My Role
Timeline
Due to German regulations, all people who want to study or work in the country must obtain a blocked account and health insurance. Expatrio is a holistic platform that offers both products. Today the company is experiencing an expansion and wants to offer a new product: The Expatrio Current Account.
Being a fintech created since 2015, Expatrio must overcome the challenges of offering a banking service that meets the demands of its clients, and comply with strict regulations. When I joined Expatrio, the product was in an MVP stage and the challenge was to evaluate its state, test it and improve the user experience in a timeframe of 2-3 months.
Due to the limited time to develop the MVP launch, I decided to work under the Lean UX process, where I involved the project manager and the development team to meet the minimum requirements of the product, fix critical bugs and resolve experience problems in each iteration.
The initial design
To start the process, I decided to carry out two usability test sessions for Expatrio colleagues and for actual users of the app. They were guided through the activation process and the main functionalities of the current account.
The results yielded several bug issues, which were immediately reported to the development team, while I also documented the struggles of users using the prototype.
The User
After the usability tests, I conducted qualitative interviews to 10 users to learn more about their experiences with virtual banks, most used functionalities, and their idea of a good product.
Among the most important features for users we can find:
Reliability
Secure, modern login
Real time syncing
Multiple finance tools
Customisation
Visually appealing aesthetic
Rebranding and UX/UI Improvements
After testing the MVP and getting a better idea of the users motivations and desires, I made improvements to the UX along with a refresh of the bank account UI. Also, during the project, Expatrio was undergoing a process of refreshing its brand image. This represented an opportunity to renew elements that seemed outdated for a company that had not renewed its image since 2015.
Launch & Results
Considering that this project had to be carried out in a limited period of time, the results were overwhelmingly positive, not only in the number of current accounts activated, but also in the image perception of users. Out of our current client base, 35+% of them activated their new Current Account within the first month since launch,
35+%
New Account Activations
90%
First time purchases
92%
Positive NPS
Read more of my case studies
