Plooto

New Account Type Integration

Overview
Plooto is a cash management software that helps users conduct accounts payables and receivables.
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It was identified that 12% of the existing firm's on Plooto are not accounting firms, despite the fact that the Plooto app, including the on-boarding flow and in-app experience, is entirely catered towards Accountants.
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In an effort to optimize in-app positioning and cater towards this previously unknown consumer base, Plooto wanted to know how we could combat this issue.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Responsibilities
UX Research
UX/UI Design
Product Strategy
Team
1 UX Design Manager
3 Product Managers
3 Developers
Timeline
1 month
Background
Understanding Plooto
Plooto offers it's users three options upon sign up; 'Accounting/Bookkeeping Firm' allows users to manage multiple entities, while the 'Small or Mid-Sized Business' and 'Not-For-Profit/Charitable Organization' options are made for businesses that intend to only manage their own finances. Straight from onboarding, these options cause confusion to its users—it's hard to understand which option is best for them.

Moreover, as 'Accounting/Bookkeeping Firm' is the only option for managing multiple entities, all users must onboard with this account type and go through an experience tailored to accounting firms.
Previous three account options upon onboarding
Research
Who Are Our Users?
With a sample of 215 firms on Plooto, I first determined how many were accounting vs. non-accounting. Preliminary research revealed that 28.4% of these firms were non-accounting, primarily business consulting and property management firms.

The sample showed a significant number of non-accounting firms, leading product strategy to investigate further and find that 12% of users were outside the target demographic. User interviews also revealed a strong opportunity to create an experience tailored to this audience.
User segmentation of a sample size of Plooto users
Problem
Since Plooto's app caters its experience and onboarding towards accounting firms, it alienates 12% of its current user base, as well as potential users who assume that the app is only for accountants.
In-App Experience Audit
Using a site map, all instances of accounting-related verbiage were captured. This included phrases such as "accounting firm," "firm member," "accounting member," "accountants & bookkeepers," and many more. These instances are outlined in red below.
Identifying Areas of Improvement
After identifying all instances of accounting verbiage, I noticed inconsistencies in the app, such as using different terms ("user," "company member," and "team member") for the same concept. Although not initially in scope, I raised this with the team, and we decided to address these inconsistencies to prevent user confusion.

Thus, through auditing the app, we identified three key areas of improvement for this project:
Onboarding
There's no option for non-accounting firms, so when these users are onboarding onto Plooto, they're forced to sign up as an "accounting" firm.
Accounting Language
The app's language is tailored to accounting firms and uses technical jargon, making it difficult to understand without an accounting background.
Remove Inconsistencies
The app has various inconsistencies, including visual discrepancies and using multiple terms to describe the same concept, leading to user confusion.
Design
Making Decisions
During the first iteration, I began creating all of the required screens on Figma and applying updates, a couple key design decisions are listed below.
What Account Do I Need?
After stakeholder consultation, we selected the four-card layout to enhance experience while simplifying onboarding. The layout includes tooltips for users who need additional guidance when selecting between options. Additional key benefits are listed below.
Personalized experience
Caters towards accounting firms and charities, which make up over 80% of users.
Better marketing opportunity
The four-card layout provides more targeted options that create better marketing opportunities.
❌ Two-card layout
✅ Four-card layout
❌ Using several names: user, company member, and firm member
✅ Consolidating into one name: user
Naming Our Users
Before consolidating the term, I audited the entire app to find all instances of user-related terms to bring to stakeholders and discuss which to use. User was concluded as the most intuitive option.
Reduces confusion
Multiple terms in close proximity created unnecessary cognitive friction.
Improves consistency
Unified terminology creates a more coherent experience across all screens.
Most intuitive option
"User" tested best during comprehensive application audit.
Communicating with Stakeholders
As the scope included removing inconsistencies found in our audit, I added them while making updates. However, as more inconsistencies emerged, the scope expanded, and we needed to rethink our approach.

To address this, we held meetings with all relevant stakeholders to decide which updates should be included in the current project and which should be deferred to the design backlog.

300+

Updates to screens

182

Updates to screens
Results
Final Design
Through tracking and applying all of the suggested changes from key stakeholders, I was able to complete a final design.
14
Design updates
20
Updates to modals
148
Verbiage changes
Pass-Off
Preparing for Pass-Off
Before handing off the project to development, we met with the team to understand the necessary materials for a smooth transition. This included creating a 'Verbiage Glossary' document to record all verbiage changes for easy reference.
Verbiage glossary for development pass-off
Reflection
Next Steps
Throughout the project, we found design inconsistencies that couldn't be included in the scope. This prompted us to standardize tracking inconsistencies and improve prioritization of design initiatives. Next steps include:
Standardize verbiage
Users of a firm are referred to by various titles throughout the app (user, company member, and team member), with no standardized term used consistently. This causes conflicts when different titles appear on the same screen, leading to user confusion.
Update modals
Various modal patterns are used throughout the app without a standardized approach. This project has prompted discussions about creating a larger initiative to update all modal styles.
I’ve logged all the identified next steps and additional areas for app improvement. Many changes have already been implemented, while others will evolve into larger projects.
Next steps for usability improvements
Learnings
Defining the scope. We often discovered too late that a change couldn't be made due to missing stakeholder input. Next time, I'll define the scope earlier and involve all stakeholders from the start.
Persuasive designs. My designs were sometimes rejected for being out of scope, but I argued they were necessary to improve the user experience. This project helped me better advocate for my designs.
Design guidelines. Plooto has flexible regulations regarding the design system, so this project helped me learn more about design guidelines and industry standards by conducting my own external research.
Made with love by Nancy.