Dashr

Finance apps were downloaded 4.6 billion times in 2020, up 15% year on year, yet people still installed a different app for each money job: saving, budgeting, loans, payments and investments.Finance apps were downloaded 4.6 billion times in 2020, up 15% year on year, yet people still installed a different app for each money job: saving, budgeting, loans, payments and investments.

So many platforms created a paradox of choice. Most solve one problem, few bring them together, and users churn between them. The question became simple: why not one app that does it all?So many platforms created a paradox of choice. Most solve one problem, few bring them together, and users churn between them. The question became simple: why not one app that does it all?

Dashr was a team effort: eight product designers, three project managers, a content manager, developers and stakeholders, brainstorming together throughout.Dashr was a team effort: eight product designers, three project managers, a content manager, developers and stakeholders, brainstorming together throughout.

As UX design lead, I wasn’t the only designer, but I took a key role in making sure every part of the design process accounted for users’ pain points, and in keeping user goals and business goals in balance.As UX design lead, I wasn’t the only designer, but I took a key role in making sure every part of the design process accounted for users’ pain points, and in keeping user goals and business goals in balance.

Research started with stakeholders and product owners, the first source of the idea, then moved to the people who would use it:Research started with stakeholders and product owners, the first source of the idea, then moved to the people who would use it:

• Offline field studies, online interviews, surveys, and a competitive analysis of the fintech products already out there.
• A core audience of 18 to 35, who our research put at 71% of online banking requests.
• Four personas: a college student, a saleswoman, a remote worker and a businessman. One, Jasmine, is a 20-year-old hairstylist studying psychology at UNILAG who spends a lot on data and shopping, and had tried many utility apps without finding one easy enough.
• Journey maps for buying airtime and data, paying, and budgeting, tracking how each step felt, down to where a user got confused choosing a type of budget.

The research became six questions the whole team designed against. How might we design a product that:The research became six questions the whole team designed against. How might we design a product that:

• solves all the day-to-day financial challenges of a user?
• makes users feel safe and secure carrying out online transactions?
• helps users invest in local and global stocks and bonds?
• helps users transfer and receive funds across borders?
• has a better interface for financial transactions, and is easy to use?
• helps users choose the best savings plan for themselves?

Onboarding walks a visitor through what Dashr does in a few swift screens. Then the home screen leads with the account balance, set on a moving mesh gradient, and quick links to send and receive money, save, borrow, swap and invest.Onboarding walks a visitor through what Dashr does in a few swift screens. Then the home screen leads with the account balance, set on a moving mesh gradient, and quick links to send and receive money, save, borrow, swap and invest.

Below sit recent transactions, and an illustrated empty state for a new account that has none yet.Below sit recent transactions, and an illustrated empty state for a new account that has none yet.

Utilities gathers airtime and data, electricity, cable and transport bills in one list, each paid through the same short flow: choose a network or provider, an account and a recipient, then pay.Utilities gathers airtime and data, electricity, cable and transport bills in one list, each paid through the same short flow: choose a network or provider, an account and a recipient, then pay.

Cards were the most interesting feature: new at the time, brainstormed, validated and added to the MVP. Users request a virtual or physical card, top it up, and freeze or unfreeze it in a tap.Cards were the most interesting feature: new at the time, brainstormed, validated and added to the MVP. Users request a virtual or physical card, top it up, and freeze or unfreeze it in a tap.

Creating a budget from scratch is stressful, especially for the older users Dashr also had to serve. So instead of an empty form, Dashr starts from editable budget templates: utilities, transport, shopping, travel and groceries, ready to adjust, with as many budgets as a user needs.Creating a budget from scratch is stressful, especially for the older users Dashr also had to serve. So instead of an empty form, Dashr starts from editable budget templates: utilities, transport, shopping, travel and groceries, ready to adjust, with as many budgets as a user needs.

The rest of the money jobs users told us they juggled:The rest of the money jobs users told us they juggled:

• Thrifts and group savings: friends pick a sum and contribute at their own pace, and one member is credited each week or month until the thrift ends.
• Savings goals, and investing in bonds, real estate and stocks.
• Short-term loans up to ₦500,000 with no collateral, where paying on time raises the limit.
• QR code and URL payments: generate a code or link to get paid, or scan someone else’s to pay them.
• Dashr to Dashr: find any Dashr user by their ID and send them money.

Beyond the core flows, the team designed more than 120 screens, a full dark mode iteration, and the landing page that introduces Dashr: Bank Like Royalty.Beyond the core flows, the team designed more than 120 screens, a full dark mode iteration, and the landing page that introduces Dashr: Bank Like Royalty.