Smallcase - App experience
smallcases are modern investment products that help you build a low-cost, long-term & diversified portfolio easily. Created by professionals, each smallcase is a ready-made basket of stocks/ETFs that reflects a theme, strategy or objective.
The purpose of this case study ensure a consistent and user-friendly experience across multiple platforms while addressing and resolving behavioural issues identified in the web platform for seamless integration into the mobile version.
My Role
Lead end-to-end design through research, wire-framing, interaction design, visual design, prototyping and cross-team collaboration.
I worked closely with the Engineering team and Product Manager to understand technical constraints and ensure design quality standards, the Product Manager to identify user needs and adjust project goals as the project evolved, and the Customer Experience team to better identify areas of improvements.
Challenges
Create cohesive and unified iOS and Android applications, along with a mobile website, that maintains a consistent and seamless user experience across platforms, addressing the need for a comprehensive mobile presence.
Redesign and reimagine the entire mobile experience and its functionalities, taking into account the evolving nature of the product and ensuring its value is enhanced while accommodating a large user base.
Design decisions were made -
Conducted comprehensive analysis of customer service complaints, team feedback, and reviews to identify recurring pain points and patterns, informing design decisions during the rebuilding process.
Leveraged metrics such as click heat-maps, funnel drop-offs, watchlist improvement, screen recordings, and quantitative data to gain insights into user behaviour disparities between web and mobile platforms, facilitating targeted design enhancements.
Engaged in multiple user interviews to capture diverse user perspectives and document pain points across various aspects of the product.
Maintained regular communication with developers, involving them in the project from the outset to ensure the feasibility of designs, providing low fidelity prototypes as illustrative examples.
Pain points and Solutions
Login/Signup Mechanism: Addressed user dropouts due to lack of integrated brokers, limited trading account registration options, and the need for mandatory login/signup.
Design Solution:
Optimised visual comprehension by utilising grid view instead of list view for multiple broker partners.
Prioritised broker partners based on user data, displaying only the most relevant options to avoid overwhelming the interface.
Introduced a "More broker partners" dropdown menu to accommodate brokers still in the integration process.
Enabled trading account opening within the app, initially with preferred brokers 5paisa and Zerodha, expanding gradually to include other brokers.
Improved user retention by allowing exploration of the app without mandatory login/signup, resulting in a significant 75% retention rate within a single quarter (7-day retention).
Impact post design :
Scaled system design to onboard multiple broker partners & visibility to our users.
Increased in user diversity on platform, now we have account creation from 12 different trusted brokers.
New mechanism also helped our users to explore our app without logging in or signing up.
Without logging in users could use some of our best features such as discover smallcase, case by case, watch-listing and find your smallcase.
2. User uncertainity post signup : Addressing user uncertainity post-signup, we redesigned the home screen to provide clarity and guidance, employing the following design elements:
Design Solution:
Personalised Greeting: Implemented a personalised "good morning" message with a catchy stock market quote on the home screen.
Clear Login and Account Options: Provided clear pathways for users to log in or open a trading account to increase user acquisition.
Language Adaptation: Responded to user research, acknowledging the need for smallcase videos in Hindi to improve understanding of investment terminologies for a specific audience segment.
Informative Sections: Introduced a dedicated "What are smallcases?" section and an "Ideal for new investors" section, offering SEBI-researched options to help users make informed decisions.
Consolidated Market Insights: Developed a series of blog posts called "smalltalk" to provide investors with comprehensive market information without switching between multiple products.
Case by Case - Investment education
As the driving force behind Case by Case, I recognized the need to bridge my own knowledge gap upon joining smallcase. I discovered a wealth of untapped potential in investment expert modules shared through our exclusive newsletter.
Trust became the linchpin of our strategy, aiming to onboard users, nurture their understanding of investments, and empower them to take immediate action.
User inquiries encompassed a wide range of stock market terminologies, guidance on commencing investment journeys, and techniques for market prediction.
Through meticulous research, we engaged users spanning various age groups and diverse tier cities, seeking to ascertain the essentiality of this feature. Analyzing data insights, we unearthed a resounding 63% consensus among users, underscoring their desire to acquire market insights directly from trusted experts.
The post-app launch period witnessed remarkable achievements, establishing our market presence amidst the mobile seller revolution. Notably, we observed significant improvements in metrics, reduced drop-off rates, and an array of positive outcomes. Yet, it was the influx of inquiries from 25-30-year-old investors that ignited our attention, raising questions such as "How can we stay informed about the weekly market?" and "Are there opportunities for users to interact with researchers behind the smallcases?" These inquiries spurred us to explore additional avenues and develop new series to cater to our users' evolving needs.
Case by Case workflow :
User Sign-up: Users can sign up for "Case by Case" using their mobile numbers. It's a separate one-time sign-up process independent of the main app login.
Landing Screen: Upon joining Case by Case, users encounter a landing screen featuring multiple topics explained by various experts. Additionally, virtual gifts and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are provided.
Topic Exploration: For example, if users tap on "Asset Allocation," they can access module videos created by the respective experts.
Video Engagement: After watching the videos, users participate in a small quiz that relates to the given modules. The purpose is to instil motivation and build trust, regardless of their quiz scores.
Subscription and Benefits: Upon completion of the quiz, users are encouraged to subscribe to our smallcase SIPs (Systematic Investment Plans) and take advantage of virtual gifts provided by Case by Case.
Impact post design
Multiple SEBI registered managers started to come up with their own modules, we started off with wright research and windmill capitals. Soon we also had education modules by Lotusdew, capital mind & weekend Investing.
40% of our new users watched at least one module from case by case resulting in 80% of them subscribing to our smallcase and using virtual benefits for future investments.