Designing A Cross Platform Mobile Wallet Service for Bangladesh- A Service Design Approach in A Developing Country

Abstract

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to design a mobile wallet service for Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a developing country with more than 168 million people, and available mobile wallet services have higher cost of usage. Customers cannot transfer funds from one wallet service provider to another wallet service provider’s wallet. Moreover, there is an increased number of fraudulent activities with the mobile wallet users in Bangladesh, due to low security and lack of regulatory actions. The aim of this study was to analyze the current situation in mobile financial market in Bangladesh and address those common problems. The main objective of this thesis is to come up with a better solution that can reduce or eliminate the existing problems faced by the customers through integrating bank into the process directly. As a theoretical background, design thinking, service design, mobile wallet service types, commercial banks of Bangladesh and the most common internet fund transfer methods used by banks are explored. In methods and tools double diamond framework was used to explore the research tools needed for the study. Interviews, survey and workshops were conducted to get insights into the problem and co-create a solution. A prototype was developed with UX design tool Figma. Finally, the prototype was tested in a close environment by a Lecturer and 3 mobile wallet users of Bangladesh. In conclusion, it can be said that the proposed service can open door for a new business to come forward that can provide a better solution to the existing mobile wallet problems in Bangladesh. A business model canvas was included to visualize the idea.