UX DESIGN / user testing

Designed encrypted communication app

My task was to design the structure of the interface, making sure that the user's interaction with the application was clear and that navigation was simple. I designed and conducted participatory testing with users, which helped identify and fix difficulties.

Business goal

Creation of a B2B application enabling encrypted communication with customers and partners. An important element was to take care of structured communication - possible improvement for companies using mainly email inboxes.

Ideation & Research

The product was aimed at companies operating in industries where the strict privacy of processed data is important. Target groups included companies that exchange important documents and personal information with clients such as law firms, healthcare, and finance.

Understanding users

First step was conducting stakeholder interviews to understand their data sharing experience and communication needs. As a team, we decided that the application will allow users to send encrypted messages, make calls, and send files. Users mentioned that they have a particularly hard time ensuring personal data protection during video calls, so we tried to make it as convenient as possible.

Competition analysis

Next, I began researching solutions offered by competitors in both the data protection and communication industries. I thoroughly analyzed the most important details related to best UX practices in existing messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing solutions.

Design phase

We started our work by preparing a list of the most important functions together with the Project Manager and the main Backend Developer.

Next, my task was to create information architecture and lo-fi wireframes base on ideation phase to represent the target application architecture.

After verifying the wireframes with the design team, I proceeded to create hi-fi mockups based on the MantineUI library. I then created an interactive prototype, which was used to gather feedback from stakeholders already at the design stage.

Development phase

During this time, I attended meetings with programmers to verify the capabilities and technical constraints of the proposed solutions. The collaboration with the development team followed an iterative process, allowing us to swiftly identify bugs and potential enhancements. At this point, in conjunction with the UX writer and front-end developer, we confirmed the proper design of the interactions. We developed onboarding, messages, empty states, and a method for filtering messages.

Testing Phase

After the demo version of the application was created, I proceeded to design usability tests. I conducted a usability study following Nielsen's discount usability framework. The study involved 5 users, as this number allows for the detection of a significant number of problems while being cost-effective. The test subjects performed tasks to test the usability of the application.

Excerpt from the usability report:

Problem 2

The user couldn't locate the option to use filters for a long time. When asked, he mentioned that the button was not clearly visible and seemed disconnected from the search box.

Proposed solution

Combination of the search field and the "Filter" button, highlighting the borders of both fields when the search is clicked.

Problem 4

Mass selection of items was confusing. The user was unsure when items would be marked as favorites or deselected. The user attempted mass actions before selecting any items.

Proposed solution

1. Display mass actions only when at least one item is selected.
2. The mass action should first perform a positive action, such as marking the item as a favorite or archiving it.

To clarify, if at least one selected item is not marked as a favorite, the mass action icon should perform the "Mark as favorite" action. Only when all the selected items are already marked as favorites should the icon perform the "Deselect from favorites" action.

UX process summary

The main aspect of the UX process that I would approach differently is the use of testing early in the design process. This would save a lot of time that was used during the design and implementation of elements that required significant changes.