Security experts at Trail of Bits had developed compromise detection for mobile devices. The iVerify app provides continuous security checks alongside training guides for proper configuration your devices and social media accounts as a first line of defense against such attacks.
I joined the talented team at Trail of Bits to address the need for design within their products. Building out core principles and guidelines was very rewarding. One of the first and key projects I worked on was iVerify. While its core feature set was solid, it lacked the excellent user experience and polished visual design it deserved. The value of the product was clear, however it was not reaching a broader audience, limiting sales.
Our team had several hypotheses about how to broaden our reach and increase user value. Those assumptions needed to be validated (or invalidated) to remain lean and reduce risk. The first order of business, talk to users. We developed a script based on our learning goals to better understand user needs and inform direction. Following a tweet about the upcoming version for organizations, several notable companies volunteered to participate in research interviews. We also spoke to existing corporate customers for their unique perspectives.
Our team synthesized the findings to document key findings and insights. The research had clarified user needs, their various jobs, pains, and potential gains for which we can solve. We reviewed existing features and ideated new ones as possible solutions to the identified user needs.
Prioritization of features was conducted using a 2x2 matrixmapping user value with overall effort. This provided clarity in the prioritization of efforts and facilitated alignment through discussion for collective understanding.
It was readily apparent that our first means to reaching a broader audience would be the addition of an Android version of our application. Designs were immediately updated to account for material design patterns specific to Android, and development got underway. The second critical effort was a dashboard for administrators to distribute iVerify across their organization and monitor device status.
To tackle clarifying our message and create a stronger brand, we conducted an audit of each marketing medium to identify opportunities for improvement. Our value messaging has been improved to be clear and concise. The brand is now consistent across touch points and uniquely identifiable.
We spoke with leaders of groups responsible for providing guidance and protection against intimate partner violence, as our product could greatly help such victims avoid stalking and digital harassment. We learned aspects of our guide verbiage were overly technical and could be more straightforward, so we engaged our copywriting team to simplify our guides.
Taking everything into consideration we developed a prototype to showcase the key branding, functionality, and visual enhancements to help us guide the future direction of our product. There was a palpable excitement around the proposed direction, and everyone was highly motivated to get underway with the effort.
To capture areas that needed improvement we began a full audit of the application against usability best practices and accessibility standards. Representative screenshots were captured and annotated to document issues in context. By the time the audit was completed, comments had reached triple digits. From requisite changes in information architecture and content based on Miller’s Law, key heuristics issues in lacking visibility of system status via clear status indicators, reachability on mobile devices (a.k.a “thumb zone” as coined by Steven Hoober in Designing for Mobile Interfaces), to inadequate color contrast for accessibility to meet W3C standards, and others, there were many improvements to be made.
Inconsistencies and a lack of visual principles reduced the perceived quality and usability of the application. We know from the Aesthetic-Usability Effect that users often perceive aesthetically pleasing design as design that’s more usable. We took on this problem by conducting a visual design critique to identify areas for improvement and propose resolutions using best practices.
Distinct UI elements were inventoried and we designed a component library for the team following Brad Frost’s atomic design methodology. This provided clear, intuitive patterns to implement, and substantially expedited mock-ups, prototypes, and app development. We use Figma to ensure a single point of reference for designs, comments, prototypes, and code snippets.
Color schemes were updated to include light and dark mode versions to accommodate user preference. Branding, typography, and imagery were updated throughout, including small details, such as custom widgets and Lottie animations from After Effects.To ensure the desired UI and proper functionality as development progresses, we collectively review and test the application using TestFlight and the Google Play Store.
The redesign of iVerify was a tremendous success. Feedback on the application and the improvements are overwhelmingly positive.Immediately following the release announcement, we had a record number of downloads in one day. We also saw a 300% increase in sales during the first month, and monthly downloads following were significantly above average.Since the release, multiple companies have been signing up every week to take advantage of our unique no-MDM product and organization-specific features. With nearly all companies providing a “bring your own device” model, they understand the significant, otherwise blind spot in their security. They also see first hand the growing resistance from employees to enroll in managed device policies. Our product solves for this very scenario.Ensuring direction was rooted in user-centered design and implementing product best practices was crucial to our accomplishments. The team has a firm foundation in a newly restructured application with improved stability and technical architecture, clear design direction and UI components library, and a stellar balanced team to execute upon the future vision.See the original blog post with greater detail into the process.
