AriaDirect Product design
Optimizing Visa Applications
- Role
- Product Designer
- Other teams
- Engineering
- Timeline
- 2017 – 2019
Summary
Given a unique opportunity to connect with various consulates, AriaDirect is able to expedite the visa application process and send it straight to review, greatly reducing the pain point for business travelers.
Most visa applications take place through travel agencies, take weeks to process and are unnecessarily expensive. AriaDirect aims to condense this process into a versatile, standalone travel platform.
My role
I worked as the lead UX designer with a team of developers overseas, working on the iOS and web applications.
The problem
How might we simplify the visa application process?
Visa applications are often a tedious process. Going through forms is an ordeal, and requires multiple items to be collected in order to submit. AriaDirect aims to centralize this process into a cohesive app.
The process
Phase 1: Simplifying the Visa Application Process
Categorizing Visa Types
The visa application process for many countries is a complicated and time-consuming task. In Vietnam (our first visa application market), there are roughly 20 different visa types, most of which can be condensed into a few categories with tiers based on entry type, duration, and purpose. We simplified the decision process by categorizing these visas into tiers based on time sensitivity and requirement uniqueness.
Condensing the Application
We condensed the process into 6 main steps based on commonalities. These steps were composed of entry form sections that would be parsed into the actual application on the backend, and sent directly to the consulate.
Once we simplified the process, I worked with engineering to identify which sections in the form adhered to each section. Since we only had a limited amount of engineering resources, in order to push design to production in time, I had to optimize the design in order to make sure it was easy enough for engineering to develop. Certain interactions such as animations, etc. had to be compromised to simplify the design.
Phase 2: Identifying Supporting Features
Facilitators and Reminders
We added features centered around the Visa Application process, categorized into Facilitators and/or Reminders. Facilitators would help a user reduce the amount of time needed to complete an application, while Reminders would instigate repeated usage. We had to make sure that all features were still supporting the MVP, and wouldn’t lead the users away from completing the visa application.
Current features
In our first iteration of the app, we focused primarily on streamlining visa applications and the supporting features. In future releases, we plan to expand, scale and better manage these processes, opening up to travel agent personas and corporations.
Simplified visa applications
Applications All In App
Business travelers often complain about the lengthy visa application process. AriaDirect has simplified it into 6 steps, allowing users to submit the form in less than 5 minutes.
Visa status updates
Keep Track of Applications
After submitting an application, AriaDirect will help keep track of status updates, from approvals to delivery. AriaDirect will also reach out to users if an application is rejected to help correct any errors.
Passport scan
Reducing Input Time
Passport scans will greatly decrease the time it takes to input details. AriaDirect has engineered a way to identify a majority of the fields simply by scanning or uploading a passport. AriaDirect also doesn’t store passport photo data to avoid privacy issues.
Visa check
Quick Visa Lookups
Not all countries need a visa based on your details. AriaDirect provides a quick lookup to see if the country you’re visiting needs a visa for entry.
Initial Results and Feedback
As we launched on iOS, Android, and web, we conducted some early testing with our clients. Initial qualitative feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve been able to successfully reduce the visa approvals time from 2 weeks to less than 2 days.
Looking Ahead
As we continue our work, we’ve begun to expand to other features assisting the travel experience. A company that was once limited to visa applications has now expanded to include a plethora of other offerings and services.
Passport applications
Improving Passport Services
We now allow customers to renew, change, and update their passports. We also have a brand new passport photo service that allows you to take your passport photos in app, which can either be used to print or to submit with a passport/visa application.
MVP Limitations
Due to a lack of developer resources as well as initial funding, I had to work through a variety of limitations — in the future I would want to have a more official level of UX Research and Testing, as well as an Analytics platform to integrate into the app to monitor quantitative performance to identify future opportunities of optimization.