Square Dashboard App 

When I started the project, the Dashboard app was a very outdated analytics app for business owners (see below). The original goal was to redesign the app, adopting our new design system and expanding its functionality.

Through user research and internal discovery, we learned that Square’s mobile offering is disjointed. Sellers don’t know where important features are, don’t know what app they use, and have to juggle multiple apps with different patterns and experiences.

Based on these findings, we decided to take on the additional challenge of expanding the app to become the Super App for all of Square.

Users needed more data - more metrics, more comparison options, and more interactivity.

This metrics system is more user friendly and expandable. It allows the app to receive any of the metrics in Square’s database, with additional comparison options. The system could be expressed as iOS widgets, homepage widgets, or reports.

We set the stage for this app to become the Square super app by introducing a tab bar, notifications, and messages.

These features saw adoption from the existing user base, but the real win here was the internal alignment around the Super App strategy.

With even more mobile apps being planned, this need became top of mind - we got top down support from Alyssa Henry (CEO) to consolidate 5 apps into one.

With top down support we kicked off a massive research project with all verticals and user roles. Through this, we discovered some key information.

• Employees mainly use the POS for work. They just need this app to manage their shifts and pay.

• Managers and owners need the app to run the whole business. Monitoring sales & finances, managing staff, managing inventory, etc.

• More complex workflows are better suited for web. Sellers wanted key features, not the long tail.

• Handling sensitive business and personal data carefully for each role is important.

I was also working on the IA of Square’s main web dashboard at the time. I pushed for this team to adopt a similar structure for consistency. The core principle of the IA was that all businesses, regardless of vertical, have the same foundational pillars. All businesses take payments, have staff, need to see their data, etc. This results in a much simpler IA of 10 main categories (down from 40 products).

We optimized the navigation patterns for a 3 level IA. A personalizable tab bar and secondary tabs allow users to get to their top content quickly.

Because reporting was a key feature of this app, I looked into how we’re handling reports across the company and found major opportunities.

I designed a system that could generate 80% of our existing reports using a combination of 3 parameters. It is interactive and can generate hundreds of new reports that don't exist today.

Last but not least, the homepage. It needed to work for Employees, Managers, and Owners. Restaurants, Retailers, and Professional Services. For the experienced and new. This is a whole project in itself and I go into much more detail around the thinking for designing a homepage like this in my other case study (Home for web), but here are some screens.