Background and challenges
Viettel Money is a comprehensive digital financial ecosystem offering a wide range of services from payments, money transfers, investments, financial products to insurance for Vietnamese citizens. After a period of rapid growth, the product began to exhibit several limitations affecting user experience and long-term strategic goals. Recognizing these challenges, my team and I set the objective to redesign the Viettel Money experience in line with new strategic directions, aiming to add 5 million users within six months and ensure sustainable growth.
My roles
- Led the project, developed implementation plans, and reported directly to the Board of Directors.
- Formulated design strategies addressing short-term goals, medium-term objectives, and long-term visions.
- Collaborated effectively with relevant departments to balance business needs and user experience.
- Conducted comprehensive research to identify core issues, generated ideas, and designed a consistent user experience across the product.
Approaching & Plan
- Assessment and Comprehensive Research
- Conducted stakeholder interviews with 16 individuals (including BOD and Managers) involved in building, operating, and utilizing Viettel Money.
- Performed heuristic evaluations on six main product flows; analyzed statistical data on products and users to uncover product-related issues.
- Identified user desires and existing problems through usability testing data, social listening, and customer service feedback.
- Conducted heuristic evaluations with six competitors; performed SWOT analysis to compare strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- Design Strategy Development
- Short-term: Optimize user experience, establish a unified design philosophy, and integrate innovative technologies.
- Medium-term: Enhance digital payment journeys, improve core features, create ‘wow’ experiences, and increase operational efficiency.
- Long-term: Develop a smart, personalized digital financial ecosystem that delivers sustainable value to users.
- Comprehensive Design Implementation
- Collaborated closely with relevant departments, coordinating appropriate resources for the project.
- Organized workshops to share visions, explore issues, and generate creative solutions.
- Managed the design process from ideation to testing, evaluation, and quality control.
- Ensured consistency across the entire product through the application of Design Language and Design System.
Problems & Solutions
The product has not yet delivered an easy and efficient user experience – Usability level:
- The information structure was illogical, making it difficult for users to access, use, and remember.
- Lacked personalization and customization features to cater to diverse user needs.
- Some basic features were still challenging to use.
Homepage Overhaul
Reorganized the homepage’s layout and functional roles to harmonize user needs with business objectives. Enhanced personalization and emotional connection with users through features like cover banners, task reminders, “My Services,” frequently used transactions, and personalized offers.
Information Architecture Optimization
Optimized the overall information structure, including the homepage, menu, promotions…
Lacking attractive features to engage, retain, and delight users – Desirability level:
- Lacked market-leading technological features.
- Did not present a unique or more attractive theme compared to competitors.
Innovative Technological Features
Introduced unique features such as:
- Market interface
- Shake to transfer money
- Customizable cover banners
- Sending money with greeting cards
The overall design is still quite cluttered
- Lacked a clear Design Language and consistent design philosophy.
- Although a Design System existed, it was not uniformly applied across the product.
Unified Design System Implementation
- Applied the Design System consistently across the product following the new Design Language.
- Upgraded the money transfer interface to be more streamlined and optimized.
- Added useful features like search and notifications.
Achievements
- Doubled the number of users, reaching 10 million active users by the end of 2023.
- Contributed to increasing the app rating from 3.4 to 4.5 on the Apple Store.
- Ranked among the top 3 e-wallets in the Vietnamese market.
- Achieved 3 outstanding innovative ideas recognized and awarded by Viettel Group.
Key takeaways
- Effective Leadership and Team Coordination: This large-scale project involved participation from most departments within the company. Building trust, fostering collaboration, and securing support from the BOD, leadership, and project team were crucial in establishing a shared vision and achieving challenging goals.
- Strategic Implementation Planning: Clear objectives, appropriate workload aligned with resources and timelines ensured the project was executed on schedule and maintained quality.
- Balancing User and Business Needs: Listening to various perspectives—from the BOD, department leaders to users—allowed for empathy and a comprehensive view to balance the interests of both sides.
- Innovation as a Vital Force: Doing well is not enough; breakthrough creativity is essential to create distinctive experiences and achieve exceptional success.