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I never thought about the importance of app accessibility until I started struggling to zoom in on every app I used. Whether it was reading the fine print in a banking app or verifying my identity to board a flight, inaccessible design was always frustrating.
This personal experience reinforced the importance of user interface and user experience. I began to research how we could improve our customers’ experience during the identity verification process.
Mobile applications allow people to perform a variety of actions, such as checking in for a flight, accessing a bank account, applying for a visa, etc. How smooth these processes are depends on the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX).
While UI and UX are important, there is room for improvement, especially in identity verification. Enhancing these aspects is essential for businesses looking to optimize user experience and operational efficiency.
Remote identity verification (IDV) processes now serve as the starting point for many critical activities, from completing financial transactions to interacting with government services, making it essential that these systems are accessible to everyone.
Remote authentication from home can help people with special needs continue to participate in a range of activities. However, this is only feasible if the interface and design of the IDV system is truly inclusive. What does this mean in practice?
Related: How to navigate the digital identity landscape
Dealing with customer complaints
A poor identity verification experience can lead to significant customer frustration and abandonment. Intuitively, a lengthy and complex verification process requires significant user engagement, which increases the likelihood of discouraging participation.
This is reflected in both business and customer expectations of the IDV process. Regula’s investigation28% of respondents, representing digital nomads dealing with the most diverse ID verification procedures, are frustrated by poorly designed user interfaces. At the same time, one in three companies surveyed prioritize user-friendly interfaces and clear instructions in their IDV workflows.
Related: 7 Reasons Dating Apps Are Lieing to You
What can you do now?
Everything from UI logic and usability to response speed, font and color choices, etc., has a huge impact on users’ perception and their willingness to continue using your solution.
As an IDV vendor, we have tried different approaches to create a comprehensive interface. Over time, as we received feedback from our customers and gained a deeper understanding of their use cases, the key principles that we adhere to in our solution became clear.
- Keep clutter to a minimum. The interface should be clean and clear, without too many elements, long descriptions, or small icons. Don’t overwhelm or confuse your users.
- Consider color perceptionDifferent people see colors differently, and some cannot distinguish them at all, so it’s important to ensure that important cues don’t rely solely on color – use geometric shapes and other indicators along with color to convey information.
- Rely on your other senses as well. Activate haptic feedback, such as vibrations, or auditory signals, such as jingles, to confirm the user’s actions – this is essential to reassure the user and guide them through the process.
- Don’t prioritize text over visuals, or vice versa. Some people prefer text instructions, others images — in our experience it’s roughly a 50/50 split — so it’s important to incorporate both text and visual support.
- Adapt the interface to your preferences. Always. For example, if a user increases the font size in their phone settings, the IDV application will automatically display the text in the same larger size.
Ideally, IDV Solutions does not require instructions Not at all. The interface should be intuitive and every step of the identity verification process should be smooth, logical, and instantly recognizable. However, if instructions are required and are fairly complex, it is better to split them into several consecutive screens rather than fitting everything on one screen in tiny font.
Ultimately, introducing automation into the ID verification process significantly improves the user experience for all users by simplifying complex steps and reducing the need for manual entry. For example, automated document scanning and optical character recognition (OCR) simplifies data extraction from identification documents, reducing the need for manual entry. Facial recognition technology further streamlines the process by matching a user’s face with their ID photo. Automated error detection and real-time feedback helps prevent and correct mistakes, while integration with existing databases allows for quick verification of information. These advancements make the ID verification process more accessible and less intimidating, even for non-technical individuals.
Related: Why Business Leaders Need to Learn About Digital Identity
Business Benefits
1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s populationthey face some obstacles. It will be a legal and ethical obligation for companies to provide digital services to them, including IDVs, and policies already exist to regulate them. web or Mobile Accessibility.
However, considering the accessibility of IDVs can expand market opportunities for companies and improve the user experience for all users. Online IDV systems that are designed to accommodate users with a range of needs, from visual impairments to cognitive disabilities, offer numerous benefits beyond accessibility.
Firstly, such a well-planned and inclusive interface will broaden the reach of users by providing equal access to IDV for everyone, thus benefiting businesses in strengthening their market differentiation and attracting new customers.
Secondly, by simplifying navigation, providing clear instructions, and making settings easy to adjust, you minimize frustration and errors at key IDV steps, making for a simpler, smoother, and more enjoyable user experience. As a result, users feel that their needs and preferences are being taken into consideration, which tends to increase their trust and loyalty towards your brand.
Finally, a focus on accessible, user-centric interface design will inevitably drive continuous improvement and innovation, making companies more agile in adapting to user feedback and changing needs, resulting in better products and services.
Comprehensive brand UI
It’s important to remember that IDV solutions are rarely used in isolation (except for cross-border situations, of course). With so many services now being performed digitally, IDVs have become an integral part of a wide range of scenarios, from banking to flight check-in to e-marketplaces. In terms of interface, IDV vendors must strive to align with the UI requirements of the enterprises adopting their solutions.
IDV vendors should offer flexibility to incorporate customer branding by modifying graphical and textual elements within the camera view interface used for identity verification, maintaining consistency with brand identity and increasing user familiarity. For users who prefer the default UI, options should be available to customize basic elements such as colors and fonts.
Additionally, solutions that support localization in multiple languages ​​simplify global deployment and make identity verification more accessible and convenient for users around the world. As technology and user expectations evolve, continually refining these solutions ensures identity verification is efficient and reliable across a wide range of applications.
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