An Identity Solution For The Modern Age

Paper records are difficult to organize and even harder to access quickly when you need them. But you always have your phone. Imagine having all your personally identifiable information at your fingertips, securely stored on the blockchain. You could easily delegate ownership or safely transfer documents to trusted institutions or contacts, whether in an emergency or simply to show your ID. Welcome to Proof.

The Challenge

Develop a novel digital identity product that combines convenience and security, designed for easy adoption by Alberta residents. Enable users to securely store their personally identifiable documents on their chosen device, eliminating the need for paper records while ensuring privacy and seamless access.

My Role

I led the product design for Proof, working closely with a dedicated UX researcher, product owner, and the client to ensure a user-centered, effective solution.

Team

UX/UI/Product Design: Mark Hobbs
UX Research: Kim Ruby
Product Owner: Phil Wheaton
Client: ATB Financial

MVP Functionality

With no existing similar product or prior insights, we leveraged the MyAlberta Digital ID to supplement our own research. This digital ID allows users to prove their identity online without requiring the physical paper documents or in-person visits. The MyAlberta Digital ID is originally limited to online government services. To better understand user needs, we conducted interviews with current Albertans, uncovering key pain points around documentation. The top use cases identified included buying a car, getting insurance, and interacting with healthcare providers.

Launchpad

The Launchpad serves as the user's dashboard, providing quick and easy access to their trusted contacts, institutions, and any personal documentation stored within the application.

Requests

Any requests from institutions or contacts are displayed through a sheet-style overlay. From this interface, the user can approve, deny, or dismiss the request for the day.

Sharing sensitive personal information, securely, privately, and in times of need

In the event of a medical emergency, your trusted contact(s) can act on your behalf using delegated digital credentials; such as your ID, insurance details, or medical proxy, all securely stored and shared through the platform. With immediate and convenient access to this information, they can quickly authorize any treatments, confirm your identity, and ensure your specific preferences are followed. This can instantly transform extremely high-stress moments into manageable ones by bridging personal identification with trusted action when it matters most.

Document Details

Easily manage who has access to each document and precisely what information is shared. Users can choose specific fields to share, keeping sensitive details private while still enabling trusted action when needed.

Sharing with confidence

Whether selecting an existing contact or adding someone new, the sharing flow includes an intentional confirmation step to ensure users fully understand what they're sharing, and with whom, before any critical data is transferred.

A comprehensive MVP style guide for quick development

The style guide for proof establishes a cohesive visual language that ensures consistency and enhances usability across platforms. Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary colors are included along with guidance around their usage and the proper spacing amongst different elements. The typographic scale is tailored for cross-platform usage and includes native iOS, Android, and Web font stacks. Button styles for consistency across platforms and visual cohesion, and a detailed tile component with specifications. This style guide provides a solid framework for engineering create a visually appealing and accessible product experience.
Download the PDF

A change in direction

After conducting user interviews and testing the initial prototype, our focus shifted from leaning towards an educational experience to one that was more centered around user profiles and identity. The interviews revealed that prioritizing learning made the experience feel more like a content app, and users expected a more personalized approach. I began exploring various layouts to better align with these expectations, ensuring the design still met our primary goals while also enhancing application discoverability and usability.

Reasons for change

Users felt uncertain about what to do. They didn't fully understand and were left wondering, "…now what?" They needed clear guidance on what actions they could take and how to navigate the experience effectively.

Alternate

We needed to explore various ways to showcase the app's functionality, making it clear to users what actions they can take and how to more easily navigate the application. Education still at the forefront with basic functionality made visually more apparent.

Learnings

Challenging a rigid or fixed plan with a significant change can drive design innovation, even when you're deeply invested in a particular direction. Understanding the first market this product was entering was invaluable, as it allowed us to focus intensely on a specific use case, helping to build trust with prospective users and ensuring the product was tailored to their needs from the outset.

Convenience

Proof allows you to store all your personally identifiable information digitally, making it accessible anywhere and reducing the need to find multiple physical documents.

Simplification

Opening up new levels of convenience, Proof can be used for secure sign ons, frictionless onboarding, instant digital or in-person applications for products and services like mortgages, car loans and health care.

A promising vision, put on pause

The Proof Digital Identity product showed a sense of real potential to reshape how people manage, share, delegate, and utilize the necessary documentation, COVID had fully struck. As priorities shifted globally, the initiative was ultimately paused before it could launch. Despite its early conclusion, this work remains a valuable example of designing for real-world scenarios, where trust, timing, and access to information can make all the difference.