As a UX/UI designer, I was approached by a client to create a product that would help solve a common problem. The problem was the need for money immediately for workers, but the options available were limited and had a long waiting time. The client wanted a fully digital solution that would be accessible, secure, private, and instant. Through the design thinking process, I was able to empathize with the users, define their pain points, ideate a solution, prototype and test it, and finally implement the solution into a full-fledged product.

Empathize

Understanding the user's problem and their needs is the first step. Therefore I started to conduct interviews to understand the reality of the situation for some users and understand their story

The Story (user journey)

From the interviews I was able to empathize to the story and summarize the pain points in order to create a User Persona that fitted the demographic, here is the story:

I was faced with a situation where I needed money immediately. I considered my options and chose to ask my boss, but it was an awkward situation to share my personal problems. My boss couldn't make the decision as it wasn't up to him and it took time to enquire about it. After some time, I was told that it was possible but it would take 48 hours to process and there were some forms to fill. I was left with no other option, so I made the request and waited for the money to be transferred. On my next payslip, there was a salary advance section with the amount requested, but no details were provided. I felt ashamed of doing it again.

Define

The pain points identified in the user journey are the lack of privacy, involvement of multiple people in the business, inability to make an instant decision, eligibility criteria, timings, tracking of the process, no options of choosing the account, and no clear details on the payslip. The opportunity identified is a fully digital solution that is accessible, has instant access, is fair, and secure.

Ideate

Based on the pain points and opportunities, different solutions were explored. The idea was to create a fully digital solution that can solve the user's problem in a secure, private, and instant manner. The solution will allow the user to know their entitlement and calculate the impact of the transaction. The user can select where to send the money and have a digital record of their transactions.

Prototype

A low-fidelity prototype can be created to showcase the solution. The prototype included the core features identified in the ideation phase. This helped test the solution and validate the assumptions made.

Test

The prototype can be tested with a small group of users. The user feedback was gathered to validate the solution and identify any areas of improvement. The feedback was used to refine the wireframes and make it more user-friendly, here is the final product

Implement

Based on the feedback, the solution can be refined and developed into a full-fledged product. The product can be launched and made available to the users.

In conclusion, the design thinking process helps to create a solution that is user-centered and addresses their needs. The solution should be transparent, private, and instant, with the values of fairness, security, and availability at the forefront. This concept was later developed into a successful product for the Colombian market, currently with more than 100K users.