USAA Employee Mobile Apps

01

Introduction

Project Overview

The Employee Mobile Apps team at USAA focused on the development of new mobile applications tailored for internal use across various departments. These apps were designed to operate on both Apple and Android devices, including iPads, to accommodate the diverse technology preferences within the organization. The project adhered to the Material Design design system for Android apps and the iOS design system for Apple devices. The applications ranged from department-specific tools to enterprise-wide solutions, catering to specific needs and varying levels of complexity.

Contributions

• Product Discovery
• Design strategy
• Wireframing
• Prototyping
• UX Design
• UI Design
• Illustrations
• Iconography
• Accessibility
• Design Specs
• Design Reviews
• QA Collaboration

02

Role & Responsibilities

Role

As the lead designer for the Employee Mobile Apps team at USAA, I collaborated closely with a Design Producer/Project Manager and cross-functional teams to spearhead the design efforts. Working along with the Design Producer, I took full ownership of the design responsibilities for the apps. This encompassed involvement in the entire application lifecycle, from initial concept to final delivery. Together with the Design Producer, I ensured that the design solutions met the specific needs of each department while aligning with overall organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design efforts for the Employee Mobile Apps projects, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and departmental needs.
• Collaborate closely with the Design Producer, development team, and stakeholders to define design requirements, project objectives, and understand the unique needs of each department and user group.
• Conduct user research, interviews, and gather insights to inform the creation of wireframes, prototypes, and mockups tailored to the specific requirements of Apple and Android devices.
• Design intuitive UI, data visualizations, and interactive tools to streamline user workflows, enhance the user experience, and ensure consistency and usability across platforms.
• Collaborate with developers to ensure seamless implementation of designs, adherence to design specifications.
• Provide ongoing design support across departments, including logo design, app icons, posters, and other marketing collateral.

03

Challenges

The development of Employee Mobile Apps presented several challenges inherent to creating internal tools within a large organization. These challenges included accommodating diverse user preferences across different device types, managing complex data-heavy content, and adhering to strict security and compliance requirements. Additionally, balancing department-specific needs with enterprise-wide usability posed a significant challenge in the design process.

04

Process

1. Discovery

• Participated in User-centered design workshops to understand user needs, project requirements, and business goals.
• Conducted research to gather insights from stakeholders, users, and market analysis to inform design strategy.

3. Design & Prototyping

• Developed wireframes and prototypes tailored to each platform (Android and iOS) to visualize design concepts and gather feedback.
• Incorporated Material Design principles for Android apps and adhered to iOS design guidelines for Apple devices.

2. Strategy

• Defined design objectives and established a strategic approach to meet user needs and project goals.
• Gathered Discovery insights and developed a user journey map and user flow to visualize the end-to-end user experience and identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.

4. Usability Testing & Iteration

• Conducted usability testing sessions with employees to gather feedback and iterate on design solutions.
• Implemented improvements based on user insights to enhance overall usability and user experience.

05

• Successfully delivered a variety of mobile applications tailored to specific departmental needs while adhering to enterprise-wide design standards.
• Implemented design solutions that effectively managed complex data-heavy content, ensuring ease of access and usability for employees.
• Facilitated seamless integration of Material Design and iOS design principles, resulting in visually consistent and intuitive user interfaces across platforms.
• Demonstrated adaptability and versatility in addressing diverse user preferences and technical requirements across Apple and Android devices.
• Played a key role in fostering a collaborative design culture and promoting user-centered design principles within the organization.