an online on-boarding process.

Initial brief

The team wanted to understand why a high number of hotels were not completing the online on-boarding task after signing up.

Outcomes

  • Clear and actionable findings into reasons behind user drop off in the on-boarding flow, resulting in a full redesign of the flow to meet users’ contextual needs.

  • Multiple payment flow and feature alterations based on findings from research.

  • User needs driven roadmap prioritisation, such as integrating permission levels.

  • Analytics tags built into the product to inform future design. 

  • Culture of continuous improvement based on qualitative insights.

Process

First, I planned a kick-off workshop with immediate team members, both technical and operational.

I structured the activity to enable team members to equally voice their questions.

I stuck print outs of the on-boarding flow on the wall, with an extra blank page for any questions they had that lay ‘outside of the flow’. Each team member wrote their questions on post-its, stuck them in the appropriate place and took turns to rea…

I stuck print outs of the on-boarding flow on the wall, with an extra blank page for any questions they had that lay ‘outside of the flow’. Each team member wrote their questions on post-its, stuck them in the appropriate place and took turns to read out their questions.

I chose different research methods to address the team’s questions:

I identified which questions required evaluative usability testing, and ran 3 rounds of testing with hotel users, involving team members in each visit.

I identified which questions required evaluative usability testing, and ran 3 rounds of testing with hotel users, involving team members in each visit.

For questions that required more organisational understanding of hotels, I conducted in-field visits with multiple hotel staff.

For questions that required more organisational understanding of hotels, I conducted in-field visits with multiple hotel staff.

Using a trello board, I indicated to the product manager and development team where analytics logs needed to be added to answer quantitative questions.

Using a trello board, I indicated to the product manager and development team where analytics logs needed to be added to answer quantitative questions.

The payments team developed greater appetite for research and I was soon running multiple research streams. These were my principles for driving impact:

  1. I ensured a sense of team ownership over research from the beginning.

At least one team member attended every research visit and carried out essential tasks such as taking photos or notes.

At least one team member attended every research visit and carried out essential tasks such as taking photos or notes.

I created materials for the product managers to help them communicate the context behind new features during sprint planning.

I created materials for the product managers to help them communicate the context behind new features during sprint planning.

I held ideation workshops with team members on possible solutions to improve the user experience.

I held ideation workshops with team members on possible solutions to improve the user experience.

2. I educated team members about iterative, user-centred design through experience.

I held group analysis sessions after each research round, showing how clear, prioritised research findings can rapidly feed into product development.

I held group analysis sessions after each research round, showing how clear, prioritised research findings can rapidly feed into product development.

I brought technical team members into the field, so their experience with users could continue to inform their decision making.

I brought technical team members into the field, so their experience with users could continue to inform their decision making.

3. I allowed user research to facilitate transparency between partners in the end-to-end experience.

I specifically designed a stream of research that would directly inform the work of two product managers, creating a platform for them to work together to solve some of the product’s underlying issues.

I specifically designed a stream of research that would directly inform the work of two product managers, creating a platform for them to work together to solve some of the product’s underlying issues.

I set up workshops for the wider business stakeholders to collaborate and ideate with the product leads. I used this time to give voice to the account managers’ own field knowledge of users’ needs.

I set up workshops for the wider business stakeholders to collaborate and ideate with the product leads. I used this time to give voice to the account managers’ own field knowledge of users’ needs.