Discover Case Study

TIME TO

Empathize

Using various research methods to understand and empathize with the user's needs, frustrations, and goals.

⚙️ How?

Situational, Age, & Disability Considerations

Competitor Analysis

A comprehensive analysis of Discover's competitors revealed opportunities for differentiation in fraud reporting and resolution processes.

User Interviews

I conducted 7 in-depth user interviews, each lasting about an hour, to understand users' experiences, frustrations, and needs regarding fraud reporting and resolution.

Key findings

Users highly value immediate resolution and financial security when dealing with fraudulent activities.
There's a preference for a "human touch" in fraud reporting, especially for complex issues. Importantly, this doesn't necessarily mean phone calls or face-to-face interactions.
Multi-tasking: Many users reported attempting to report fraud while simultaneously frantically searching for information (on the scammer) or contacting family members, emphasizing the importance of a streamlined, intuitive reporting process
Emotional State: Users experiencing fraud often report heightened stress and anxiety, which can impact their ability to navigate complex interfaces.
Users expect regular updates and transparency throughout the fraud resolution process.Many users find current fraud reporting processes cumbersome and time-consuming.

Users said things like:

"I'm not saying that it was difficult. I'm saying that it was like a lot of unnecessary extra steps. Like it wasn't hard. It's just I wish it were easier."

-Participant, 26, struggled to find an option to dispute a charge on Wells Fargo banking app, ultimately having to call in between meetings at work.

"I would appreciate someone reaching out to say we're still looking into the fraud investigation progress. They don't necessarily have to send me anything. They just update the status. So you can look and say, Hey, there's a case in progress, just so I'm not waiting for 2 months with no word as they investigate."

-Participant, 63, recounted a significant incident involving the theft of his reward points, which were fraudulently used to purchase gift cards valued at approximately $25,000.

My research revealed that user experiences with fraud reporting are influenced by various factors, including:

Situational Constraints

💥 Noisy Environments: Some users reported discovering fraud while in loud places like concerts or busy streets, making phone conversations difficult.
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🕑 Time Zone Differences: For travelers, fraud might be discovered when their home bank's customer service is closed. (This doesn't apply to discover, but it notes the situational constraints and insights that users shared about fraud discovery)
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💼 Important Events: Users may be at doctors offices, business meetings, driving, or other crucial events where making a phone call is inappropriate or disruptive.
⏰Late Night Discoveries: Many users notice fraudulent activities late at night when they're tired and customer service might be unavailable or when they prefer a quick solution without a lengthy phone call.

Disability & Age Considerations

👴 Seniors represent a significant portion of fraud victims, emphasizing the need for accessible digital interfaces⁠⁠Older adults, vulnerable to fraud, face challenges with digital reporting due to cognitive limitations or unfamiliarity with technology.
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🧏 Traditional phone-based reporting poses challenges for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals⁠. Screen alternatives cater to users with hearing impairments and provide more accessible options for various situations⁠.⁠
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These scenarios underscore the need for a silent, efficient, and always-available method of reporting fraud, further justifying my approach of integrating a quick reporting feature directly into the mobile app.

TIME TO

Define

After conducting extensive research and investigation into fraud, the next step was to establish clear objectives and envision the personas.

⚙️ How?

User personas

Feature roadmap

User Personas

I developed two distinct user personas representing the Discover Mobile User:

David "The Pragmatic"

Age 63
Key Traits: Pragmatic, skeptical of automated systems, values thoroughness
Goals: Protect family finances, stay informed, maintain trust in banking institutions
Pain Points: Balancing speed and accuracy, managing expectations, trusting the process

Jane "The Worrier"

Age: 26
Key Traits: Anxious about finances, prefers human interaction, proactive
Goals: Immediate resolution, financial security, building credit
Pain Points: Limited financial resources, emotional stress, time sensitivity in resolving fraud

Feature Roadmap

I developed a feature-based roadmap specifically for the fraud reporting section of Discover's mobile experience.

TIME TO

Ideate

Having clarified the target audience, the general design concept, and its purpose, I then focused on developing the methodology to bring this vision into reality.

⚙️ How?

User Flows

Sketches

User Flows

I developed two comprehensive task flows and user flows to guide users through reporting suspicious transactions and checking the status of their reports:

Reporting A Suspicious Transaction
Checking the Status of a Reported Transaction

Sketches/Low Fidelity Wireframes

For my initial sketches, I utilized a digital format with lines and dots. This approach, informed by my research into competitors like Capital One and Chase, provided a clear vision of the desired fraud reporting flow. My design decisions for Discover were shaped by this research, emphasizing progressive disclosure and breaking information into manageable chunks to enhance user comprehension.

TIME TO SHOW MY

Design Process

Following foundational research and goal setting, my process focused on design and validation through various usability testing methods at each stage of the process.

Design & Validate

⚙️ How?

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Unmoderated Usability Testing

High-Fidelity Wireframes

Click Though Prototype

Moderated Usability Testing

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Following foundational research and goal setting, my process focused on design and validation through various usability testing methods at each stage of the process.

Validating Mid-Fidelity Designs

I conducted an unmoderated usability study using Maze. I recruited 15 participants to test the design, aiming to identify and address the most significant usability issues before proceeding to high-fidelity designs.

Results

👉 The main focus should be on enlarging interface elements, improving button responsiveness (radio button should be able to be clicked on text), and enhancing the visibility and accessibility of dispute-related information.
👉 These changes would likely reduce the average task completion times (currently 67.3 seconds for disputing a transaction and 20.1 seconds for viewing dispute status) and further improve the user experience.

High Fidelity Wireframes

After validating the designs, I moved onto high fidelity wireframes. I incorporated Discover's iconography, added relevant imagery, created animations, to create a more comprehensive and brand-consistent design.

High Fidelity Click Through Prototype

After completing the high-fidelity wireframes, I created a clickable prototype in Figma. This prototype included basic interactions and animations to simulate the user experience more realistically.

Validating Hi-Fi Designs

Disputing A Transaction

Task completion time improved from 67.3 seconds to 55.6 seconds, a reduction of 11.7 seconds⁠⁠ 🏁🎉
Usability rating improved from 8.1/10 to 9.6/10, an increase of 1.5. 🎉

Viewing Status of Dispute

Task completion time improved from 20.1 seconds to 12.2 seconds, a reduction of 7.9 seconds 🎊🥳
Usability rating improved from 8.1/10 to 8.4/10, an increase of 0.3. 🥳

A user suggested enhancing dispute visibility by adding a dedicated card or pinned section to the Discover homepage. This proposal warrants further investigation, including A/B testing, to assess its impact on user experience and dashboard design. Considerations include potential trade-offs, such as the appropriateness of displaying disputes prominently compared to recent transactions.

HERE'S THE

Final Design

WHAT'S NEXT

Learnings & Future

This project significantly enhanced my skills in user research, design thinking, and rapid prototyping within the constraints of an existing design framework!
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What I'd do next:

Consider A/B testing for optimal dispute information display in future iterations. User feedback indicated preferences for specific information placement, such as having certain details at the top. Testing different layouts within the system could help determine the most effective arrangement of dispute information

What I'd do differently:
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I would have broadened the scope of user testing to include a more diverse range of participants across various age groups and ethnicities. This expanded approach would provide more comprehensive insights, particularly focusing on the experiences of even more senior users 75+ who may have unique perspectives on mobile banking and fraud vulnerability

Thank you for reviewing this case study! For questions, discussions about my work, or suggestions, please email me at hi@kenziefitzpatrick.com.

Let's Create Next Big Thing

Streamlining Self-Fraud Reporting for Enhanced Security

The Problem

The challenge

Objective

TIME TO

Empathize

Competitor Analysis

User Interviews

Key findings

Situational Constraints

Disability & Age Considerations

TIME TO

Define

User Personas

David "The Pragmatic"

Jane "The Worrier"

Feature Roadmap

TIME TO

Ideate

User Flows

Sketches/Low Fidelity Wireframes

TIME TO SHOW MY

Design Process

Design & Validate

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Validating Mid-Fidelity Designs

High Fidelity Wireframes

High Fidelity Click Through Prototype

Validating Hi-Fi Designs

HERE'S THE

Final Design

WHAT'S NEXT

Learnings & Future