business intelligence platform design
design challenge:
Understand the market and client needs to design a business intelligence platform to help small entrepreneurs manage their sales and business.
my role:
Lead Designer and strategist.
Key design research skills used: communication, project management, research plan, user research, (interview, empathy maps, personas, user stories), wireframes, technology testing.
client:
Caixa Crescer, microfinance startup based in Brazil.
project result:
A business intelligence platform and an education video series. The platform helps small entrepreneurs understand and manage their sales, inventory, and key areas of their business. The video series teaches key business management concepts and helps users make the best use of the platform.
the process:
discover, design, deliver
discover
getting smart and empathizing:
I leveraged internal client profile reports to get smart about the customer base and chose two types of interviewees we wanted to talk to:
_mainstream
30-45 yo
1-3 kids
beauty and food industry
medium to low tech skills
_extreme
21-26 yo
0-1 kid
tech savvy
We conducted context and in loco interviews. Our main objective was to understand clients’ environment and needs and explore if and how a business intelligence platform would help them.
For our conversations, I structured an interview guide using open-ended questions such as:
interview guide sample:
We synthesized interview information and built personas with key themes we identified:
Based on interviews and personas, I drafted some user stories so that the team could empathize more with final users, and ideate what kind of platform/solution we could create to solve their problem.
Maria da Silva User Story:
As a small entrepreneur I want to learn about my business so that I can improve my services, make more profit and grow.
key research insights:
virtually all customers had few to no business management, financial and planning methods and tools.
customers had ad hoc habits, dealing with business issues/risks “as they appear”.
users felt a platform would help have more visibility and control over their business.
virtually all users identified they wished to take training about business management to be more efficient.
most users were not tech savvy, and highlighted they needed an easy to use and simple platform.
design
With research insights, personas, and user stories in hand, we uncovered:
With that in mind, we created problem statements to focus ideation sessions:
Problem Statement 1:
Maria is a small entrepreneur who needs an easy Business Intelligence platform to track her numbers & performance because she is not technologically savvy.
Problem Statement 2:
Maria is a small entrepreneur who needs to gain knowledge about how to better manage her business because she did not have entrepreneurial education before.
ideating:
We conducted “how might we” sessions to define what solutions would serve clients the best, based on the two interconnected problems we were trying to solve. Our final design decisions:
Why: research and analysis showed us our users needed a video series teaching key business management concepts and tools, to help them manage their business and make the best use of the BI platform.
prototyping and testing:
I worked closely with software developers and technology partners to design the platform, I:
Wrote design requirements
Wireframed platform screens and built prototypes (using ppt, illustrations and Excel mockups)
Tested the platform with internal stakeholders and final users
Adapted/created new features and visualizations
I also worked closely with graphic/visual designers, content writers and video producers to create the first video series, I:
Defined video length, first themes and overall script
Provided inputs and guidance on video aesthetic, aligned with our user identity
Reviewed and approved final videos.
deliver
We delivered a business intelligence platform connected to a card processing machine that was used by over 200,000 small entrepreneurs nationwide in Brazil.
We also delivered an education video series available to the whole customer base, teaching key business concepts and how to improve business management. The series used simple graphics, easy to understand language and popular examples, connected to the reality of the customer base.
