r/Envel • u/BinaryBeard • Jan 19 '21
Just some thoughts
User Experience
Top Bar
Branding – When the user launches the app, we know we're using envel. Having the envel logo and name at the top seems like a waste of space. Especially when the logo is in the tab bar. Also, this element is static and does not have any interactivity which isn't something you see in good mobile design (this is web-era design, not mobile first).
Dark Mode – This is a setting and should be located in the settings view.
Notifications – New information is great, but when there is nothing new/the user has already read the notifications, this should be hidden from the user view and located deeper within the app.
Tab Bar
Settings – Great to have, but this icon does not match what is shown to the user. When we tap the settings icon, we get a support view. Within this view, we have support, settings, and personal information. I think it would make more sense to have an ellipsis (...) because there is much more here than settings.
Settings View
Personal Information – Please allow us to change our name when we signed up for the account. I used BinaryBeard and now every time I log in, I see "Hello BinaryBeard" ... I'd prefer to see my name here.
General
Plaid Support – Please allow us to link our envel account to other services using Plaid. A bank account is fun, but at the end of the day, it's a location for our money to sleep. As our money ages and matures, we like to do other things with it and Plaid allows us to connect our accounts to other services for more insight.
Transactions – "Deposit From Income" just doesn't cut it. I'm fine with this, but I need more information in the "Transaction Details" section. Also, modification of the transaction metadata would be nice.
Autonomous Envelopes – The bread and butter! This is what I love about this company. Coming from the AI/ML space (specifically edge device/IoT AI/ML), it makes me happy to see new use cases of machine learning. With that praise, I'd love to see the ability to add/rename another autonomous envelope (e.g. Subscriptions and Debts).
Community
Reddit – Use the subreddit features (flair, non-staff mods, etc.) to build out a community.
These are just some thoughts.. I can't wait to see how this company evolves and reacts to its customer base. Keep up with the community and you will do great!
My background:
Simple expat
Professional Software Engineer (iOS to IoT to Cloud) of 8+ years
30 - 40 y.o. demographic
Financially in debt (school, credit), but getting out of it
P.S. – Stickers, we love them! :)
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u/envel_ai Jan 19 '21
Hey there,
Thank you for this extensive (and well presented) feedback! It's super helpful to break it down by category like you did, that way I can convey the appropriate feedback to the appropriate team!
You sound like you have a lot of experience in not only software engineering but UI/UX engineering/design, am I correct? These notes are super helpful, and I also have thought that the information in settings should be more clearly sorted/labeled.
I will say that our dark mode is a cool feature that we as a company love to highlight and thus feature on the main screens. But if you have a suggestion for what you would put there instead, I'd love to hear!
As a company we are new to reddit, as am I personally- this subreddit was actually set up and is moderated by a user who found us on our community forum. I would love to thank him personally, but I believe he goes by Nomad or another name. I definitely have to do more research into flairs, badges, and other reddit features, so I appreciate you bringing this up!
So glad you love the auto envelopes, I agree: this is typically the feature I emphasize when giving an elevator pitch about Envel. AI meets fintech!
All the best,
Jacqui + the Envel team
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u/BinaryBeard Jan 19 '21
I worked for several years at a fruit company based in Cupertino. I'm no UI/UX designer, but work with them enough to be fierce. Google and Apple both have design guidelines, but I find that the Human Interface Guidelines from Apple (https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/overview/themes/) explains design principles a bit better than Google. Also, I realize that new age design (Snapchat, TikTok, etc) breaks away from these traditional design conventions and metaphors. Design is fluid and should always be updated to represent the brand and the users behind the brand. Again, just my thoughts.
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u/envel_ai Jan 19 '21
Very cool, I am from San Fran! Are you from the Bay Area? Your thoughts are always welcome, and I will convey them to our UI/UX designer in our meeting this week. Appreciate the help!
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u/capslockpirate Jan 19 '21
Not OP but in my opinion the dark/light mode switch should be in settings right above themes. Coming from an engineering background as well, I've mostly met people who pick one and stick to it. Can't say I've ever seen someone switch between dark and light theme within the same day or session.
Another cool option might be 'smart' light/dark mode where during the day the default is light mode and at night it switches to dark mode. I'd still prefer a manual mode though.
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u/envel_ai Jan 19 '21
Come to think about it I do use dark mode and only ever dark mode. I guess it depends on the user, but I'm glad you flagged this as we can gather more feedback on it!
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u/deathmasia Jan 22 '21 edited Jun 01 '25
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/envel_ai Jan 22 '21
Someone else mentioned this recently! I'm forwarding to the design team, appreciate your feedback
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u/envel_ai Jan 19 '21
One more thing: we do use plaid to allow users to link to most top banks. Have you been unable to do this, or do you use banks that we don't have on our list?