Summary
Product Designer for the App.
Working closely with the client leadership & development team.
To maintain the tone and identity of the marketing throughout the design, set expectations for users and streamline the onboarding flow.
Later designing the Vendor Platform Experience.
Increased completed user onboarding by 70%
Increased weekly engagement of the app by 45%.
Achieved a 95% data banking rate.
Doubled the weekly data trades per user.
The Mission
Interrogate the mindset around personal data and reposition it as a new “asset”.
OkTY has a great business model in front of them, providing strong new value for both users and the partners wanting to engage in data trades.
With a mission that perfectly fits with the product, the real problem is getting new users to align with this point of view. Currently proving difficult, as many drop off before the proof of promise can realised.
Core Pain Points
Unproven Value
People struggle to envision how simple and common place the trading of data is, let alone be in charge of it.
High scepticism is currently only combated through extensive education of the data industry.
Onboarding issues
With a unfamiliar promise, and a long list of sensitive information required, its no surprise that many users are dropping off.
From Social security to Bank feeds, these data points are not only a technical necessity, but legal requirement.
Unfamiliar behaviour
Defining Success
Goals
+20%
Completed Onboarding
1.4 p/w
Trade Engagement
Increase the average weekly data trades per user from 1.1 to 1.4 per week average.
>60%
Data Banking Rate
Increase enablement of data banking from 40% to 60%.
Research
Digging Deeper
Being based in silicon valley OkTY had a great fix on what brought the partners & brands value, but their confidence around user behaviour and expectations left more detail to be desired.
After a few discussions and regression in product strategy, I decided it was valuable to perform some additional targeted user research in my own time.
Approach
2 Days • Semi-Structured Interview Methodology • Center 50% Target Demo • 12 participants - 25% US based*
*To help capture any cultural differences regarding the topic and SSN’s.
Hypothesis
Aim
In order to explore more constructive ways of generating value and proactively address areas of trust.
Document user’s prior knowledge on personal data, and collect specific insights on what is most valued by users within the topic.
Who are the OkTY's users?
Those who want to be financially savvy and looking for new ways to achieve that.
Individuals looking for ways to get ahead and make their spending more efficient, initially targeting those typically aged between 21 - 45.
Area of Focus — 01 The Data Topic
How do our users think about their data?
Unsurprisingly none of interviewees had thought very much about it.
In fact none but one, had ever seriously engaged with the T&C’s of any of platforms they use, was even explicitly aware of the forfeiting of personal data.
Participants didn’t feel like they are missing out on this invisible trade. Putting OkTY’s offering more in the category of “want” rather than feeling like a “need”.
Users also had no way to evaluate personal data worth. Only being described with vague ideas of “privacy”
The data market was labelled “Big Data”, and then more or less forgotten.
What was clear
The question has to first be posed → then they can be open to a mindset change.
A notable scepticism exists in the “How” of taking part in data brokerage.
Autonomy & visibility of Personal Data very limited, aligning with transparency & control values of OkTY's strategy & ethos.
Area of Focus 02 — What could make Trades valuable?
What do people want in return?
Mirroring the clients interior discussions around a points scheme or cash payment, interviewees responses to this debate, and their follow up questions demonstrated a great deal.
Regarding the points side, many we’re discouraged by existing “schemes” and even when entertained, initial perceptions of complexity remained.
Regarding cash, their focus if there was a limit, what was being traded, and how to track data and transactions.
Points system require additional learning, on top of data topic learning.
Initial perceived value of points sceptically lower, due to existing schemes.
i.e Quantas, Everyday Rewards.
Users didn’t see the need for “gamification”.
With the incentive to use via cash, discounts, existing trust via vendors.
Shipped solutions
Securing time for users to learn & get invested.
Overhauling onboarding came with two distinct strategies.
First was re-mapping of the way we ask them to onboard, using features to justify the "sensitive" & vast sign up requirements.
The second is taking OkTY's promise, and using it to prove the value, before they even “enter” the app.
Pain Point Targets
Unproven Value
Onboarding Issues
The Right to Roam
Get investment first…
then ask for the user’s social security number.
Phases of Onboarding
Full Name • Password • Mobile (5)
Personal Identifiers • Address (9)
Bank Account • SSN • Gov ID (5)
Location feed • Bank Enablement … (8)
Instead of the front-loaded 27 pieces of information, we split the required sign up steps into 4 distinct segments. These segments were then repositioned as self driven barriers to utilising the features they power, creating two distinct benefits.
First, this allows users to explore and familiarise themselves with three value propositions — Data Banking and Trades, Trade Wallet & Coupons. User's have more autonomy exploring the unfamiliar value propositions and navigate the app freely.
This means a new user can get a closer practical demonstration of the consumer data space. Either through the simplicity of trades or the promotion via data banking.
Secondly, this not only drastically reduces the initial steps of sign up but provides significantly better context as to why OkTY needs such a range of sensitive information. Reflecting the company's value of transparency, control, and straightforwardness.
User Value
Users can quickly view both trades & data dividends, to confirm the unfamiliar value propositions.
Practical context is provided as to how this data is being used, and why. For example an SSN to create a bank account, allowing users to withdraw the cash they earned.
Users that only care about either trades or data banking are unhindered from doing so, and can easily opt-in later.
Business Value
Drastically higher rates of account creation, better retention & the ability to resume onboarding.
Allows for re-approach opportunities if only P1 Onboarding is completed.
More eyes on partner offers which incentivise the continuation of onboarding.
Higher rates of data banking enablement, with data asks being contextualised in their own focused experience.
Holding & Trades account
Bank Account • SSN • ID… +13
Trade Profile
Personal Identifiers • Address… +5
Enabling Data Dividends
Location • Sub Goal • Bank feed… +12
Proving the Mission
Make the Sign Up,
just as rewarding as using the app.
User Value
User's are met with a unprecedented value unlike in any sign up flow.
Curiosity, but an immediate demonstration of app's philosophy and type of value.
An incentive to continue through onboarding and further take advantage this feature.
Business Value
OkTY now has the necessary time for users to warm up to this new relationship, alongside an "invested" reason for users to enable the bank account side of their app.
With OkTY already positioned to give away a subscription's worth every month, the value deposited into the user's account from sign up, simply comes from the first month's data dividend.
Shipped solutions pt.2
Making Data Trades, feel natural.
Introducing a new behaviour can be quite challenging.
— Exisiting behaviours can mislead users, both in what's taking place & what's expected, and often brings over feelings from those other experiences (good and bad).
— New behaviours, require a lot learning both gesturally and cognitively. An already fairly loaded user space for OkTY.
Needless to say the solution had to be a designed balance of the two.
Pain Point Target
The Unfamiliar behaviour
Designing the Trade Listing
Ad's we want to see… better yet interact with.
01
Ease of use
Ease of use for users, but also for the brand's creating their listings. Asset & information required to create trades need to be a balance of easy but compelling.
02
Expectations
Expectations between the users & brands, in what they received & what happens next, i.e a concise around details of trade & value.
Trade Previews
Due to the volume & demand, previewing trades needed to be concise but effectively communicate mutual points of focus.
Campaign Subject
Trade Value
Data Points
Alongside the traditional carousel galleries, adopting a media focused design in a "stories" experience meant high trade viewership, and flexibility in media selection.
To combat the preview's shallow depth we brought out the key user value in each slide. Summarises the main user value types: trade return, discounts & so on.
This format allows users to quickly acclimate to the app, making viewing all the trades of a brand easily experienced in short amount of time.
Scannable Trade Details
Alongside key info, terms & dates, comprehension of data points were made into distinct components. This alongside skeuomorphic representations of discount & coupon visuals, kept the trade details valuable yet scannable.
An focal point for both us and the client was to keep the overall "trade" experience a short one. Avoiding trades becoming a long survey or multi-document agreement.
User Value
Users can quickly learn the trades experience, and operate all the key functions with distinct default behaviours, allowing more focus to be on the content & trade rewards.
Browsing manually or through the "stories" format is familiar but still distinct to likened contexts.
Consistent & succinct compartmentalising of information and data points means quick but strong comprehension & sense of control.
Business Value
Having an increased viewing rates for trades means both higher engagement for brands but also important
Having 3 technical stages of interaction provides important data for both OkTY and brands to tweak and better understand user behaviour.
Higher user comprehension of trades means more less wasted listings & media churn.
Vendor brands will be able to utilise content from other channels create listings, reducing time spent transposing from other SM or advertising channels.
How it went
Impact
+45%
Completed Onboarding
To see a 20% increase in completed onboarding flows.
1.6 p/w
Trade Engagement
To raise the average weekly data trades per user to 1.4.
72%
Data Banking Rate
Increase enablement of data banking to 60% or higher.
3x
Trade viewership
Amount of trades exposed to users raised drastically.
+1
Shortly after, we were asked to also design the vendor portal!
Update!
It's live on the US appstore!
(Sorry Aussies, I know it sucks for me too.)
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