PG
Authorized Party Management
This project focused on developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for an "Authorized Party Management " within a student payment platform to simplify the process of granting and managing authorized access to student accounts for parents, guardians, or other designated individuals. This MVP addressed the critical need for a secure and efficient way for students to delegate payment responsibilities while maintaining control over their financial information
Problem
College students often rely on family members or guardians for financial support, particularly regarding tuition payments. Existing methods for granting access to student payment accounts was cumbersome, insecure, and lacked transparency. This resulted in:
01. Increased Student Stress
Managing payments and coordinating with authorized parties was time-consuming and complicated.
02. Security risks
Sharing login credentials/security pin directly posed significant security vulnerabilities.
03. Lack of control
Students lacked granular control over authorized party access and permissions
Outcome
I spearheaded the launch of the "Authorized Party Management " MVP feature, delivering a secure and intuitive solution that significantly reduced friction in student payment access. This initiative not only enhanced user experience and security through robust MFA implementation but also demonstrably decreased support burden, setting a new standard for efficient financial management within the platform
My Role
As the Lead Product Designer for this project, I architected the end-to-end UX strategy, driving all phases from initial research and strategic vision to detailed design and post-launch analysis. My leadership ensured a user-centered approach, resulting in a high-impact MVP that established a scalable framework for future product evolution, ultimately empowering students and authorized parties with seamless financial control
User Research & Insights (MVP Focus)
Given the MVP constraints, initial research centered on existing user feedback and understanding the core workflows. Key insights included:
01. Simplicity is paramount
Students and authorized parties needed a straightforward and intuitive interface
02. Clear communication is essential
Status updates and notifications were crucial for transparency
03. Security is non-negotiable
Robust authentication and authorization mechanisms were vital.
Defining the user flow for our user groups
Parent/Guardian wants to securely pay students tuition fees without navigating a complex system. They needs clear instructions and timely notifications
02. Authorized Party (Parent/Guardian)
A college student, needs to grant parents access to payment account without sharing personal login. Student wants to easily track the status of invites and manage access
01. Account Holder (Student)
The Solution
The design of Authorized Party Management within student platform to address the previous challenges through the following key improvements:
Adding an Authorized Party (Account Holder/Student Flow)
From the ‘Authorized Parties’ page, account holder can fill in the contact details, agree to terms & conditions, and send the invite to an authorized party
Status Indicators and actions
We provide multiple status updates for authorized party (AP) invites: "Invite pending" upon sending, "Active" upon acceptance, "Invite expired" after expiration, and "Unlinked" when access is revoked. Account holders can delete "Invite pending" or "Invite expired" invites and unlink active APs, with these actions available on both individual profiles and the authorized parties list page
Registering as an Authorized party
After the account holder sends an invitation, the authorized party receives a registration email. They must complete the registration process and set up MFA before accessing the account holder's details
Viewing Linked Profiles (Authorized Party Flow)
Authorized Parties (Parents/Guardians) who can make tuition payments can view the list of profiles they are an authorized party for, view the student payment details, account details etc., and have an option to unlink the student when they do not have any more payment plans or wish to receive notifications associated with a specific profile
Usability Testing
I conducted moderated remote usability testing with 12 participants (6 students, 6 authorized parties) to validate the "Authorized Party Management Tool" MVP. Through task-based scenarios and think-aloud protocols, we evaluated key flows like invite creation, status tracking, MFA setup, and access management.
01. Users found the core invite and status tracking features intuitive
02. Areas for improvement included clarifying MFA setup, differentiating "unlinking" vs. "blocking," and enhancing confirmation messaging.
Seeing Results
After the Beta launch for this MVP with few of our clients, we have able to pull in the data to see the value this feature
Project Learnings:
Prioritize Simplicity: User testing consistently highlighted the importance of a clean and intuitive interface, emphasizing the need for simplicity in complex financial tools.
Clear Communication is Key: Transparent status updates, clear error messaging, and informative tooltips significantly improved user understanding and reduced frustration.
Metric-Driven Development: Tracking key metrics provided valuable insights into user behavior and tool performance, enabling data-driven decision-making.
MVP Scope Management: Keeping the MVP scope focused on essential features was crucial for timely delivery and efficient resource allocation.
92%
user engagement
86%
task completion rate
613
active authorized parties within the first month.