Mentor Buddies is a mobile app where members can find a design expert to chat with privately for about 15 minutes, in exchange for a small donation to the charity the mentor has chosen.
Project Type and Scope
This was a group project between myself and three other UX Designers. We worked collaboratively on assessing user feedback, then each chose a focus to work on redesigning.
I provided:
~ A user profile to help focus design decisions for an updated Welcome & Profile Screens
~ Design & layout options
~ High Fidelity mock-ups using existing design kit
Original User Flow with User Profile Statement
Project Overview
There was a lot of interest when Mentor Buddies launched, yet the number of users who started a chat with a mentor was very low.
I wondered how we might redesign the user flow so that users could see the value they would receive before signing up and feel highly motivated to follow through when presented with a signup option.
I wondered how we might redesign the user flow so that users could see the value they would receive before signing up and feel highly motivated to follow through when presented with a signup option.
In this case study, I'll walk you through my process and how I redesigned the user flow to educate and motivate users to start the on-boarding process and chat with a mentor.
Stakeholder Interview
We needed to understand what Design Buddies felt was the issue with Mentor Buddies and learn what outcome they were hoping for, as well as learn about any constraints and challenges to updating the app.
Video Stills from Mentor Buddies Interview
Stakeholder Interview Takeaways
Data Analytics
We wanted to understand if there were specific places in the user flow where people were dropping off more than others to identify where to focus design efforts.
Google Analytics Data Screens
Monitor Drop Offs
I reviewed Google Analytics and heat map data for all of the app screens, noting key metrics where users were dropping off the site.
I noted a high rate of drop off in the first two screens before users created a profile.
Additionally, a large percentage of users dropped after looking at the possible mentor list.
Analytics Takeaways
User Feedback
We wanted to understand what was causing users to drop at the various screens - to get the why behind the what we had seen in the data.
Sorting User Feedback into Themes
Identify Key Themes
Looking at user feedback provided by Design Buddies, we organized feedback into themes to focus our design work. We saw three key themes emerge.
1. Hesitancy to create a profile.
2. Not feeling comfortable with the mentor choices.
3. Struggling to narrow down the number of mentors based on specific interests.
User Takeaways
Choose a Focus & Sketch
Ideation of New & Updated Features
How might we order the on-boarding process so users are comfortable with signing up?
Let Users Drive
I decided to focus on the hesitancy to create a profile and worked to re-order the onboarding process so help users feel more comfortable.
I redesigned the welcome screen to allow users to learn about the app and see who the mentors were before having to create a profile. This allows users to drive the on-boarding process based on when they feel comfortable getting started.
High Fidelity Mock-ups & Prototype
Putting ideas into mock-ups then a high fidelity allowed me to step into the users' shoes and focus on details.
New Screens in Updated User Flow
Slow the Flow
I updated the user flow and added additional screens before the on-boarding process. This let users learn and explore the app before having to create a profile. The goal is to increase user comfort so that more people continue through on-boarding to chat with a mentor.
Once I felt comfortable with the flow, I added interactivity in Figma.
Once I felt comfortable with the flow, I added interactivity in Figma.
What I Learned
This was a fast moving project that was completed in one day. The time we had to analyze information, sketch ideas and create updated screens were all compressed into quick sprints. I was concerned about coming to quality decisions and designs in short bursts. Having time to review and get feedback from team members helped to keep things moving and reach an MVP that I felt confident would address user pain points and concerns.
Next Steps
I would like to run A/B tests with users on the original and updated user flows to see if the updated flow helped users feel more comfortable with creating a profile. To measure this, I would have users complete a short survey about their level of comfort with completing a profile and starting a mentor chat.
Measuring Success
Following development, in order to test that user and business goals have been met, we would monitor the number of users completing the onboarding process and participating in mentor chats over a 3, 6, 9 and 12-month period as compared to before updates.
