Case study · BluBank · Fintech

Magic Box

Improving the users’ experience of BluBox, so a payment never fails because the main account ran out of money.

Role: Product Designer
Team: Zahra Farahani
Ehsan Jalilzadeh
Duration: 7 days
Tools

A group of friends looking at the BluBank app on a phone

About Project

We have designed a new and improved experience compared to the current situation for using the BluBox feature in the BluBank app, allowing users to create conditions where, in the case of insufficient balance in the main account and the user's unawareness of this, no issue arises for the user when making a payment.

Tools

Problem

Last week, I went to the supermarket near my house to buy milk and bread. I handed my BluBank card to the cashier to pay for my purchases.

I was met with the phrase, "There’s an issue with your card. Do you have another card with you?" At that moment, I was so grateful to the cashier for using such polite language to say "insufficient balance."

I knew exactly where the problem was; opened BluBank with the intention of withdrawing enough money from one of the BluBoxes like Gym, Rasht, or Ehsan's Birthday to cover my purchase and transfer it to my main account.

But the problem was that the store had poor network coverage, BluBank didn’t open, and I gave up on the purchase.

Design Process

Empathize

User Research
User Interview

3 days

Define

User Persona
Goal Statement
Empathy Map

2 days

Ideate

Brainstorming
User Flow

1 day

Design

Paper Wireframes
Visual Design

1 day

User Research

This problem was really new to me!

Until now, because I always had a job and didn’t need to manage my finances or use BluBoxes like I do now, I had never encountered this issue. So, I created a questionnaire and asked people I knew who use BluBank daily to see how widespread this challenge is and what others do when they face it.

Friends talking about how they use BluBank

My phone had turned off, and all my money was in the box. I had a purchase to make, but I had to wait until I fixed my phone.

I would have preferred if instead of deducting the full transaction amounts, it would take a percentage from the main account, like 15 percent each day.

I released some money from one of the boxes.

It has happened two or three times that the Blu app has gone completely out of service, and I needed the money I had in one of my accounts, but I couldn't use the app.

Yes, it has happened before. I ended up paying with cards from my other banks.

User Persona

"Based on the results of the questionnaire and interviews, it was the right time to consider creating a persona to focus the audience's desires, needs, and behaviors in the form of a single, representative individual."

Name: Negin
Age: 20 years old
Location: Tehran
Status: Single

Scenario

"Negin is a mechanical engineering student and the third child in her family. She has classes at university every day and needs to wake up at 7 a.m., take a shower, get dressed, and make it to the bus stop near her house on time. Recently, through one of her classmates, she became familiar with the BluBox feature. At the start of the semester, she created several boxes, such as 'Books and Notes,' 'Mom's Birthday,' 'Rasht Trip,' and 'Yoga Classes.' Each month, she fills these boxes with her allowance from her dad.

Since she is not yet able to work, she has to manage her expenses throughout the month with the limited budget her dad provides. This helps her avoid accessing the portion of her money that she has allocated for specific purposes."

Interests

Romantic novels
Hang
Drawing
Yoga

Needs and Goals

Precise cost management
Increasing received budget
Saving for starting a yoga studio
Setting aside a portion of income
Buying a good mat, avoiding the hands slipping

Frustrations

Fall short financially in front of the classmates
High cost of books and notes
Not being able to manage the expenses throughout the month and running out of money before the month ends

Name: Pedram
Age: 29 years old
Location: Shiraz
Status: Married

Scenario

"Pedram has been married for five years and recently became a father. Every day, after finishing his work at the pharmacy, he works as a delivery driver for Snapp from 5 PM to 8 PM on his motorcycle. Recently, he and his wife decided that commuting on a motorcycle could be dangerous for their child.

So, to buy a car, Pedram opened an account with BluBank a month ago to apply for a loan. He has been saving a significant portion of his monthly income from Snapp and the pharmacy in the 'Car' BluBox. He hopes that after a few months, he will be able to get the loan he needs to help with the car purchase."

Interests

Hip-hop songs
Travelling
Crossfit
Board-games
Modeling

Needs and Goals

Obtaining a loan
Purchasing a suitable vehicle
Financial management
Earning a higher income
Exploring investment opportunities
Saving for unexpected situations

Frustrations

Insufficient income from the primary job
Lack of energy to continue with the second job
Changing priorities due to having a child
High interest rates on bank loans
Economic instability

Empathy Map

After considering a user pattern through personas, I am able to delve deeper into understanding, prioritizing, and categorizing user needs in greater detail.

Says

If I had known before my main account ran out of money, this wouldn’t have happened.
I wish I had my phone with me so I could transfer money.

Thinks

Maybe I’m really bad at dividing my money, which is why this keeps happening.
I wish I hadn’t put my money in BluBox.
I shouldn’t keep all my money in BluBank.

Does

Uses another bank card.
Logs into the app and withdraws some money from one of the BluBoxes.
Gives up on the task they intended to do.

Feels

Embarrassed to hear the phrase 'Insufficient funds' in front of others.
Frustrated when this happens in an inconvenient situation.

Brainstorming

I used the brainstorming method to solve the problem and explore potential solutions, expressing all ideas without considering limitations. Ultimately, based on the available resources and conditions, I selected the best solution for the user.

Set a password for each BluBox so that in situations where the main account balance is insufficient, the payment can be completed using a separate password for one of the boxes.

Automatically withdraw the required amount from a randomly selected BluBox when the main account balance is insufficient.

Pre-select a specific BluBox to automatically cover payments when the main account balance is insufficient.

If the main account balance is insufficient, send a one-time password via SMS to the mobile number linked to the BluCard, enabling withdrawals from a BluBox.

Design special BluBank POS devices that, in case of insufficient funds in the main account, prompt users to choose a BluBox for the required withdrawal, especially in areas with weak signal where the app cannot be accessed.

Set two separate passwords: one for the main account and another for the BluBoxes.

Establish a threshold for the main account, so that if the balance falls below this threshold, the main account is automatically topped up with a specified amount from a designated BluBox.

Link a specific BluBox to the main account so that if the main account balance is exhausted, the required amount is automatically withdrawn from that box.

Selected solution

Enabling a feature called 'Magic' for one of the BluBoxes, where activating it links the main account to the selected box. When the main account balance is insufficient, the specified amount is automatically withdrawn from the box up to a user-defined limit.

User Flow

After the determination of the real user’s identity and combining it with the requirements of the business, and before designing the wireframe, a flowchart was designed to help show the movements of the user between the pages tangible.

Start
Home Page
Select Box
Does a box already exist?
No → New box → Select the saving box → Select the topic and picture of box → Create the box
Select the desired box
Select the “Magic” feature
Activate the feature for the box
Specify the withdrawal ceiling
Confirm and save
End

Paper Wireframes

After defining the user flow for adding the 'Magic' feature, I created initial visualizations using wireframes. I aimed to ensure that the user could easily navigate the path to access the 'Magic' feature. By incorporating familiar elements like 'Round' and 'Target' in BluBoxes, which the user had previously experienced, I designed the flow to feel intuitive and recognizable for the user.

Wireframe: box details with Magic, Target and Round

Wireframe: activate Magic and set the withdrawal ceiling

Visual Design

Finally, with the details of the design finalized, I proceeded to create the visual design for the user journey of the new BluBox feature. This was done with greater detail and in alignment with the design elements and system used in BluBank.