Send4x is a remittance comparison platform that aims to provide the best remittance rates online, also providing transparent cost breakdowns and reviews of remittance service providers.
Send4x, as a new product addition to the 4xLabs ecosystem of foreign exchange, aims to address the complexities associated with remittance, particularly for new remittance users. The CEO of 4xLabs recognized that the industry often overlooks the challenges and intricacies involved in the remittance process, which can be overwhelming for individuals who are new to this form of international money transfer.
I collaborated closely with a product intern who had a finance background, and together, we conducted extensive research on both users and the financial aspects of remittance. Our aim was to gather valuable insights that would inform the development of Send4x.
The target users are white and blue-collar individuals who need to send money home, including general users who occasionally send money overseas.
We decided to do an empathy map exercise to get an idea of how users feel about online remittance and referral sites:
The empathy map definitely helped us get an idea of the needs and concerns of the target users regarding online remittance.
These were the following numbers of common pain points identified from the empathy map:
There is a common misconception that online remittance referral sites would take a cut of their transactions -when referral sites actually earn from partnered provider codes
It seems that users are unaware of the variety of service providers available online. As a result, they tend to only settle with the few well known providers such as Western Union
Online remittance is a fairly new transaction method, so there's a lack of basic understanding of making a remittance transfer online
Remittance is seen as tedious process in general, which overwhelms new users that are attempting to make a transfer for the first time
Users are concerned about the safety of making remittance transfers online, unsure if the provider they selected is reputable and regulated
To avoid the hassle of research, some users simply resort to bank remittance transfers, which can result to really high processing fees and low exchange rates
There is little to no information regarding the fees and rates indicated in transactions, resulting in users feeling uncertain and at times cheated
Traditional remittance transfers do not provide real-time updates, causing users to worry whether their transfers would actually arrive on time for recipients
Users are not getting the best rates available online due to simply settling with familiar providers
The problem is a lack of awareness, understanding, and trust in online remittance options, leading to limited choices, misconceptions about fees, and concerns about safety and transparency. This results in users resorting to expensive bank transfers or settling for familiar providers, missing out on better rates and real-time updates.
I decided to also take a look at other comparison sites in general (focusing on the corridor pages), mainly travel related sites as they are known to structure extensive information extremely well:
It was really interesting to see how these travel sites strategically emphasise key information, such as applying type hierarchy and using supporting icons occasionally to break text fatigue. I also like the idea of presenting an overview result section in Cheapest / Fastest / Best.
The website is fairly simple, planning the sitemap was pretty straightforward:
It's a generally simple website, with the main focus being the Search Engine we were proposing. The other pages on the site will essentially be supporting content to educate the users, including assisting users in making a decision before committing with a remittance provider.
We wanted send4x to be a vibrant and friendly, so I came up with a design sytem that would emulate that mood with soft type treatment and fresh orange hues.
I also decided to introduce a diverse series of send4x mascots, providing an engaging and friendly approach to ease users into learning about online remittance
Screens we designed on Adobe Photoshop and prototyped with Adobe XD. The prototype features flow C; the user searches for the best rates and proceeds to learn more about the provider.
Users simply enter their basic remittance details and the site automatically source the best rates available.
Try Prototype →Working on this project was a whole lot of fun, especially preparing the mascots. The happy art direction approach also lightened up the mood whenever the team and I were tasked to work on it. Also a team of development interns actually worked on the frontend and they did a pretty good job!*
*Unfortunately due to a server migration recently, it somehow affected the site's frontend quite significantly :(
We had several colleagues test out the flow to ensure it was user friendly. We had plans to do a proper user test session –but was delayed due to the pandemic in 2020.
The site is currently Live but updates and user testings have been on hold due to the recent pandemic. The project did managed to be in the Top 40 Finalist of Singapore FinTech Awards in 2019. It was definitely a pleasant surprise for the team as it was only launched 6 months before the nomination was announced!
I could not emphasise how the Empathy Map Exercise helped us define the key issues we needed to address. It definitely gave us a much clearer picture of concerns and needs of each user groups.
Not every process needs to be so complex. Sometimes the simplest solutions are essentially the best ones to apply, to avoid unnecessary reinvention of the wheel.
This project was definitely a creative outlet for me, the CEO gave me total creative freedom to narrate the art direction of the brand. Introducing the send4x mascots as an almost last minute idea and I'm glad I did! It helped me pick up my illustration skills again and a nice break from UI/UX tasks.
I can say this was one of my personal favourites. I also have to give props to the intern I worked with, he was extremely helpful and enthusiastic during the research phase which definitely helped with easing the ideation and prototyping process.
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