Better merchant payment experiences to digitise a cash dependent economy

User Experience Design

User Research

Strategic Insights

9 months (2023) • I worked on this project as a Senior Experience Designer at Ideate Innovation.

My Role and Responsibilities

UX Design Lead and User Researcher

Led landscape study and UX research.
Led the design of key user journeys.
Designed sacrificial concepts, wireframes and prototypes.
Conducted user interviews and led usability testing.
Co-authored and presented the design principles and recommendations to the industry.

Led landscape study and UX research.
Led the design of key user journeys.
Designed sacrificial concepts, wireframes and prototypes.
Conducted user interviews and led usability testing.
Co-authored and presented the design principles and recommendations to the industry.

My Role and Responsibilities

UX Design Lead and User Researcher

Led landscape study and UX research.
Led the design of key user journeys.
Designed sacrificial concepts, wireframes and prototypes.
Conducted user interviews and led usability testing.
Co-authored and presented the design principles and recommendations to the industry.

The Challenge

How might we support the financial industry in designing better digital payment experiences for Pakistan’s underbanked majority?

Financial services remains inaccessible for most Pakistanis. Despite progress made in the last few years, significant barriers remain for financial inclusion in the country.

Sources:

World Bank Global Findex 2021, World Bank Open Data, State Bank of Pakistan, Tabadlab.

Sources:

World Bank Global Findex 2021, World Bank Open Data, State Bank of Pakistan, Tabadlab.

Sources:

World Bank Global Findex 2021, World Bank Open Data, State Bank of Pakistan, Tabadlab.

72%

men were unbanked

87%

women were unbanked

58%

population was illiterate

Fragmentation

A fragmented digital payment landscape, concentrated around urban centers.

Exclusion

79% of the population remains unbanked, with women severely underserved and excluded.

Connectivity

Internet issues and reliance on cash pose major challenges to digital financial integration.

The Outcome

A UX Design Toolkit for Digital Merchant Payments in Pakistan 🇵🇰

We created a comprehensive toolkit that provides:

Overview of our research and high level challenges.
10 localized design principles for payment experiences.
13 key merchant payment use case designs.
Elaborated key decisions in user journey designs.

Overview of our research and high level challenges.
10 localized design principles for payment experiences.
13 key merchant payment use case designs.
Elaborated key decisions in user journey designs.

Overview of our research and high level challenges.
10 localized design principles for payment experiences.
13 key merchant payment use case designs.
Elaborated key decisions in user journey designs.

Localized Design Principles for Better Payment Experiences

01.

Build confidence through guidance

06.

Provide low-tech alternatives

02.

Prioritise local language and terms

07.

Design experiences for low-to-no connectivity

03.

Consider diverse mental models with DFS

08.

Reduce mental effort and anxiety, not clicks

04.

Help users find their way

09.

Ensure transaction transparency

05.

Consider non-digital interactions

10.

Design for error prevention and recovery

Localized Design Principles for Better Payment Experiences

01.

Build confidence through guidance

06.

Provide low-tech alternatives

02.

Prioritise local language and terms

07.

Design experiences for low-to-no connectivity

03.

Consider diverse mental models with DFS

08.

Reduce mental effort and anxiety, not clicks

04.

Help users find their way

09.

Ensure transaction transparency

05.

Consider non-digital interactions

10.

Design for error prevention and recovery

Localized Design Principles for Better Payment Experiences

01.

Build confidence through guidance

06.

Provide low-tech alternatives

02.

Prioritise local language and terms

07.

Design experiences for low-to-no connectivity

03.

Consider diverse mental models with DFS

08.

Reduce mental effort and anxiety, not clicks

04.

Help users find their way

09.

Ensure transaction transparency

05.

Consider non-digital interactions

10.

Design for error prevention and recovery

A Seamless Instant Digital Payment via Merchant QR Codes was the central focus of our UX research.

Error prevention, clear communication and pathways to solutions were a crucial element in delevoping trust with users.

Allowing merchants to create Dynamic Payment QR Codes explored a low cost scalable alternative to costly card payment machines.

We also tested digital alternatives to local habits like informal store credit systems through Marchant generated Request-to-Pay user journeys.

Our final recommendations were supported by a UX Design Toolkit with interactive prototypes and a rudimentary design system.

Process Overview

01.

Project Inception

Landscape study and comparative analysis.

02.

User Research

Research scope, wireframing and user research.

03.

Ideation and Wireframing

User journey prototypes and industry feedback.

04.

Prototypes and Usability Testing

Interactive prototype usability testing and updates.

05.

Final Design and Documentation

Compiling design principles and UX design toolkit.

06.

Dissemination

Industry workshops, webinars and disseminated assets and reports

Landscape Study

We also studied other countries 🇮🇳 🇹🇭 🇧🇷 🇯🇴 that overcame similar challenges in transitioning to a digital economy for inspiration.

India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) emerged as a pivotal case study. With our shared history, language, and socio-cultural dynamics, India provided foresight into future challenges and inspiration for possible solutions.

GPay UPI Scan to Pay QR Codes

UPI’s USSD for payments

In addition to UPI we also looked at other examples from developing countries.

User Research

To make Digital Financial Services (DFS) accessible for all Pakistanis, we travelled to four major provinces, exploring a range of environments: urban, peri-urban, and rural.

Ensuring representation across different socio-economic, geographic, and cultural segments of Pakistan's population required us to speak to diverse user personas.

140+

user interviews and usability tests

user personas merchants + customers

14+

cities and their surrounding areas

Research Objectives

01.

Understand behaviours around digital financial services and payment habits of users.

02.

Understand how Raast is currently perceived and understood by users.

03.

Understand the needs, preferences and behaviours for key Raast P2M use cases.

04.

Understand the barriers against and incentives for Raast P2M adoption.

Research Activities and Tools

In-depth User Interviews
Focus Groups
Observation Sessions
Testing Sacrificial Concepts
Ranking Activities

The research data was collated through affinity mapping and the insights synthesized were ranked for confidence and validity to derive actionable recommendations.

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ahmedbydesign@gmail.com

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