UX Review Of The ECG Power App
It’s been AGES since I did a UX review of anything. I’ve been busy with work. Been doing mostly Business Development and putting some behind the scenes work for Labari Media Group.
Recently, there was an announcement of an app by the Electricity Company Of Ghana which would allow consumers to electronically top up their electricity credit on both their prepaid and postpaid meters.
I decided to take the app for the spin (Tech Nova did an overview you can also check out).
The functionality of the app seems pretty on point. A user can add their meter through the app and make payments through the use of mobile money. It’s an OK app that gets the job done in my opinion.
Of course, there are little tweaks with the design that can be done to make it a bit more optimal.
Removing The Shadow at the Top
There’s a noticeable shadow on top of the app which doesn’t seem necessary and kind of takes out the “Electricity Company Of Ghana” text.
“Unnecessary” Banner
On the homescreen, there is a huge banner which automatically gives a user a greeting depending on the time of the day (eg. It says “Good afternoon” when it’s around afternoon time). The lightbulb also turns on if it’s in the evening or night.
This seems more for decorative purposes and doesn’t really serve a purpose. It uses huge real estate which can be used for other purposes.
The menu design is good. It makes good use of identifiable icons and the labels are short and to the point.
It’s not too much of a big deal but there’s a little alignment problem with the bottom icons. Again, not a big deal.
The use of the “Help” icon is great (although it’s location in the top corner could be more ideal). It’s an FAQ section which gives consumers questions which they may have about the app. The section also has a helpline.
However, the placement of the logout button seems inconsistent as it appears on “Meters” page. The logout button would be better placed in user settings or as it’s own button on the front page.
Personal Redesign
For the next iteration, the developers at ECG could look at the following iterations:
Addition Of Bottom Navigation
The new trend in mobile design is having a bottom navigation which makes it easier for smartphone users to easily select options
Homepage Redesign
The banner at the moment seems unnecessary and could instead display relevant customer information at a glance. Information could be power consumption, current meter added and even estimated payment due for postpaid consumers based on their consumption.
This is a rough redesign on what the homepage could look like
That’s just my two cents on the new ECG app.
It’s a step up and hopefully, there are other public service apps which can be released by government which make use of online payments to pay for services.
