Photos to invoices
Summary
Implemented a new GenAI-driven mobile invoicing experience to help service-based businesses quickly create invoices on the go.
Summary
Implemented a new GenAI-driven mobile invoicing experience to help service-based businesses quickly create invoices on the go.
Summary
Implemented a new GenAI-driven mobile invoicing experience to help service-based businesses quickly create invoices on the go.
Customer problem
51% of QuickBooks businesses that send non-pay-enabled invoices are "mobile recorders”:
High invoice usage (record >100 invoices per year)
High mobile usage (used the QuickBooks mobile application over the last 12 months)
However, almost all of them use a different online tool to send invoices to customers and get paid. We didn't yet understand why, but just looking at the existing mobile experience for QuickBooks invoicing, we hypothesized that this lengthy 10+ step process could be one of the reasons.
Business problem
Mobile recorders account for a large volume ($529B) of payment transactions that QuickBooks could profit from if they were pay-enabled. We're losing this potential charge volume to other competitors.
It takes at least 10 steps to create and send an invoice on QuickBooks mobile.
Customer problem
51% of QuickBooks businesses that send non-pay-enabled invoices are "mobile recorders”:
High invoice usage (record >100 invoices per year)
High mobile usage (used the QuickBooks mobile application over the last 12 months)
However, almost all of them use a different online tool to send invoices to customers and get paid. We didn't yet understand why, but just looking at the existing mobile experience for QuickBooks invoicing, we hypothesized that this lengthy 10+ step process could be one of the reasons.
Business problem
Mobile recorders account for a large volume ($529B) of payment transactions that QuickBooks could profit from if they were pay-enabled. We're losing this potential charge volume to other competitors.
It takes at least 10 steps to create and send an invoice on QuickBooks mobile.
Customer problem
51% of QuickBooks businesses that send non-pay-enabled invoices are "mobile recorders”:
High invoice usage (record >100 invoices per year)
High mobile usage (used the QuickBooks mobile application over the last 12 months)
However, almost all of them use a different online tool to send invoices to customers and get paid. We didn't yet understand why, but just looking at the existing mobile experience for QuickBooks invoicing, we hypothesized that this lengthy 10+ step process could be one of the reasons.
Business problem
Mobile recorders account for a large volume ($529B) of payment transactions that QuickBooks could profit from if they were pay-enabled. We're losing this potential charge volume to other competitors.
It takes at least 10 steps to create and send an invoice on QuickBooks mobile.
Goal
Help mobile recorders save time creating invoices.
Team
Core:
3 engineers
1 PM
1 data analyst
1 design intern
External stakeholders:
AI team
Platform
Native mobile
Project duration
1 week
My responsibilities
Facilitate ideation workshop
End-to-end iOS design delivery
Goal
Help mobile recorders save time creating invoices.
Team
Core:
3 engineers
1 PM
1 data analyst
1 design intern
External stakeholders:
AI team
Platform
Native mobile
Project duration
1 week
My responsibilities
Facilitate ideation workshop
End-to-end iOS design delivery
Goal
Help mobile recorders save time creating invoices.
Team
Core:
3 engineers
1 PM
1 data analyst
1 design intern
External stakeholders:
AI team
Platform
Native mobile
Project duration
1 week
My responsibilities
Facilitate ideation workshop
End-to-end iOS design delivery
Understand
Design workshop
I planned and facilitated a remote design workshop with my team to understand, define, and align on the customer, problem, scope, customer journey, and competitors, and go broad to narrow on ideas.
Understand
Design workshop
I planned and facilitated a remote design workshop with my team to understand, define, and align on the customer, problem, scope, customer journey, and competitors, and go broad to narrow on ideas.
Understand
Design workshop
I planned and facilitated a remote design workshop with my team to understand, define, and align on the customer, problem, scope, customer journey, and competitors, and go broad to narrow on ideas.
Recorder profiles
During the workshop, we identified a target audience, targeted industries, and insights from previous survey data conducted on recorders.
Key characteristics
Solopreneurs or small businesses with <10 employees
High mobile usage
High invoice usage
Common industries
Construction
29% use QuickBooks mobile
8% send documents over accounting platforms
Professional, scientific, and technical services
21% use QuickBooks mobile
7% send documents over accounting platforms
Behaviors
Recorders take notes throughout the life-cycle of a job. They typically have a place (e.g. Apple Notes) to capture changes in a job and must be able to act accurately on those changes.
They often have 10+ line items on their invoices and need to create multiple invoices for each client, which makes this process even more tedious.
On average, recorders spend 5.8 minutes creating and sending each invoice.
Recorder profiles
During the workshop, we identified a target audience, targeted industries, and insights from previous survey data conducted on recorders.
Typical invoicer
Small-Mid sized businesses that work in personal services, professional services or the construction industry
Primarily (75% + of the time) invoice their customers to get paid.
Have 2-10 W2 employees, an annual revenue more than $100K and have been in business for 3 years or more.
Needs
Make it easy for my customers to pay me
Save me time
Help me stay on top of my cash flow
Help me feel professional, confident, supported
Pain points
Time - Are busy running a small business. They are often juggling the responsibilities of running a business, accounting, and getting paid
Money - Are cost sensitive.
Support and confidence - Are new business owners, are looking for help to know they’re making the right decision.
Recorder profiles
During the workshop, we identified a target audience, targeted industries, and insights from previous survey data conducted on recorders.
Key characteristics
Solopreneurs or small businesses with <10 employees
High mobile usage
High invoice usage
Common industries
Construction
29% use QuickBooks mobile
8% send documents over accounting platforms
Professional, scientific, and technical services
21% use QuickBooks mobile
7% send documents over accounting platforms
Behaviors
Recorders take notes throughout the life-cycle of a job. They typically have a place (e.g. Apple Notes) to capture changes in a job and must be able to act accurately on those changes.
They often have 10+ line items on their invoices and need to create multiple invoices for each client, which makes this process even more tedious.
On average, recorders spend 5.8 minutes creating and sending each invoice.
Define
If we help mobile recorders generate invoices from photos, then they will be able to create and send invoices more quickly on Quickbooks mobile, which will increase mobile invoice create-to-send usage.
Primary success metric: Invoice create-to-send rate for recorders
Define
If we help mobile recorders generate invoices from photos, then they will be able to create and send invoices more quickly on Quickbooks mobile, which will increase mobile invoice create-to-send usage.
Primary success metric: Invoice create-to-send rate for recorders
Define
If we help mobile recorders generate invoices from photos, then they will be able to create and send invoices more quickly on Quickbooks mobile, which will increase mobile invoice create-to-send usage.
Primary success metric: Invoice create-to-send rate for recorders
Create and test
The design intern and I sketched different concepts regarding access points and uploading photos to generate invoices. Below are a handful of some concepts we explored:
Concept: A dedicated space in QuickBooks for invoice notes
Create a new, dedicated space for all documents and photos. The recorder can use any selected attachments to generate invoices and estimates.
Concept: Open the QuickBooks app, then take a photo
When the mobile recorder takes a photo from the Quickbooks app, we can immediately use it to create an invoice. This is similar to Google Translate.
Concept: Import different forms of info while creating an invoice
When the mobile recorder enters the existing create invoice experience, allow them to import existing email, text screenshot, images, or calendar event details.
Concept: Upload a screenshot or camera photo directly to QuickBooks
A mobile recorder can convert the selected photos or screenshot to an invoice directly from their photos app or from taking a screenshot.
Narrowing
We narrowed on a lean MVP we could deliver within the week. In addition, we drafted more ideal state design provocations that we could implement if we had more time and shared both ideas with our cross-functional partners.
We shared both the MVP and design provocations with the team.
Create and test
The design intern and I sketched different concepts regarding access points and uploading photos to generate invoices. Below are a handful of some concepts we explored:
Concept: A dedicated space in QuickBooks for invoice notes
Create a new, dedicated space for all documents and photos. The recorder can use any selected attachments to generate invoices and estimates.
Concept: Open the QuickBooks app, then take a photo
When the mobile recorder takes a photo from the Quickbooks app, we can immediately use it to create an invoice. This is similar to Google Translate.
Concept: Import different forms of info while creating an invoice
When the mobile recorder enters the existing create invoice experience, allow them to import existing email, text screenshot, images, or calendar event details.
Concept: Upload a screenshot or camera photo directly to QuickBooks
A mobile recorder can convert the selected photos or screenshot to an invoice directly from their photos app or from taking a screenshot.
Narrowing
We narrowed on a lean MVP we could deliver within the week. In addition, we drafted more ideal state design provocations that we could implement if we had more time and shared both ideas with our cross-functional partners.
We shared both the MVP and design provocations with the team.
Create and test
The design intern and I sketched different concepts regarding access points and uploading photos to generate invoices. Below are a handful of some concepts we explored:
Concept: A dedicated space in QuickBooks for invoice notes
Create a new, dedicated space for all documents and photos. The recorder can use any selected attachments to generate invoices and estimates.
Concept: Open the QuickBooks app, then take a photo
When the mobile recorder takes a photo from the Quickbooks app, we can immediately use it to create an invoice. This is similar to Google Translate.
Concept: Import different forms of info while creating an invoice
When the mobile recorder enters the existing create invoice experience, allow them to import existing email, text screenshot, images, or calendar event details.
Concept: Upload a screenshot or camera photo directly to QuickBooks
A mobile recorder can convert the selected photos or screenshot to an invoice directly from their photos app or from taking a screenshot.
Narrowing
We narrowed on a lean MVP we could deliver within the week. In addition, we drafted more ideal state design provocations that we could implement if we had more time and shared both ideas with our cross-functional partners.
We shared both the MVP and design provocations with the team.
Iterate
I negotiated with our PM and engineering partners to achieve a compromise between the MVP and ideal state. We also tested and validated the concept with 7 QuickBooks recorders.
We prototyped interactions, visuals, and motion to hand off to engineering before launch.
Iterate
I negotiated with our PM and engineering partners to achieve a compromise between the MVP and ideal state. We also tested and validated the concept with 7 QuickBooks recorders.
We prototyped interactions, visuals, and motion to hand off to engineering before launch.
Iterate
I negotiated with our PM and engineering partners to achieve a compromise between the MVP and ideal state. We also tested and validated the concept with 7 QuickBooks recorders.
We prototyped interactions, visuals, and motion to hand off to engineering before launch.
Results
We A/B tested the experience, and after noting a 2% increase in invoice create-to-send rate for recorders, we launched photos to invoices feature to all Quickbooks Online subscribers, where we saw the same result.
Increased annual revenue by $64M.
2%
+ invoice create-to-send rate for recorders
Less time recorders spend creating and sending mobile invoices
35%
Results
We A/B tested the experience, and after noting a 2% increase in invoice create-to-send rate for recorders, we launched photos to invoices feature to all Quickbooks Online subscribers, where we saw the same result.
Increased annual revenue by $64M.
2%
+ invoice create-to-send rate for recorders
Less time recorders spend creating and sending mobile invoices
35%
Results
We A/B tested the experience, and after noting a 2% increase in invoice create-to-send rate for recorders, we launched photos to invoices feature to all Quickbooks Online subscribers, where we saw the same result.
Increased annual revenue by $64M.
2%
+ invoice create-to-send rate for recorders
Less time recorders spend creating and sending mobile invoices
35%
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