Client SomiaCX
Project Duration 10th year Anniversary
Project Location Indonesia

Since 2012, we’ve been working on a variety of interesting projects, many are related to the micro-segment, finances and how they use technology in Indonesia. It is a promising segment with massive growth potential in terms of financial and tech adoption. Additionally, we discovered that current approaches to attract the interest of the micro-segment are not fully optimized yet.

Overview

To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, we would like to share our learnings and experiences regarding this segment. We have written them into this book, hoping that the information we provide can inspire readers to develop more effective strategies to introduce finance and tech adoption to the micro segment. If you want to know more about this publications or to collaborate with us, feel free to contact us. Enjoy!

Read The Books Here!


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Photo of Warung owner being interviewed
Client E-Commerce
Project Duration 2 months
Project Location Jambi, Manado, Yogyakarta

We engaged with a new startup to enter the e-commerce market targeting rural areas in Indonesia. Since it was still at the beginning of the development, our biggest challenge was defining the target customers and product strategy to have the right angle for the rural market.

Overview

Within two rounds of research, we helped the client develop a clear strategy of value proposition, product offering, customer experience, and product roadmap to enter the market confidently.

Our Approach

We need to understand our users better to define the go-to-market strategy. The explorations that have been done aren’t targeting only the store owners but also other stakeholders, like suppliers, logistics, and also the BUMDes (village apparatus). Based on those explorations we have gained a deeper understanding of the whole ecosystem. Our works aren’t limited to the initial discovery only. We also did service evaluation by visiting areas in Central Java with different types of local merchants. This evaluation helps us to uncover a holistic service journey that can be improved and implemented into e-commerce product transformation.

Stakeholders Mapping

Our Journey and Process

Exploratory Research

We conducted IDI and intercepts with different stakeholders and business scales in 20 locations from Jambi, North Sulawesi, and Central Java. They range from small, medium, and big resellers. This field research goal is to understand the full ecosystem’s needs and pain points.

Service Evaluation

In this phase, we focus on the service evaluation and identifying improvement areas. We did immersive research in four regions in central Java by interviewing the stakeholders, going to the store, doing home visits, field observations, and intercepts.

Intercept and in-depth-interview with respondents

The Results

Targeting the rural market would be challenging, especially if the products heavily rely on digital. Here are some of the insights that we’ve captured from our research:

  • Physical touchpoints and offline relationships are essential to bridge the interaction. The existing user journey has been developed for a long time and is primarily offline. Hence, the product can’t apply fully digital experience and touchpoints instantly.

  • Trust is built over time. Trust is earned. Familiar faces are needed, and past bad experiences set their trust. In this service journey, reliable agents, stock availability, and straightforward legal entities greatly influence customer trust.

  • The product should build simple and practical over users’ existing habits. Their day has always been packed with warung/ shop routines, and they are served by sales which come directly to the shops. They don’t have time or motivation to learn new things that add more complexities to their current habits.

Consultan in-charge

Mateus Situmorang

Interaction Designer

Satia Putra

User Researcher

anindya-fitriyanti

Anindya Fitrianti

User Researcher

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Wudu All in one Station and Urinal for muslim istinja washing
Client Kohler
Project Duration 3 years
Project Location Indonesia

Kohler wanted to explore opportunity areas to cater Muslim specific needs in bathspace. We started the exploratory journey in 2017 with a series of user research, ethnographic research, observations, and interview with experts. We derived key opportunity areas for innovation and we then worked closely with the client to do iterative user testing with the developed concepts and working prototypes. The project won several international awards and has been developed and launched to the public in 2022.

Overview

Kohler wanted to explore opportunity areas to cater Muslim specific needs in bathspace. We started the exploratory journey in 2017 with a series of user research, ethnographic research, observations, and interview with experts. We derived key opportunity areas for innovation and we then worked closely with the client to do iterative user testing with the developed concepts and working prototypes. The project won several international awards and has been developed and launched to the public in 2022.

Our Approach

As the Muslim market is growing, Kohler, one of the largest international sanitaryware companies, wanted to develop new innovative sanitary wares for Muslims. Throughout the 3 years project, we worked closely with Kohler to discover new opportunities for innovations, develop concepts and then test and iterate the design of the concept:

Our Journey and Process

Our Journey and Process

Phase 1: Exploratory Research & Concept Testing

We started the exploratory journey in 2017 with a series of user research, ethnographic research, observations, and interview with experts (architect, Prominent figures in Islam). 

From this initial discovery, we synthesized several key opportunity areas, especially regarding Muslim cleaning rituals and beliefs, such as Wudu (washing all over the face, hand, and foot) and Istinja (cleaning of private parts with water after relieving oneself). 
Such needs, however, are not catered well in today’s sanitary products. We found out that there are many workarounds done by the users to be able to do their rituals. From these discoveries, we developed concept ideas to be tested with the potential users in order to discover the design principles and prioritize concepts to be further developed.

Phase 2: Real-Size Prototype Usability Testing

The prioritized concepts were then developed into a real-size prototype, such as 1:1 printouts and cardboards. These prototypes were shown and tested to a number of homeowners and business users to gain their usability feedback. By creating a real-size prototype, we could observe how users interacted with the products.

From the usability testing, we discovered the physical requirements & essential features of the product, which later is used as a guideline for the client to develop the product further. These inputs were important to help us and our client to take decisions before developing a high-cost working prototype.

Phase 3: Working Prototype UT & Finalization

When we tested the non-working prototypes, some feedback may come only from the user’s imagination, which might be different than when they directly interact with the working prototypes. Therefore, it’s important to do usability testing using working prototypes to prevent wrong decisions before finalizing the concept for mass production.

Kohler team developed 8 working prototypes based on the input of the previous phase. Then, we test it to the potential users, developers, architects, technicians & Muslim experts and ask them to prioritize it. We did not only evaluate the usability of the products but also discussed the price they are willing to pay and how they would adopt the products for their home/construction projects. With the Muslim experts, we discussed how to appropriately design, communicate and implement the products.
From the input of the previous round of research, Kohler’s team iterated a new-refined prototype, and then, we tested it again. Finally, the design got approval from the respondents as it already covered most of their needs. From these learnings, Somia provides the Final Product Recommendations and suggested that we can finalize the product.

Wudu, Istinja, and the workaround Muslim does to cater their ritual

From the concept drawing, to mid-fidelity prototype, then high fidelity working prototype

Close collaboration! During the project, Kohler team worked closely with Somians during all phases of the project

The Results

The product concept of this project, the Kohler Rivlet, has been launched to the market in 2022, while the Urinal Istina is still under development. The concept has attracted the interest of both Indonesian and international markets. The project has also received several international recognitions and awards.

Awards & Recognitions

We are very honored and humbled that the Istinja Urinal Concept won in:


Taiwoon Woon
logo-kohler

Fabulous! I love their curiosity, humbleness and willingness to go out of their comfort zone to make things happen. The positivity is great! Another thing I appreciate is how the team works well with me to get the results I need. Sulis also understood that I needed to sell up to top leaders and the type of information/ communication needed to make things work. During the testing, I see the level of passion, involvement, and flexibility to make things work. It’s really good and inspiring!

Taiwoon Woon
Kohler, Design manager and Global Commerial Lead

Consultan in-charge

dono-firman

Mateus Situmorang

Project Lead

Uka-q-a-p

Satia Putra

User Researcher

Andrea Stefanny

User Researcher

Anindya Fitrianti

User Researcher

nathaniel-orlandy

Nathaniel Orlandy

User Researcher

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Design Implementation for CASA of Micro-segments
Client Bank BRI
Project Duration 5 months
Project Location Indonesia

How might we get people to save their money in a Bank? Bank BRI (Bank Rakyat Indonesia) wants to increase CASA (Current Account Savings Account) for Indonesian micro-segments areas. The approach is to solve financial inclusion for those segments through developing value propositions as well as developing products and services to get customers to save in the bank.

Overview

Transforming into digital is not always the solution. During 2 months of product testing, more customers started to have new accounts at BRI. We collected approximately $2,750 from 61 new accounts. More than just customers, we helped increase trust and awareness of Bank Agents in the area and the direct impact of the bank itself has collected about $2,750 with an average of $53 savings per transaction.

Our Approach

The project consists of two phases using a human centered design approach. The first phase of Value Proposition Research is to understand the behavioral types of micro segment users, why they don’t save their money at banks yet. From the behavioral insight and field findings, then we formulated Design Principles which would become our guide to the second phase of iterative design, prototyping, and implementation.

Collecting insights and co-ideation with stakeholders, agents, and customers

Our Journey and Process

Stakeholders Interviews and Co-design Workshop

We conducted interviews with the stakeholders to brainstorm ideas and prioritize solutions based on their impacts and efforts to make the changes.

Synthesis and Concept Iteration

We interviewed and observed customers around different cities and rural areas in Indonesia to understand their motivation and pain points to do savings at Banks. We also tested some concepts to see their preference of solution and to gather feedback on the concepts.

Concept Prototyping

After we finished field research in one city, we did a synthesis to capture insights from the research so we can improve the direction of the research for the next city. The concepts tested during the IDI are also iterated based on the feedback and we conceive other concepts based on the concept testing.

Implementation

We have detailed out the service design to ensure successful implementation. Within four iterations with different physical prototypes to find the design of the product that would fit their needs. We designed and produced the product based on the feedback from the customers, Bank Agents, and Stakeholders.

Prototype Testing and Implementations

The Results

During the project, we worked closely with the BRI core team. They were directly involved in the field research, recruitments, IDI, synthesis, and almost every stage of the projects. By working collaboratively, It helped us further understand the client’s need and what’s important to them on the project, so we can dig deeper on their preference and goals to ensure a better research result that fits the client’s vision. It also directed the project’s course so we could manage the project’s time and resources more effectively.

Awards & Recognitions

We are very honored and humbled that this project won in:

IxDA Interaction Awards 2019 
for Best in Category: Optimizing and Best in Show


Taiwoon Woon
logo-kohler

Fabulous! I love their curiosity, humbleness and willingness to go out of their comfort zone to make things happen. The positivity is great! Another thing I appreciate is how the team works well with me to get the results I need. Sulis also understood that I needed to sell up to top leaders and the type of information/ communication needed to make things work. During the testing, I see the level of passion, involvement, and flexibility to make things work. It’s really good and inspiring!

Taiwoon Woon
Kohler, Design manager and Global Commerial Lead

Consultan in-charge

Uka-q-a-p

Satia Putra

Interaction Designer

Andrea Stefanny

User Researcher

nathaniel-orlandy

Anindya Fitrianti

Product Designer

Nathaniel Orlandy

User Researcher

See more our similar works

Collaborate with us!

Looking for ways to transforming your business?
Get in touch with us!