“It was tough to adapt for new flow, but we did it”
Stepping Into role
As the lead UX designer, I owned the end-to-end experience, from initial research and stakeholder alignment through design, delivery, and post-launch tracking. My responsibilities included defining the problem with cross-functional partners, executing the UX process across all five stages, and communicating findings to shape not only experience but also the product strategy itself. The work extended beyond interface crafting, requiring user advocacy in business discussions, deep collaboration with engineers, and active prioritisation as constraints surfaced.
Framing the Challenge: What Really Needed Fixing
My primary task centred on reframing the onboarding and purchase flow for PAYTAIL's core audience: first-time and returning shoppers. The objective was to optimise three metrics: onboarding completion rate, credit offer uptake, and retention by removing cognitive roadblocks and making the value proposition tangible at key journey points.
The challenge deepened during the discovery stage. Research interviews and in-store observations revealed that trust gaps, apprehension over digital KYC, and inconsistent merchant guidance were stalling sign-ups. Additionally, legacy design decisions had introduced unnecessary steps, forcing users to navigate through generic screens rather than providing context-aware prompts. My mandate was thus to bridge these emotional and functional gaps, aligning business outcomes with genuine user empowerment through a new, research-driven, and testable UX strategy.
Getting Close to the Ground Truth
Spent time in stores across Gurugram, where the fundamental interactions occur, observing customers as they navigate the purchase process with merchants. These field observations revealed patterns that desk research couldn't capture: the hesitation when merchants explained digital KYC, the way customers relied on shopkeepers to validate the legitimacy of the service, and the specific moments when trust either built or broke down. I documented these micro-interactions, noting not only what users said but also their body language and the environmental factors that influenced their comfort levels.
The in-store research resulted in eight detailed user interviews, during which I probed deeper into the emotional and practical barriers. One insight stood out immediately: users weren't rejecting the service because they didn't understand it, but because the current flow made them feel like they were signing up for something bigger and riskier than a simple purchase assistant. This realisation shifted my entire approach from explaining features to designing for confidence.
When Data Challenged Everything
Armed with these insights, I facilitated workshops with product managers, engineers, and business stakeholders to challenge our existing assumptions about user behaviour. The most significant revelation was that our KYC placement was fundamentally misaligned with user mental models. We had front-loaded verification steps assuming efficiency, but users interpreted this as premature commitment to an unknown service.
Working closely with the product team, I mapped the current user journey against emotional states, identifying seven critical friction points where users experienced doubt or confusion. The engineering team initially pushed back on restructuring the KYC flow, citing backend complexity, but I presented user recordings that demonstrated how the current sequence was actively damaging conversion. This evidence shifted the conversation from technical convenience to user reality.
Made Paperless Cash
Easy with Paytail
PAYTAIL a digital platform facilitating instant credit for retail purchases in tier-two and tier-three cities, where traditional credit access is limited.
⭐️ Product Designer
Creative Direction
Interaction
Illustration
Identity
Experience
Interaction
App Downloads
28K - 63K
Repeat Customer
17% Up
Credit Offer
Upto ₹65 Cr Loan
Journey Begins
When I joined the PAYTAIL , the product was at a pivotal juncture and business had a clear mandate: simplify the buy-now-pay-later experience to improve adoption rates among semi-urban, digitally cautious users, while reducing onboarding friction for merchants.From the outset, it was evident that the end users had varied familiarity with digital financial products and high expectations of trust and clarity. The competitive landscape was intensifying, and the product's value proposition needed sharper differentiation to win user confidence and repeat usage.
What changed for users and the business ?
The redesigned PAYTAIL onboarding and purchase flow produced immediate, tangible results. Onboarding completion rates rose by 22% within the first three months of rollout, with notable improvement among first-time users in smaller towns. Credit offer uptake increased by 15%, reflecting higher user confidence and clarity in accepting offers. Most importantly, retention among new users doubled in our target segment, reducing early drop-off that had plagued the previous design.
User feedback validated the approach. Customers described the experience using words like "straightforward," "less risky," and "easy to follow." Merchants reported fewer troubleshooting calls and felt more empowered thanks to improved training materials. These outcomes aligned with the business goals of wider adoption and higher engagement, and also signalled a shift: PAYTAIL was now viewed as a partner in everyday purchases, not just another fintech product promoting debt.
Not everything went according to plan
One unexpected insight was how much users leaned on merchants not just for help, but for reassurance. They didn't just want answers; they wanted to feel guided. That shifted my focus: empowering merchants wasn't just about providing support; it was about building trust and confidence. I also learned users valued transparency and control far more than speed or high limits. Early on, pushing promotions backfired; people grew suspicious rather than excited. And while I assumed digital nudges could replace in-person advice, users continued to turn to real people. The lesson? No matter how polished the interface, some friction only dissolves when digital design works hand-in-hand with human presence and physical cues.
Building Bridges: Collaboration That Made the Difference
Throughout the process, I maintained regular alignment sessions with engineering to ensure design feasibility without compromising user needs. When technical limitations arose, I sought creative solutions rather than simply accepting constraints. For example, when real-time credit scoring proved technically challenging, I designed a fallback experience that felt equally seamless, despite operating on delayed processing.
The relationship with the business team required careful balance. I regularly presented user insights demonstrating how UX improvements directly supported revenue goals.
Simplified complex financial info for users
Reduced KYC drop-off rates
Empowered merchants to educate and troubleshoot easily
Goals
Challenging Scenarios
Why Merchant Support wasn’t Enough
Trust Gaps
Digital KYC felt like "premature commitment" no amount of verbal reassurance could fix what the UI communicated
Generic, Context-less Screens
UI didn't explain "why now" or "what value" left users feeling like they were signing up for something bigger than intended
Over-reliance on Human Support
Merchants became emotional crutches for broken UX—users trusted people, not the product
Misaligned Mental Models
Users wanted "try before you commit," but flow demanded commitment upfront support couldn't bridge that gap
User Journey : When Support Isn’t Enough
Action
Customer enters store, select products, approaches checkout
Touchpoint
Merchant introduces
Paytail as payment option
"Is this safe? I've never done this before"
Initial Encounter
Digital
KYC
Trust Breakdown
Merchant
Intervention
Abandonment
Barrier
Users rely on merchant validation; inconsistent guidance stalls progress
Insight
Generic screens, unclear value proposition trigger doubt
"This feels bigger and riskier than I expected"
Action
Merchant attempts to explain benefits, shows example, reassures about security
Reality
Support helps, but doesn’t address root cause; UI still feels risky and complex
"The shopkeeper is nice, but I still don't feel sure about this"
Action
User decides to use alternate payment; exits Paytail onboarding
Reality
Lost conversion : merchant support alone couldn't overcome design friction
"Maybe next time. I'll just pay with my card today"
Action
User prompted to provide personal details and documentation
"Why do they need all this before I even try it?"
Emotional State
Hesitation increases; feels like "premature commitment"
Curious
Anxious
Doubtful
Abandoned
Uncertain
KYC Drop off Rate
38%
Incomplete Onboarding
52%
User Left Despite Support
67%
Making Tough Choices
The design phase required constant negotiation between user needs and business constraints. My approach centred on progressive disclosure, revealing complexity only when users had already experienced value. I redesigned the onboarding flow to prioritise immediate utility: users could complete a purchase with minimal information and opt into a full account setup only after experiencing the service's benefits.
The most challenging design decision involved communicating the credit limit. Initial concepts employed celebratory language and large numbers, but usability testing revealed that this approach created anxiety rather than excitement. Users worried about debt implications and questioned their eligibility. I iterated toward a more contextual approach, showing credit availability in relation to specific purchases rather than abstract limits. This required significant backend work to calculate dynamic offers, but the user research justified the investment.
Iteration Under Pressure
I conducted three rounds of usability testing with increasingly refined prototypes. The first round revealed fundamental navigation issues that prevented users from distinguishing between account setup and purchase completion. The second round tested revised information architecture, revealing that merchant training materials needed updating to support the new flow. The final round focused on edge cases and error states, where I discovered that our retry mechanisms were creating confusion loops.
Each testing round informed both the digital experience and merchant training protocols. I worked directly with the merchant success team to develop simplified talking points that aligned with the new user flow. This cross-channel approach proved crucial, as users heavily relied on merchant guidance during their initial interaction with the service. The testing also revealed that users valued transparency about fees and repayment terms significantly more than promotional messaging, leading to substantial changes in content strategy.
Reflecting back
This project was as much fun as it was a revelation. The real challenge wasn't just about features or metrics; it was about making something that felt vibrant, inviting, and genuinely delightful to use. With each sketch and test, I learned that fresh design isn't just about a modern look, but about warmth and joy in every interaction. PAYTAIL became a lesson in keeping the experience youthful and loving, always tuned to what brings a smile, not just what drives results.
Copyright © 2025 Kamaljeet Singh. All rights reserved.
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