Mobile ID: Enhanced Security in the Digital World

In today's world, protecting our digital identity is more important than ever.

English edition — originally published in German as Mobile ID: Mehr Sicherheit in der digitalen Welt.

Mobile ID: More Security in the Digital World

Companies and individuals are feeling it clearly today: digitalization is becoming a must. However, challenges remain: How do I legally sign a document digitally? Or how can I securely authenticate myself online?

Swisscom Trust Services has developed Mobile ID, a two-factor authentication (2FA) solution that addresses precisely these problems. The Mobile ID authentication process requires either a SIM card with Mobile ID or, more recently, a smartphone app. The chosen one-touch authentication solution combines strong authentication with a mobile application (Android and iOS). The solution was developed in collaboration with Futurae Technologies AG, a company that emerged from the Systems Security Group at ETH Zurich in 2016.

Challenge

Swisscom tasked us with creating a dashboard where customers can manage their Mobile ID. Thanks to the integration of Futurae's solution, customers can use either the SIM method and/or the device method (app) for secure authentication of their identity.

Approach

Deep Impact and Swisscom Trust Services look back on a long-standing partnership. We have already collaborated on the Mobile ID website, branding, and various applications.

After competitive analysis and the creation of personas and user journeys, initial designs were developed. The central challenge was to provide both end customers and partners with the desired information on a single platform.

We based our User Experience decisions on data from the outset. This allowed the activation rates of Mobile ID in Switzerland to be increased by more than 600% within one year.

To achieve this, we used user feedback, A/B testing, and so-called heatmaps. To ensure consistency in the future, we also created a Design System.

The changes included, for example, improvements to the "Call to Action" in the header ("Activate now"), the clear division of "Target Groups" (private customers, business customers, partners), and an explanation of how Mobile ID can be activated or integrated.

The third and current phase involved the internationalization of the solution. This meant that the platform had to be expanded as part of Swisscom Trust Services' international expansion. A core element of this strategy is the launch of a smartphone app, as the SIM-based version is not available outside Switzerland. To support this, the user dashboard MyMobileID was created. Customers can view their Mobile ID information there, choose between different authentication methods, or reset their password.

To bring this solution to market quickly, we applied the methods of Rapid Prototyping and Design Sprint. After initial internal workshops, tests were conducted in which users reviewed the designed layouts and functionalities. Thanks to these iterations and feedback rounds, we created a clear and user-friendly dashboard within a few weeks. The focus was on User Experience: the dashboard should be as simple as possible, and the user should intuitively get an overview of all their options.

And this is what the dashboard looks like now: The user has a choice: they can activate additional authentication options, reset their password, or order a new SIM card.