Introduction

Imagine how convenient it would be if we could simply take a picture of our receipt and let a smart scanning technology effortlessly calculate the total price for us. Gone would be the days of manually adding up all the items and double-checking the math awkwardly at the end of dinner. With this innovative design, we could save precious time and eliminate any calculation errors. No more hassle, no more headaches - just a quick snap, and your receipt will be instantly transformed into an accurate summary of your purchases.

Scope

UIUX Designer, UX Researcher

Timeline

2 weeks

Tools

Figma, Figjam, Discord

Problem

DESPITE EASE OF TRANSFERING MONEY WITH FRIENDS, CALCULATING IS STILL A HASSLE

Calculating the bill and individually requesting money from each person can be incredibly annoying and time-consuming when trying to ensure everyone pays their fair share. It's a never-ending loop of calculations, text messages, and reminders, as the quest for reimbursement continues. It's time we find a more effortless and efficient way to settle bills and save ourselves the hassle and frustration.

Research

  • We want to know how to further enhance Venmo for higher efficiency and effectiveness.

    • What are some challenges that users face when using Venmo currently?

    • How relevant or important is Venmo in user’s daily routine?

    • What are some behaviors that users do separately from Venmo that can be implemented into Venmo?

User research

To better understand Venmo’s target user experience, I interviewed 5 Venmo users.

Insight

  • Two participants shared their appreciation for Venmo’s QR code system where requesters can show their QR codes to the payers for money back.

  • All participants shared that their main use of Venmo is to pay friends back easily, especially those living out with friends (pay rent).

  • Three participants shared that they use similar products to Venmo but would still use Venmo due to its high popularity amongst friends.

  • Some participants shared that it’s hard to calculate while others shared that they forget to requests money due to delaying the calculations.

Competitive Analysis

Define

I decided to use an affinity map to better help define our problem.

Affinity Map Synthesis Debrief

  • A common pain point that participants expressed is the prioritization of the transactions. Some expressed indifference while others expressed a strong need.

  • The main use of Venmo for users is to either request or pay a friend back.

  • A behavior that the majority of the participants elicit is confirmation of their payments.

  • Most participants frequently use Venmo due to its efficiency and convenience.

User persona

I created a user persona to better define who our target audience is: Gen Z young adults.

HMW

After defining user problems, I’ve generated two “How might we” statements to align user problems with design solutions.

Design

Since Venmo is an already developed product, I dedicated my time to creating a task flow where users could try out using Receipt it! incorporated into Venmo. In addition, users can view their receipts for tax purposes.

Flow Chart

Prototyping

LO-FI Wireframes + testing

  • Participants expressed their concern for the tip % and tax % being equally split when they didn’t order the same amount of food

  • Participants expressed interest in this feature and that it could fit into their daily routines

  • Participants also expressed their appreciation for receipts saved so that they can refer back to it when they need it for tax purposes.

  • Participants are concerned they might not be able to find the Saved receipts button.

HI-FI PROTOTYPE + TESTING

  • Two participants demonstrated a disorganized flow and expressed that first-time users may have difficulty finding the “see receipts” button. Check out for accessibility as well (color scheme).

  • Majority of the participants exhibited interest in the concept and design, especially the automatic calculator.

Iterations

Button Color Change

Many participants skipped over the button because there was not enough contrast. Therefore, changing the color to blue will capture the users eye.

Cancel confirmation

Participants expressed their accident prone cancellation and would appreciate a cancel confirmation.

Trashcan Icons!

There may be unwanted receipts that could clutter their inventory! With the addition of the trashcan icons and delete confirmation, users can now manually delete receipts that they accidentally saved.

Introducing Receipt it!

THE FINAL DESIGN

Receipt it!

With a simple scan using our smartphones, advanced technology now enables us to swiftly and accurately divide expenses among multiple individuals. This newfound convenience not only saves us valuable time but also eliminates the hassle of manual calculations prone to human error. Overall, the ability to scan receipts for automatic bill splitting will bring tremendous ease and efficiency to our modern lives.

View Saved Receipts

Scanning receipts allows us to store a digital record of our expenses, making it easier to track and manage our finances.

Reflection

Here are my learnings during this case study:

  • 🔗Challenges: Designing this app following the product’s brand style was definitely a struggle! It was definitely due to my inexperience, but Venmo is able to make complicated design seem simple! Another challenge that I faced was

  • ✍Learnings: Design features! Despite it being challenging, I was ready to learn and recreate the model. Copying made me realize the numerous techniques integrated that I never knew before!

  • 💡Opportunities: With this feature, I was able to learn new techniques that I can incorporate into upcoming projects to deliver even more impact!

  • ◀️ Looking back: As I grow as a designer, this case study has taught me a few things:

    • Business impact versus investment growth: while this feature add-on seem so innovative, Venmo would be reluctant to fully commit to this initiative as there are apprehensions about incurring substantial loss without the assurance of achieving high customer/user impact.

    • Dividing equally may not be suitable for most situations and custom tip divisions may incur more work.