Fleet

Brief

Subscription services are great. From streaming to food delivery, we can all admit that these services are super convenient to have.

This is especially true for Gen Zs (born between 1995-2012) who are digitally native and desire to curate customized experiences in their everyday lives.

However, it's just as easy to overspend on your subscriptions as it is to sign up for a new and exciting service. Many of us have probably forgotten to cancel a subscription and ended overpaying.

Here is how I used the Design Thinking process to create a digital solution for this problem space:

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I wanted a holistic understanding of the problem space. What were the user's behaviours like and what motivated their actions? What is it about the experience that frustrates them?

I decided to conduct in-depth user interviews with three Gen Zs who were paying for multiple subscriptions to understand the problem through the lens of human-centered design.

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I took key data points from the interviews and categorized them as motivations, behaviours, or pain points through Affinity Mapping.

I took the themes and insights gathered from the data points and formed my HMW statement:

How might we make it more convenient for Gen Z consumers to manage their subscription service spending to avoid overspending?

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Meet the user.

A persona and user experience map was created based on the patterns found in primary research to represent the target user who will be considered throughout my design process.

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I began writing user stories, 27 of them, to capture the functional needs of my users from their perspective. I then interpreted common themes amongst the user stories and formed epics:

I decided to expand on Subscription Management for my primary task flow and delved a bit into Reminders for my secondary task flow. I wanted to make subscription management a transparent and mindful experience for the user.

‍How can I improve the subscription spending experience so that Gen Zs can avoid overspending and feel more in control of their finances?

The user stories were formed into tasks that ultimately became my user task flow.

What is my value proposition?

You might be thinking. If Gen Zs are discouraged by tedious processes, why are there multiple steps to adding a subscription service in the task flow?

I initially thought about having the user link their bank accounts to the app and be able to see the details based on transaction date and amount. However, the task flow felt disconnected from my value proposition. If anything, I feel that this initial task flow would still encourage passive spending.

In this task flow, the user will enter details about their subscriptions (most of the steps are semi-automated) but they will also be mindfully adding another subscription service.

Having the user enter details may take some time but the app will serve as a tool that will guide users through the entire process. This way, the user will also be more aware of their spending.

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Time to sketch this out.

It was time to do some pen and paper sketches or in my case, iPad and Apple Pencil sketches (no smudging: a left-hander's dream). I started off by creating exploratory sketches on Mockup for my task flow to try out three different layouts per screen.

While crafting the sketches, I referenced a UI Inspiration board consisting of some design inspiration that I gathered. I then selected solution sketches to use as a reference for my wireframes.

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If at first, you don't succeed...reiterate!

After I connected my mid-fidelity wireframes, I conducted ten test sessions in two rounds of user testing. This was done on an interactive mobile prototype and the method proved to be very helpful as I gained insight on how accessible buttons were on a mobile screen.

As users were asked to complete tasks, they also gave constructive feedback on the app's logic, functionality, and usability.

• Initially, users found that the reminders setup process was confusing and hard to navigate.
• Renewal reminders were unnecessary, making the overall task flow feel tedious.
• I needed to change the initial task flow so that adding a subscription to the app would feel more intuitive.

A session output document was created after each round of user tests. I created a Design Prioritization Matrix to rank solutions and it was able to help me with my approach to implementing changes to address usability issues. Overall, users wanted better context within task screens.

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Admittedly, as someone with a marketing background, this part was very exciting! It was fun creating the app's identity and putting meaning into each branding decision.

Throughout the brand ideation process, I asked my fellow Gen Z friends for their feedback because user input is valuable in every step of the process.

You may be asking, why Fleet?

Fleet was able to capture the "all-in-one" and transparency aspect of my app's main feature as Gen Z users expressed that they wanted to easily manage all their subscriptions in one place.

While using the app, the users are essentially tracking and managing their own fleet of subscriptions that are all moving at once, since they are ongoing transactions.

Gen Z users desire a quick and convenient subscription management process to prevent mindless spending. The word fleet is also able to describe the efficient experience that my app can offer as a solution. Even the word is quick to say!

Additionally, the word is strongly associated with fleeting interests and trends that are common with Gen Zs and can cause mindless spending. This idea ties to the issue that Gen Zs face when they forget about their impulsive / FOMO-induced behaviour when it comes to subscription spending.

Authentic, Dynamic, In the moment

With the brand name and key terms in mind, I found different pieces of inspiration and created a mood board to represent the aspirations and values of Fleet. Overall, I gravitated toward images that gave off a feeling of spontaneity through texture and unpredictable silhouettes. I wanted my app to be more dynamic than stagnant, yet consistent.

I wanted to incorporate the dusk 'til dawn tones into my brand as it can capture the fast-paced and always-on nature of Gen Z culture. However, being a fintech app, I also wanted to be mindful and not come off as too playful.

Rubik was chosen as the app's typeface as it felt inviting to read but also looked minimal and neutral. I made sure the app's wordmark also shared the same sentiments with subtle changes in the "e"s to represent a cycle.

While working on brand identity, it was important to find a fine balance in everything.

The first two options ended up with the most votes among Gen Z participants. I found a study that showed that 62% of people  (aged 18 - 29) preferred using dark mode on their devices.

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The Hi-Fi Prototype

Here it is! The high-fidelity prototype is the product of my research and branding process. Fleet can offer users an intuitive and informative subscription management experience so that they can spend mindfully.

View Prototype

Being mindful of accessibility.

I kept accessibility in mind when considering my layout and colour combinations for different components within the app. Currently, the app meets WCAG Level AAA standards for the main body copy and CTA buttons. By having colour contrast ratios that meet guidelines, my app will be more accessible to a larger group of people.

A new and improved experience.

With Fleet, Gen Zs can now have a transparent subscription management experience.

• By playing an active role in tracking their subscriptions, Gen Zs are encouraged to make mindful and informed spending decisions.
• Gen Zs can easily access all the information related to their subscriptions through the app without needing to check their bank statements every time.
• Reminders and visual representations of the user's subscriptions will prevent forgetful spending and allow Gen Zs to feel more in control of their spending.

Next Steps.

In addition to making the experience more accessible and seamless, I am interested in expanding on features that will complement the subscription management experience:

That was a whole journey. What did I learn?

As I was writing this case study, I felt so proud of how far I have come. Wow! I really did all that. The UX process can feel complicated and overwhelming but each and every step in the Design Thinking process is crucial in ensuring a solution that is human-centered.

I found myself spending a lot of time on research and backing up my decisions with meaning. I almost felt like I was bugging my Gen Z friends to give me feedback on my designs and prototypes but through this, I gained a lot of valuable insights about my app's functionality and branding.

There are so many things to consider when it comes to designing a digital solution but one of the biggest things was surveying the target users themselves. It was so cool to hear my Gen Z peers say, "Hey! This app would really help me."

‍At first, it was hard seeing people pick apart my work but it was much needed as there is always room for improvement. That's why some of the best apps out there will always have updates and new versions. Even though I had to make big changes, they were worth it because it was able to improve the user's experience and that's what UX design is all about.