FCSAmerica’s first mobile app, AgDirect Calculator, was born out of an innovation event which was a great first step and validated the market need for a mobile calculator. After a successful run in the App Store, it was time to add some UX to the app and add more features in.
The Challenge
While the current app works, it needed some user experience love and some new requested features added. Design a new app that accomplishes these high level goals:
1. update quote center with ability to run quotes, compare, email and text (the current version did not include any of these items)
2. add in ability to view rates and view the residual matrix
3. add in ability to “Secure Snap” which lets users securely submit documents to our office
4. make it fast and easy to use with a updated user experience that matched new branding
My role in this project included UX research, UX strategy, wire framing. interaction design, prototyping, usability testing and visual design.
The Process
I opted for a lean approach which emphasizes research, rapid sketching, wireframing and prototyping, user feedback and design mockups. By including key stakeholders and the development team at specific intervals, I create great team collaboration with lots of great ideas and a strong sense of ownership.
Research
During the UX research portion of this project I used qualitative and quantitative methods which included interviews and contextual inquires along with competitive research.
The main user of the AgDirect Mobile app is looking for a way to run a quote on a new purchase or refinance. This is often done when they are on a machinery lot and having this in a mobile app allows the user to run numbers on the spot. Interviews uncovered the user wanting the ability to save and compare various quotes to see how interest rate or downpayment would affect their payment.
Interviewing users also showed that many times when users were at the dealer they didn’t bring all of the necessary paperwork to finish an application and since most live on farms, it wasn’t just a quick drive home to get it. It’s also not secure to email sensitive info through email. Adding in the ability to take a picture of a needed document and securely send it to the AgDirect office was the solution that was convenient and saved time.
Sketching
I typically always being a project by sketching with the key stakeholders and the development team that will be involved in the development of the tool. The goal of these sessions is idea generation.
Early sketches exploring options for the new app.
Wireframe & Prototype
Once there are a lot of ideas from sketching, I take them and start to work on bringing all the best ideas together into wireframes. This is one of the most time intensive pieces of the project. I worked with the product owners many times throughout this process and rely on the rest of our design team to go through feedback sessions.
Wireframes
Visual Design
Once the wireframes were in a good spot, I used AgDirect’s existing visual style to start to style all the app screens - both Apple and Android. This is the part of the project that I enjoy the most because it makes it real.
Final Designs