Background
EMQ operates as a cross-border remittance company, primarily relying on API integrations between EMQ and its partner networks. While these APIs are excellent for swift transaction speed and scalability, they require significant programming knowledge from users. To streamline this process and provide a more accessible option, the product team designed and developed EMQ Partner Center (EPC). With EMQ Partner Center, customers can self-assist and easily perform tasks such as onboarding, creating transfers, and reviewing transfer history with a user-friendly interface. This approach reduces time and engineering resources for both EMQ and its partners.
Tech overview
EMQ Partner Center uses EMQ Connect API as the foundation for managing transfer operations. Additionally, the team has created a Back Office admin tool and Rules Engine to improve usability for various features. Components and design elements are leveraged from EMQ Design System to maintain a consistent brand identity within the EMQ product family.
Team structure
The team is composed of key members from Product, Engineering, and Design teams. As the UX/UI lead, I am based in Taipei, while the PM lead is located in Dubai, and the architectural engineering lead is in Vietnam. We have also outsourced frontend and backend development to a reputable software company called Nextway Technology.
Despite the time differences, the core team is committed to collaborating through constant communication before, during, and after each design phase. We hold weekly design workshops to gather inputs from cross-functional teams and ensure that we address the problems accurately. This approach allows us to work together effectively, even though we are located in different regions.
My role & responsibility
During the pre-building phase, our main objective was to identify the MVP features and establish a prioritization timeline. Working closely with the Product Manager, I collaborated on identifying the essential features based on customers’ requests and business goals.
I was responsible for leading the visual design of various aspects of the web app, including customer onboarding, account sign-in, transfer creation, transfer history, and more. In addition, I developed and managed the EMQ Design System to standardize all web app components and interaction patterns. This shared component library allowed both EMQ Partner Center and another internal compliance tool, SENSE, to maintain design consistency.
Feature overview
Onboarding
Once a partner successfully completes the due diligence process and gains access to the EMQ Partner Center, an automated onboarding email will be sent. The email will contain a call-to-action button that takes users to the first-time use workflow. In this workflow, users will create passwords and enable 2-factor authentication for exceptional security.
Main navigation
EMQ Partner Center supports four different types of businesses, namely B2B, B2C, C2C, and Non-transfer. Each business type represents the transfer type that a partner has enabled with EMQ. The transfer creation workflow may look slightly different depending on the transfer type because consumer transfers and business transfers have different technical requirements. For example, creating a B2B transfer requires providing Sender and Recipient business information, while a C2C transfer does not. A partner can enable multiple business types, so it is essential to display type indicators that inform which types are enabled.
Account balance is a crucial piece of information when creating transfers. It is important to ensure that the balance is sufficient to prevent transfers from being rejected by EMQ.
Homepage
The homepage has a simplified design, with minimal actions intended to help users focus on the main tasks, which are accessible through the top navigation. Below the navigation, the FX rate ticker displays the latest rates, which is crucial information to review before initiating any transactional activity. Additionally, users can expand an FX widget from the ticker to access advanced functions and gain a deeper understanding of the rates.
Simple & intuitive transfer creation
The primary goal of EMQ Partner Center is to enable various business users (B2B, B2C, C2C) to send transfers, making the transfer creation feature core to the platform. However, creating transfers typically requires users to provide a substantial amount of information about the sending and receiving networks, which can result in a cumbersome user experience. To address this, the team has developed helpful enhancements to streamline and simplify the traditional transfer creation process while maintaining its safety and security.
+ Dynamic Sender and Recipient forms
EMQ's remittance networks operate in multiple regions, including North Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Because each country has different regulatory requirements for cross-border remittance, the data fields displayed on the form may also vary based on the corridors to which users send transfers. The data field and its assigned attributes are dynamically controlled by backend logic to adapt to any selected corridor.
+ Field name configuration using Column mapper
EMQ Partner Center allows users to send multiple transfers by utilizing batch files. With a simple upload of an Excel file, a batch file enables the creation of up to 50 transfers at once. However, each partner may have a unique naming convention within their local systems, which can make it difficult for the EMQ system to recognize certain data fields. To address this issue, the team has developed a tool called the "Column Mapper," which enables admin users to map fields to their corresponding EMQ fields, even if the field names do not match. This eliminates the need for customers to rename field names in their systems and streamlines the workflow.
+ Maker-Checker review process
To prevent human errors and unlawful behavior during transfer creation, EMQ Partner Center implements a 4-eyes-principle approval process. The "Maker" begins a transfer by inputting the relevant information, and the transfer is then temporarily saved in a queue, awaiting confirmation from the "Checker" before it is finalized. While the 4-eyes-principle improves security, it also adds complexity to the workflow. To streamline this process, I created multiple design iterations and user testing to achieve the best experience.
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