Tag, You're It
TEAM
1 product manager, 2 engineers
ROLE
Lead and independent designer
SKILLS
End-to-end product design
UX research
Interaction design
OVERVIEW
How might we integrate Tags into a complicated moble design system without compromising clarity and ease of use?
My primary project while at Intuit was bringing tags to the QuickBooks iOS mobile application. This involved conducting user research and figuring out how people were currently organizing their transactions, translating desktop flows to mobile in a way that made sense, and working with the interaction flows and related visual and pattern design decisions that make up the Intuit mobile experience.
This project resulted in an interactive prototype and detailed specs for the future of tags on mobile
PROBLEM SPACE
There was no way for small business owners to keep track of their expenses on the go.
Until now, tagging functionality has been limited to the desktop version of the app. After consulting in our research, I uncovered that a majority of our users leave organizing transactions to the last minute. A big reason for this is that it was hard to organize transactions on mobile as the product felt too brittle for a task that requires detail and attention.
INITIAL RESEARCH
In order to bring tagging functionality to mobile I had to understand how it already worked on desktop.
I conducted a landscape analysis to pinpoint obvious and hidden entry points for tags on mobile / desktop, compared tags to similar features within the QuickBooks tooling ecosystem and broke down the steps involved in the tagging process.
To gain a deeper understanding of the problem space and recognize common design patterns, I audited other mobile tagging experiences as part of a quick competitive analysis (hello, Jakob's Law).
USER RESEARCH
The next step was to figure out who we were designing for. I created a research plan, and conducted 5 semi-structured interviews, arriving at four key findings.
With a healthy amount of research and specifications, I etched out design goals that I looked to as north stars throughout the design process.
Visual Hierarchy — Incorporate tags into the mobile visual ecosystem
Discoverability — Address the issue of discoverability of tags
Significance — Ensure users understand the value that tagging can bring to their business
Guidance — Provide a clear approach for first time users of tags
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
It was a delicate challenge to incorporate tags into the QuickBooks mobile experience while respecting the existing system and effectively communicating new patterns.
QuickBooks is a complex system with a well-established set of conventions that users have come to rely on. Introducing a new feature like tags into this system required a respect for the existing design system and user expectations. At the same time, it was important to communicate the purpose of tags clearly to our users . Balancing these competing demands required close collaboration with stakeholders to achieve a seamless integration of tags into the QuickBooks mobile experience.
Finding the right entry point for tags and considering when to surface tags on mobile
The tag creation flow
Designing a framework that incentivizes users to set up tags
FINAL DESIGNS
I perfected visuals, made sure designs aligned with Intuit's design system, and dealt with edge cases.
I designed the foundation for tagging in mobile making so that users can add/remove/manage their tags on QuickBooks mobile.
Tag creation was intuitively built into the search experience.
I designed a framework for introducing first time users to new features.
EXTRAS
In the final days of my internship I put together detailed next steps for the future of tagging on mobile.
I was particularly passionate about automation & AI and how it could be used to increase adoption of the tagging feature.
Curious about why I felt the need to push for AI in this scenario? Reach out!