CoinFlip
Project lead, designer, and researcher
We live in an era of globetrotting. Be it for work, pleasure, or necessity, millions of people find themselves abroad every year, and making currency exchanges often comes as part of the process. Knowledge is key, and Coin Flip is here to help travelers of all kinds prepare for their next big trip.
01
The Problem
Users need a way to monitor exchange rates, make exchanges, and send money internationally within one cross-platform app.
02
Demographics
Starting with research, I interviewed participants in my area: a large city with a diverse population. Throughout these interviews, I identified two primary demographics. The first is frequent travelers, and their main struggle was finding the time to make transfers to prepare for upcoming trips. A way to monitor rates and plan exchanges ahead of time would greatly benefit them.
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The second group was comprised of immigrants and individuals with family overseas. They want a way to securely send money to their relatives.
03
Market Analysis & Insights
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I directed my attention to three different apps: Venmo, My Currency Converter (MCC), and Xe. I found that across the board, the desktop versions of apps were either lacking or nonexistent.
Xe immediately directs new users into making a transfer rather than letting them set up their dashboard and get used to the app flow, causing confusion. Venmo's casual user to user transfers were smooth but by default did not keep transactions private. My Currency Converter is a simple experience. While it had some hierarchical issues with font and button sizing, it was easy to pick up and use without instruction.
I concluded that users need a clear, private experience that puts them in control over their own financial decisions and used this to guide construction of the information architecture.
04
Sketches
I drafted my ideas using paper, pen, and highlighters, annotating components, screen layouts I wanted to move forward with, and changes for the lo-fi mockup stage along the way.
05
Low Fidelity Mockups
I adapted my sketches into low fidelity mockups to later use in testing. To ensure even spacing between elements, I applied a grid. I went with a simple design that presents information in an easily digestible manner.
06
Testing
During testing, users were able to use the prototype with ease. However, I noticed during observation that users were sometimes unable to recognize that the Recent Transactions indicator on the dashboard was meant to be a button leading to their entire history. Users also felt that some UI components felt unnecessarily large and that they'd rather have more information on the screen.
07
High Fidelity Mockups
Taking into account what I learned from testing, I adjusted button sizes and added suggestions of more cards underneath Transactions on the Dashboard. After additional tests, users were able to discern the function of the button. The user flows otherwise went largely unchanged so as not to add any unnecessary steps. I spent a great deal of time in the beginning stages of design working on the information architecture and site map of Coin Flip, and I think that really paid off in the final version!
08
Prototype
In the final prototype, I implemented all of the dropdown menus and animations that tied it all together, then took what I learned and put that towards creating a second prototype: the desktop version (check out some process snapshots at the bottom of this page). The desktop variant app posed a different challenge, as I had to completely redo the menu to suit a wider screen. The sidebar and added progress indicators for Create Account, Exchange, and Transfer user flows bring additional clarity to how far the user is in the process (and let them jump to previous pages!).
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You can view the mobile prototype here...
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09
Final Thoughts
Overall, I'm very proud of how Coin Flip turned out. The interactivity and animations feel like a step up from my previous Figma projects, and it proved to me the value of investing time in the preparation stage— especially on information architecture. Designing for mobile first allowed me to narrow my focus and provide guidance once I reached the big screen (so to speak).
If I had additional time, I'd like to invest more into the social aspect of transactions: adding contacts, friends, or addresses to regularly send to. I'd also like to explore creating logos or more complex pops of animation.