Improving the overall “Help” experience for OneCard — reimagining credit cards for the Mobile Generation
Background
As part of the 10kdesigners cohort, the assignment was directly given by OneCard with the aim to improve the chatbot experience and make it more contextual. I didn’t just work on improving the ‘Chatbot’ experience but also worked on improving overall “Help” for users.
About OneCard
OneCard is a mobile-first credit card company aiming to simplify finance for the digital generation. With millions of users across their products, OneCard and OneScore, they provide information and services at users’ fingertips with complete access and control. Backed by leading investors like Sequoia, Matrix, and Hummingbird, OneCard is reimagining the credit card for the mobile age. They aim to reduce the complexities of credit cards and financial services, offering total clarity and convenience.
At the outset of this assignment, my primary goal was to enhance the interaction and dynamic nature of the chatbot. However, as I delved deeper and engaged with users, I discovered additional pain points that demanded attention. As a result, I have expanded my focus beyond the chatbot alone and now aim to improve the overall “Help” experience for users.
Secondary Research
To thoroughly understand chatbots, I started with the basics and progressed to more complex topics. Beginning with what they are, why they’re used, and how they work, then moving on to understanding their potential business impact.
What is a Chatbot?
In essence, a chatbot is a computer program that enables people to interact with technology as if talking with a real person. It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand human questions and automatically respond, simulating human conversation. Chatbots can easily help users find the information they need. They respond to questions and requests through text or voice without requiring human involvement.
Benefits of a Chatbot:
In today’s fast-changing digital world, user expectations are evolving and rising. Users expect companies to be available 24/7. Since users interact with multiple products and services, they are aware of the options available and may not stay loyal to a particular product. In this case, chatbots are helping ensure that they address user questions and resolve them immediately to avoid user dissatisfaction.
Chatbots can improve Customer Experience (CX) in the following ways:
- Improve customer engagement and loyalty
- Increase efficiency and reduce costs
- Boost customer satisfaction by instantly solving their queries
- Much more convenient than customer support wait times
- Handle many customer questions to reduce human interaction needs
- Help the business scale, personalize, and be proactive simultaneously
- To improve services, it monitors and analyses the customer data
- Offer 24/7 support
One of the researches by Oracle showed users prefer connecting with businesses through messaging apps or services to resolve queries. Chatbots in the banking sector also reduced inquiry resolution time by 4 minutes on average versus traditional customer support. This benefits everyone by decreasing costs and time for businesses while improving customer satisfaction.
Along with the benefits chatbots provide, they also come with some challenges. Here are a few key challenges;
- Security of the sensitive information/data
- The different ways in which people talk/type a message
- Unpredictable human behaviour, moods, and emotions
- Limited capabilities and difficulty with complex questions
- Integration with existing banking or financial systems
- Regular updates and maintenance to ensure meeting the user needs
- Lack of empathy during sensitive times
According to a Microsoft report on global customer service, 66% of participants preferred self-service support tools to resolve issues, while only 34% wanted to contact an agent directly. In the same study, 88% agreed that a company should offer self-service support.
According to the State of Business Texting Report 2023, 90% of users prefer to text a business, with 77% stating that they would like to use texting for customer support. Additionally, 70% of users agreed that texting is the quickest way to get in touch with a business.
Competitive market research
During my competitive research, I discovered that the majority of the bots currently available in the market suffer from several limitations.
- Their capabilities are often quite limited, which means they may not be able to handle more complex queries or tasks.
- Their FAQ libraries can be overly extensive and difficult to navigate, making it hard for users to find the information they need quickly and efficiently.
- Bots are generally not equipped to handle emergency situations, which can leave users feeling stranded and frustrated. Instead, they often rely on handing over the conversation to a live agent, which can be time-consuming and cause unnecessary delays.
- Bots often come across as robotic and automated, lacking a personal touch and empathy toward the user. This can make interactions feel impersonal and unengaging, which can ultimately lead to a poor user experience.
Overall, it is clear that there is still much room for improvement in the development of chatbots. By addressing these key issues and enhancing their capabilities, we can create more effective and user-friendly chatbots that better meet the needs of modern consumers.
Combining an FAQ library with a chatbot for customer support can greatly simplify the user experience. Rather than sifting through a lengthy FAQ section, users can quickly receive assistance from a bot, which can direct them to a specific FAQ or escalate the issue to a live agent when necessary. This integrated approach creates a more seamless and user-friendly support system, overall enhancing the customer experience.
Things Shruti (the Head of Design) at OneCard had to say
During our discussions, we gained valuable insights into the app’s user base and their motivations. Here’s what we learned:
- The majority of users are aged between 25 and 29 and are first-time users.
- They are primarily interested in building their credit score and having multiple cards.
- Users are motivated by the ability to take advantage of multiple offers using the card.
- Most users are mobile-first customers.
We also discussed the status of current queries received and resolved through their chatbot service. Interestingly, the queries fell into two categories: 60% were ‘emergency issues’, while the remaining 40% were ‘common questions’ regarding the app’s features and credit card usage.
Based on the data gathered from the discussion, I created a mind map to illustrate the key differences between the emergency and common queries received through the chatbot service. This helped to visualize the categories of queries and prioritize them accordingly for a better user experience.
Mind Map
Before conducting user interviews, I created a user diagram to map out the process that users will follow when using the chatbot to solve their queries. This helped me to gain a rough understanding of the user journey and ensure that the chatbot service meets their needs effectively.
User Diagram
To gain a better understanding of the app’s user base, I created user personas based on the app’s current features. This exercise helped me identify the needs and pain points of existing users and guided me in formulating interview questions that would provide valuable insights.
User persona
Before proceeding further, it was important to gain an understanding of Communication Design, especially since I was working on designing Chatbots.
Communication Design
To design a successful chatbot, it’s important to understand the basics of Communication Design. This involves deciding;
- The brand and personality of the chatbot
- Creating a sample conversation
- Ensuring the chatbot can repair the conversation and keep users on track
- Thinking cross-platform
In addition, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can help create a smart chatbot that gathers data from users and becomes smarter over time without extra programming efforts. Based on this understanding, I decided to give the chatbot a specific personality that is
- Empathetic
- Comforting
- A combination of friendly and professional
I recognized that users may initiate conversations with the chatbot during panic or confusion, so the chatbot must be able to handle these situations effectively. By keeping the users’ needs in mind and designing a chatbot with an appropriate personality, we can create a chatbot that helps improve customer satisfaction and drives company growth.
All of the work I had done so far helped me gain a holistic perspective and prepared me for the next phase of work where I needed to interact with the users and understand their perspectives. To achieve this, I conducted interviews to gather relevant information that would help me create a dynamic chatbot.
Primary Research
After all the research so far, it was also important to actually talk to the users and understand things from their perspective, hence I decided to interview users.
Participants
Total number — 9
Age — 25 to 28
Criteria for selection — Credit card user
I made it a point to only interview credit card users because I wanted to understand their perspective on using a chatbot in an ‘emergency situation’.
Insights
- 77% of participants prefer chatbots for emergency issues, but it depends on the situation.
- Most participants seemed positive about chatbot interaction, but they lacked trust for critical issues.
- Participants agreed to take help via chatbots but also wanted to talk to an agent for trustworthiness.
- Participants felt the bot seemed too robotic and lacked familiarity.
- A few new users struggled to remember due dates and wanted the chatbot to remind them before it was too late.
To conclude, while participants were open to using chatbots for their queries, they were hesitant to completely rely on them and preferred having a chat with an agent for final confirmation.
Initially, the assignment revolved around improving the chatbot experience and making it more dynamic in handling user queries. However, after conducting primary research, I realized that solely focusing on the chatbot would be limiting. Therefore, I have made the decision to broaden the scope and improve the overall “Help” experience for users. By taking a holistic approach, I decided to address the diverse needs and pain points of users, ensuring a comprehensive and satisfying support system beyond just the chatbot interaction. The major areas of emphasis for the current assignment are as follows:
Major areas of focus
For this assignment, the data gathered during the research phases helped me formulate several goals for improvement, which are outlined below;
- Increase empathy toward user needs
- Decrease agent involvement
- Build trust between the bot and the user
- Enhance overall user experience
- Act as a reminder for users to pay bills on time
Information Architecture
Based on my user research, I have decided to not just focus on working on making the chatbot experience better but also incorporate user insights and work on the feedback received. Keeping user satisfaction in mind, I have decided to work on the following flows;
1. Help flow
2. Fraud Transaction report — Conversation with Chatbot
3. ‘Block Card’ flow
4. ‘Set a Reminder’ flow
Among the changes made to the existing designs, I introduced a completely new feature called ‘Set a Reminder’. This addition was inspired by user feedback, specifically regarding concerns about forgetting to pay bills on time. By incorporating the ‘Set a Reminder’ feature, users can mitigate this issue and ensure they never miss a bill payment deadline again.
When representing the Information Architecture for the new designs, I ensured to highlight:
- Existing screens and their layout
- Identified issues in the existing screens
- Changes made based on user needs
- Reasoning and thought process behind the changes
This approach allowed for a clear and concise representation of the design improvements and provided a comprehensive understanding of the decision-making process.
Visual Design
While the app’s UI remained largely unchanged, I made modifications to specific elements on the existing screens to align with my design decisions. The primary focus was on improving the overall experience, ensuring that users’ needs and preferences were addressed effectively.
To provide an overview of the design changes, I showcased three key screens: the Profile screen, Help screen, and Block Card screen. I explained the reasoning behind the modifications made to these screens and how they align with the overall goal of improving the user experience.
Please note that I couldn’t attach screenshots of the current app due to security restrictions that prevented me from taking screenshots.
Help Flow
- The goal was to streamline the user experience by merging “Quick Actions” with “Need help” to avoid confusion during emergency situations.
- Now whenever the users are looking for ‘emergency help’ they will get everything under “Need help?” and get their problems solved faster.
Fraud Transaction Conversation Flow
- The main objective was to enhance user trust and engagement by making them feel heard and understood.
- The chatbot now responds dynamically, displaying a friendly and assertive tone, while also knowing when to involve a human agent.
- Users can now perform functions such as blocking their card or providing a transaction ID without leaving the chat window. The bot will automatically handle these tasks and present a list of transactions for users to select from.
- And now the flow is Home — Profile — Help — Report Fraud or directly Home — Help — Report Fraud.
Block Card Flow
- The main objective was to simplify the “Block my Card” screen for users.
- To prioritize the primary task of card blocking, I focused on streamlining the user experience.
- Instead of complex controls, I introduced a simplified “Swipe to…” button for blocking the card.
- This single action allows users to manage all other card controls, and any changes made will automatically unblock the card.
- And now the flow is Home — Profile — Help — Block my Card or directly Home — Help — Block my Card.
Set a Reminder Flow
- The main goal was to make the reminder feature optional, considering the app already has other ways to remind users to pay their bills, such as notifications.
- Based on user feedback, the reminder feature was incorporated while keeping it flexible for users.
- Setting a reminder is now as easy as a single tap, where the app will automatically schedule a reminder based on the user’s billing date. Users can also edit the reminder settings if needed.
- Users have the option to discontinue the reminder feature when they receive a notification on the billing date. The notification will provide an option to open the edit screen and change the settings.
- The flow to set a reminder is Home — Set a Reminder or Home — Profile -Set a Reminder.
Prototype
You can tap here and access the prototype.
Take away
- Building trust is crucial, especially when users are in sensitive situations.
Users expressed a preference for human agent involvement when facing sensitive issues, even if the chatbot was capable and intelligent. Users want assurance that their problems will be effectively resolved and feel more confident in the process when interacting with a human agent.
- Understanding users and having empathy towards their needs is essential.
Gaining a deep understanding of users allowed me to make informed design decisions. Considering users’ pain points, perspectives, and preferences helped me broaden my perspective and approach the design process in a user-centric manner.
- Effective writing and storytelling are essential skills for designers.
Effective presentation and storytelling are essential for designers to truly excel in their craft. Being able to articulate the design process and convey its narrative in a compelling way is crucial for engaging users and helping them grasp the core details.
Thank you for making it to the end, I appreciate you.
This was a great experience, it helped me learn so much. A special thanks to 10kdesigners for making my transition journey easier and super fun.
Feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin or Twitter if you have any questions, doubts, or feedback. I will appreciate your efforts.
Also, I’m actively seeking design opportunities, if you have any openings, I would love to hear about them :)
Thank you :)