One Pay
An AR navigation and shopping experience
MY ROLE:
Designer, UX Researcher
TIMELINE:
4 weeks 2023
My Challenge
How might we improve OnePay’s app to empower young adults in managing their finances, support saving and spending goals, and enhance their financial well-being?
One Pay's Original Design
*Note: OnePay has since updated their app. This case study reflects the version available at the time of this project.
My Research
Given the time constraints of this project, I had to find the most effective research method to gather information quickly. I learned 80% of users seek data in familiar locations and all 5 of my testers encountered difficulties in the first 60 seconds.
This is what I learned from my usability interviews:
This is what I learned from my usability interviews:
- Payments weren't discoverable.
- Recurring transfers felt hidden.
- Spending insights were not available.
- Recurring transfers felt hidden.
- Spending insights were not available.
My Decisions
Credit Line Payments weren't discoverable.
I made the top features more discoverable on the homepage.
Why I designed it this way.
Users got frustrated spending a lot of time looking for where to make payments, sometimes abandoning the task altogether.
I made the top features more discoverable on the homepage.
Why I designed it this way.
Users got frustrated spending a lot of time looking for where to make payments, sometimes abandoning the task altogether.
Recurring transfers felt hidden.
Along with keeping them on the homepage, I added recurring transfers on the screen each partipicant searched for it, the screen the money lives.
Why I designed it this way.
I followed the participants lead and dropped the feature into their natural thought process.
Along with keeping them on the homepage, I added recurring transfers on the screen each partipicant searched for it, the screen the money lives.
Why I designed it this way.
I followed the participants lead and dropped the feature into their natural thought process.
Spending insights were not available.
I designed a new Trends screen, spending broken down by category in a pie chart, that didn't exist in the original app.
Why I designed it this way.
I used the app's original language, the pie chart icon, and repurposed it to house the new Spending Trends screen.
I designed a new Trends screen, spending broken down by category in a pie chart, that didn't exist in the original app.
Why I designed it this way.
I used the app's original language, the pie chart icon, and repurposed it to house the new Spending Trends screen.
After my redesign, I asked the same 5 participants to perform the same tasks I originally asked them to perform. They completed the tasks 53% faster, in under 30 seconds, than their pre-redesign attempt.
My Retrospective
This project highlighted how strongly users lean on familiar ways of thinking about money when using new or complex systems. The redesign solved a lot of the "Where do I find this?" problems, but also revealed opportunities to further explore different layouts and prioritization approaches before landing on a final version.
I'd expand usability testing to better understand why certain behaviors surfaced, such as confusion between savings accounts and actionable options. These moments weren't about missing features, they pointed to opportunities to make intent and intuitiveness clearer.
Ultimately, this project reinforced that financial tools, especially for those still building financial independence, are most effective when they reduce decision fatigue by matching the way users already think about money rather than forcing them to adapt to how a system is built.
I'd expand usability testing to better understand why certain behaviors surfaced, such as confusion between savings accounts and actionable options. These moments weren't about missing features, they pointed to opportunities to make intent and intuitiveness clearer.
Ultimately, this project reinforced that financial tools, especially for those still building financial independence, are most effective when they reduce decision fatigue by matching the way users already think about money rather than forcing them to adapt to how a system is built.