Pay2Aid Case Study

An Exciting Opportunity In Fintech

Fintech Startup | 2019-2021

As a cash advancement service provider Pay2Aid allowed cell phone users to borrow money to keep their cellular devices on.  Pay2Aid acted as the payment center and only charged a one-time convenience fee for the use of its services.

Position

Sr. UX/UI Designer

Duration

2019 - 2021

Summary of Role

Working directly under stakeholders, I led a small team of developers, graphic designers, and marketing specialists to develop a financial assistance web application. 

Project Background

Recognizing the integral role mobile devices play in daily life, our team sought to provide a solution for users grappling with temporary financial setbacks, specifically related to their cell phone expenses.

After realizing that there were not many services available at that time who offered a solution to this problem, we applied design thinking to create that solution ourselves.

Additionally, being a fintech startup required meeting rigorous banking regulations and standards, which needed both time and careful attention.

Saved $100K+ Streamlining Production Costs

Spotting deficiencies in the initial product, was pivotal in driving the decision to hire a new developer team, resulting in a fully functional solution and substantial savings of over $100K in additional developer fees.

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Individual Interviews

We conducted one-on-one interviews with a sample of potential users. This included taking care to find an inclusive group of participants in order to create a well-rounded idea of the needs and insights of a range of potential users

• Identified that our key audiences were most commonly the elderly on fixed budgets, students, and low-income families.
• Identified what made participants trust new finance management tools.
• Narrowed down on key pain points that affected their decision-making and user experience.

Competitor Research

Other important research we conducted was into competitors and other top financial services brands.

We discovered that there were not many nationally available financial assistance programs, and those that were available at the local level had lengthy processes and disqualifiers.

Also notable, we found that many programs sqecifically did not cover cell phone bills or communication services. 

For our design research we focused on top banking apps emerging at the time like CashApp, Venmo, Chime, and others. 

Continued User Research & Ideation

We returned to our research throughout the rest of the design process. Mainly, this included conducting competitor and other foundational research, as well as testing the design as progressed through our development stages.

Notes on further research steps taken during the project will be added at intervals throughout this case study.

Defining Key Problems Faced by Cell Phone Owners Seeking Financial Assistance

Who:
Individuals facing financial constraints and struggling to pay their cell phone bills are the primary users targeted by the financial assistance app.

What:
Current financial assistance programs at the time were lacking in user-centric features and a seamless experience for those seeking temporary loans, especially in the area of unpaid cell phone bills.

Why:
Users encountered challenges such as finding programs that accepted to pay cell phone bills, unclear terms, and complex repayment processes. The absence of user-friendly resources further contributed to the overall frustration of users in need. 

Where:
The issues prominently observed within the user interface and overall user experience of the financial assistance solutions indicated a need for improvement to provide a smoother, more transparent, and supportive process for users seeking temporary loans for their cell phone bills.

After conducting rigorous research, we concluded that there was a need for a solution to a prominent issue many cell phone users experienced - financial hardship. This was especially evident during the pandemic, which is when this project took place.

Planning Price Structures

Creating Service Plans

The ideation stage was robust with a number of areas requiring careful planning. One area of importance was working out the payment plans and the information architecture when it came to outlining the terms, conditions, and financial responsibilities. 

• Payment structure was broken down into three teirs: Standard, Buddy, and Family plans.
• Working through the full user journey included planning out discovery, application, approval/rejection, disbursement, account management, repayment, and reapplying for another loan.

Exploring the Most Effective Formats

As a part of this early ideation process I had to explore the best formats for users to use the service. Below is a quick look at a few of the explored options:

• Mobile app launched on the Android and ioS marketplaces.
• Direct email and chatbot registration process that felt more human-interactive.
• Website-based application where all processes are managed via an online dashboard controllable from all devices.

Rainy Day Fund & Loyalty Program

In our financial assistance app, we prioritized our users' financial well-being through innovative features like the Rainy Day Fund and a Loyalty Program.
 

• The Rainy Day Fund served as a way to contribute $1 towards a community fund that offered loan relief to struggling members.
• Meanwhile, the Loyalty Program rewarded users for responsible financial habits, encouraging consistent and responsible use of our app by giving rewards for successful repayments.

By preparing for unexpected expenses and promoting financial discipline, we aimed to empower our users on their journey towards long-term financial stability.

Wireframes & Mapping the User Journey

Product Development

After the research and ideation stages, we were ready to begin production of the prototype. My role was to lead the development team in creating a custom-coded live version of the app. 

Various aspects of the develoment stage are viewable below.

Creating A Fintech App From The Ground Up

It was necessary to consider the customer journey when we were developing the Pay2Aid app. As mentioned, establishing ourselves as trustworthy right from the first glance was important to our design process.

From our research, financial apps that over utilized white space felt too empty and more thrown together, which did not foster trust with the targeted audiences. 

We applied a few methods for improving the user's experience based on this and other findings. For example, we avoided blank open pages and condensed the white space by using a light grey for the page backgrounds. This helped to create boundaries around important information.

We also wanted to establish a clear path through the registration process, which we did by grouping the elements in a grid and numbering the steps. We then set up the system to give a green check and status update when a step was successfully completed. 

Having spent more than two and a half years on this program there were a lot of assets and content created over that time. You can view some of the examples of the kind of work we did for the Pay2Aid fintech startup below.

How We Established Trust

Building rapport with our customers meant being upfront about the process and costs, making details easily available at every stage. My contributions in this area included designing the tone through the branding, the legitimizing markers, and developing the user flow for the app pages.

A few methods we used were adding readily available support options, keeping branding consistent from the website to the app experience, and by using positive language that projected a positive outcome in using the service. 

These features were developed based on research and user testing exercises as outlined above. 

The Sales Funnel

The user's experience started via social media or a landing page, leading them then to the web application. And once they completed the registration process, everything of the service was managed through the online dashboard. 

All of the pages were tested and optimized for mobile. It was important to create pages that were responsive on both mobile and desktop, as our target markets were active across both.

The service itself was navigted through a browser-based app which was easily accessible on the go. We understood that it was going to be important that the user had access to the dashboard, the status of their application, and their financial history and record of the services they've used.

Get In Touch To See If I Am Available For Hire!

Over an 10+ year journey as a UX/UI Designer, I've cultivated expertise in crafting compelling information layouts, designing intuitive websites and funnel systems, creating impactful proposals and presentations, and developing digital products with custom designs aimed at converting visitors through engaging and powerful experiences. 

Download my resume to get in touch regarding your project or opportunity. 

Multi-skilled individual with a well-rounded understanding of the customer journey and the tools used to affect decision-making through web design and media. Professional with creative, technical, and marketing experience.

Email at lukensurge@gmail.com

Currently open to accepting offers. Get in touch through the form, or email me with more information regarding your opportunity.

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