T-Mobile
How to Reduce Billing Confusion
The Challenge
Cellphone bills can be challenging to decipher. There's tons of factors that add to a bill's complexity like confusing installment plans, multiple lines, or cryptic jargon. It can feel especially frustrating and overwhelming when a customer's bill fluctuates. It's no surprise that many of them rely on care experts to identify and explain these changes, driving up operational costs and impacting T-Mobiles bottom line.
$2.5 million Dollars
7.5 million
20 minute
My Role
I was responsible for workshop facilitation and design. I worked closely with stakeholders from design, product, engineering, and accessibiity.
The Opportunity
Our goal was to allow customers to easily identify changes to their bill. We sought to provide detailed explanations and visualizations to save users time and ease their frustration. We predictated that these enhancements would reduce billing related calls.I lead discovery, facilitated workshops, created wireframes, and coordinated with the research team to conduct testing.
Validating our Designs
We conducted multiple rounds of unmoderated tests to validate our design strategy and drive future iterations. It was important for us to reduce the risk of unintended business outcomes and development rework. A spike in care calls could cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars.
First test
The first round of testing isolated the comparison feature from the rest of the bill. We wanted to understand how users compare and comprehend information. We tested different strategies to explain and highlight bill changes.
Users were able to view and compare categories in their bill, like plans and equipment. They had the easiest time identifying changes using the table on the left but responded very positively to the visual on the right. We concluded that the stacked bar graph was not the most effective visual for comparing data.
Second Test
The next round of testing focused on the billing experience as a whole and how to integrate the comparison feature. We needed to ensure we were telling an effective story. We explored concepts like progressive disclosure and “show don’t tell” to enhance billing comprehension. We also looked at different entrypoints for the comparison feature.
We tested two designs. The first had a minimalist view that focused on progressive disclosure. The second showed a lot of information upfront. Users appreciated elements of both prototypes. They responded positively to visual storytelling and had an easier time navigating their bill with the first prototype. However, they appreciated the level of detail in the second prototype and liked that they did not have to click for more information. Ultimately, we combined the best elements from both prototypes.
Validating our Designs
We conducted multiple rounds of unmoderated tests to validate our design strategy and drive future iterations. It was important for us to reduce the risk of unintended business outcomes and development rework. A spike in care calls could cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Highlight the Differences
Users had the easiest time understanding what changed on their monthly bills when the differences were highlighted in yellow.
Make it visual
Users had a very positive response to all visualizations tested. Visuals work best when they’re supplemented with another way to digest the information.
Iterative Learning
Users usually preferred the second prototype they saw, highlighting the value of investing time in the billing experience.
Make it accessible
Participants preferred seeing key information without having to tap or open anything. However, they appreciated more detailed information being tucked away until they wanted to view it.
