Case Study: The Invoicing App
Invoice is a streamlined app designed to assist small business owners in efficiently creating and tracking invoices. This concept emerged during the completion of Google’s User Experience Design Certificate program.
As the Lead UX Designer, I spearheaded the end-to-end design process. This included conducting comprehensive user research, developing personas, crafting problem statements, and mapping user journeys. These efforts informed the creation of wireframes, mockups, and prototypes, with a strong emphasis on accessibility to ensure the app’s inclusivity and usability.
The Problem
Small business owners who manage their finances independently need a simplified invoicing workflow. This saves them valuable time, allowing them to focus on billable work and business growth.
User Research & Persona
User research involved conducting in-depth interviews with three small business owners:
Nicole — A moonlighter who needs a tool to manage additional income and stay prepared for tax season.
Tony — A tech-savvy entrepreneur handling diverse client needs.
Kelly — A 60-year-old consultant who finds it challenging to learn and adopt new tools.
Each participant highlighted unique challenges faced while managing their businesses. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they shared common pain points, such as inefficiencies in current invoicing systems and the need for a user-friendly solution.
User Flow & Wireframes
The core user flow guides users through creating invoices and accessing past records, including both paid and unpaid examples. The intuitive design ensures a seamless experience for small business owners, regardless of their technical proficiency.
By addressing key user needs and prioritizing accessibility, the Invoice app aims to be an indispensable tool for small business owners seeking to simplify their financial workflows.
Usability Study Insights
We conducted an unmoderated usability study consisting of full-time and freelance business owners. Our goal was to evaluate whether the primary user experience—creating, sending, and managing invoices—was intuitive and straightforward. Additionally, we aimed to identify specific challenges users face in time tracking and data management. This study yielded the following key findings:
Users need an easier way to locate the "Create an Invoice" feature on the home screen.
Users require more information to determine which invoice number should come next when creating an invoice.
Users benefit from clearer call-to-action (CTA) buttons during the invoice creation process.
Users need a filter option to sort their invoice lists efficiently.
Users would prefer a more intuitive way to select dates when creating an invoice.
The designs were refined to address these insights, incorporating improvements such as enhanced navigation, clearer CTAs, and the addition of sorting and filtering options. These updates were further guided by implementing Gestalt principles to ensure a cohesive and user-friendly interface.
Prototype and Hi-Fi Mockups
