De-risking Product Investment: Validating "Quick Pay"
How research validated real demand, refined the product direction, and saved development effort focusing on true customer needs.
Client
Virgin Money | ME Bank | Bank of Queensland
Role
Lead Researcher | Product Designer
Scope
End to End Usability Testing | Design Iteration Based on Insights I Final Design Handover
Tools
Figma | Dovetail | Jira | Miro | Confluence | Sketch
Stakeholders
Development Lead | Product Team | Design Lead
/ Context
Frequent Payments, Friction-Filled Flow
The team identified a friction point for users who make repeat payments to the same individuals. The proposed Quick Pay feature aimed to simplify this by allowing users to save payment details and reuse them for faster one-off transactions.
5
Complex Products, 3 Brands, 2 Platforms
10
%
Of Digital Bank Complaints Were Related to Bonus Interest
30
%
Of These Complaints Were from Virgin Money
70
%
Of These Complaints Were from MyBOQ App
How might we simplify frequent payments to the same person when amounts or timing can’t be fixed?
/ Discovery
Validating Assumptions through Research
I planned and led end-to-end user research to test interest, behaviours, and usability for the proposed feature.
Participant Recruitment: Created screeners and recruited 6 participants through ChitChat.
Testing Set Up: Prepared Dovetail templates and moderation guide for consistent testing.
Moderated Testing for Real-Time Insight
I facilitated all sessions and gathered qualitative feedback to understand:
- How often users repeat payments and to whom.
- What features they value in managing payees.
- Their concerns about saving payment data.
Customers find Bonus Interest criteria difficult to understand.
Pain Point
Clearer communication and easier access to criteria will help users qualify, reducing support queries and improving satisfaction.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t know which criteria they haven’t met.
Pain Point
A visual progress tracker will clarify unmet criteria, leading to higher engagement and completion rates.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t understand why pending transactions are excluded.
Pain Point
In-app messaging on transaction status will reduce confusion and related support queries.
Hypothesis
Customers lack timely updates on their progress.
Pain Point
Real-time notifications and progress updates will help users track completion, improving success rates.
Hypothesis
Prototyping: Designed alternative flows in Figma to evaluate usability and gather user feedback.
Stakeholder Collaboration: I then worked closely with stakeholders to align expectations and secure buy-in.
Synthesis
Post-research, I tagged and analysed insights in Dovetail, validating hypotheses and surfacing new needs. The user research revealed several insights that shifted our focus:
Users didn’t perceive strong value in the proposed Quick Pay feature. The time savings were minimal compared to their usual flow, and since these payments weren’t frequent, the extra steps didn’t feel burdensome. Instead, users preferred the ability to pin favourite payees within the address book for quicker access when needed.
/ Design
Pivoting Based on Real User Needs
Research revealed that users didn’t want to save fixed payments or create favourites. They simply wanted the app to remember who they paid last.
This led us to shift focus from the proposed Quick Pay to enhancing the Recent Payees feature within the Address Book—creating a more flexible and intuitive flow.
Hover over the arrows to explore key improvements.
Before
After
/ Expected Impact (Post-Launch Metrics)
-
Fewer Support Queries to Call Centre
+
Positive Shifts in App Ratings for All Brands
+
Consistent Tracker Engagement
+
Feature Adoption at Launch
/ Reflection
Aligning Across Stakeholders
Working with many stakeholders—some unfamiliar with the product—highlighted the need for clear, intentional communication. I learned to balance user needs with business goals while navigating complexity.
Designing for Simplicity
I found that product complexity often resisted change. Through this, I learned to advocate for simplicity—not just in the interface, but in the conversations—anchoring decisions in user clarity.
Navigating Conflict Constructively
When a peer reworked my design post-approval, I addressed it directly and respectfully. Escalating when needed, I stayed focused on outcomes, ensuring alignment and delivery without losing trust.
De-risking Product Investment: Validating "Quick Pay"
How research validated real demand, refined the product direction, and saved development effort focusing on true customer needs.
Client
Virgin Money | ME Bank | Bank of Queensland
Role
Lead Researcher | Product Designer
Scope
End to End Usability Testing | Design Iteration Based on Insights I Final Design Handover
Tools
Figma | Dovetail | Jira | Miro | Confluence | Sketch
Stakeholders
Development Lead | Product Team | Design Lead
/ Context
Frequent Payments, Friction-Filled Flow
The team identified a friction point for users who make repeat payments to the same individuals. The proposed Quick Pay feature aimed to simplify this by allowing users to save payment details and reuse them for faster one-off transactions.
5
Complex Products, 3 Brands, 2 Platforms
10
%
Of Digital Bank Complaints Were Related to Bonus Interest
30
%
Of These Complaints Were from Virgin Money
70
%
Of These Complaints Were from MyBOQ App
How might we simplify frequent payments to the same person when amounts or timing can’t be fixed?
/ Discovery
Validating Assumptions through Research
I planned and led end-to-end user research to test interest, behaviours, and usability for the proposed feature.
Participant Recruitment: Created screeners and recruited 6 participants through ChitChat.
Testing Set Up: Prepared Dovetail templates and moderation guide for consistent testing.
Moderated Testing for Real-Time Insight
I facilitated all sessions and gathered qualitative feedback to understand:
- How often users repeat payments and to whom.
- What features they value in managing payees.
- Their concerns about saving payment data.
Customers find Bonus Interest criteria difficult to understand.
Pain Point
Clearer communication and easier access to criteria will help users qualify, reducing support queries and improving satisfaction.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t know which criteria they haven’t met.
Pain Point
A visual progress tracker will clarify unmet criteria, leading to higher engagement and completion rates.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t understand why pending transactions are excluded.
Pain Point
In-app messaging on transaction status will reduce confusion and related support queries.
Hypothesis
Customers lack timely updates on their progress.
Pain Point
Real-time notifications and progress updates will help users track completion, improving success rates.
Hypothesis
Prototyping: Designed alternative flows in Figma to evaluate usability and gather user feedback.
Stakeholder Collaboration: I then worked closely with stakeholders to align expectations and secure buy-in.
Synthesis
Post-research, I tagged and analysed insights in Dovetail, validating hypotheses and surfacing new needs. The user research revealed several insights that shifted our focus:
Users didn’t perceive strong value in the proposed Quick Pay feature. The time savings were minimal compared to their usual flow, and since these payments weren’t frequent, the extra steps didn’t feel burdensome. Instead, users preferred the ability to pin favourite payees within the address book for quicker access when needed.
/ Design
Pivoting Based on Real User Needs
Research revealed that users didn’t want to save fixed payments or create favourites. They simply wanted the app to remember who they paid last.
This led us to shift focus from the proposed Quick Pay to enhancing the Recent Payees feature within the Address Book—creating a more flexible and intuitive flow.
Hover over the arrows to explore key improvements.
Before
After
/ Expected Impact (Post-Launch Metrics)
-
Brands Evolved Through Strategic Design
+
Positive Shifts in App Ratings for All Brands
+
Consistent Tracker Engagement
+
Feature Adoption at Launch
/ Reflection
Aligning Across Stakeholders
Working with many stakeholders—some unfamiliar with the product—highlighted the need for clear, intentional communication. I learned to balance user needs with business goals while navigating complexity.
Designing for Simplicity
I found that product complexity often resisted change. Through this, I learned to advocate for simplicity—not just in the interface, but in the conversations—anchoring decisions in user clarity.
Navigating Conflict Constructively
When a peer reworked my design post-approval, I addressed it directly and respectfully. Escalating when needed, I stayed focused on outcomes, ensuring alignment and delivery without losing trust.
De-risking Product Investment: Validating "Quick Pay"
How research validated real demand, refined the product direction, and saved development effort focusing on true customer needs.
Client
Virgin Money | ME Bank | Bank of Queensland
Role
Lead Researcher | Product Designer
Scope
End to End Usability Testing | Design Iteration Based on Insights I Final Design Handover
Tools
Figma | Dovetail | Jira | Miro | Confluence | Sketch
Stakeholders
Development Lead | Product Team | Design Lead
/ Context
Frequent Payments, Friction-Filled Flow
The team identified a friction point for users who make repeat payments to the same individuals. The proposed Quick Pay feature aimed to simplify this by allowing users to save payment details and reuse them for faster one-off transactions.
5
Complex Products, 3 Brands, 2 Platforms
10
%
Of Digital Bank Complaints Were Related to Bonus Interest
30
%
Of These Complaints Were from Virgin Money
70
%
Of These Complaints Were from MyBOQ App
How might we simplify frequent payments to the same person when amounts or timing can’t be fixed?
/ Discovery
Validating Assumptions through Research
I planned and led end-to-end user research to test interest, behaviours, and usability for the proposed feature.
Participant Recruitment: Created screeners and recruited 6 participants through ChitChat.
Testing Set Up: Prepared Dovetail templates and moderation guide for consistent testing.
Moderated Testing for Real-Time Insight
I facilitated all sessions and gathered qualitative feedback to understand:
- How often users repeat payments and to whom.
- What features they value in managing payees.
- Their concerns about saving payment data.
Customers find Bonus Interest criteria difficult to understand.
Pain Point
Clearer communication and easier access to criteria will help users qualify, reducing support queries and improving satisfaction.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t know which criteria they haven’t met.
Pain Point
A visual progress tracker will clarify unmet criteria, leading to higher engagement and completion rates.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t understand why pending transactions are excluded.
Pain Point
In-app messaging on transaction status will reduce confusion and related support queries.
Hypothesis
Customers lack timely updates on their progress.
Pain Point
Real-time notifications and progress updates will help users track completion, improving success rates.
Hypothesis
Prototyping: Designed alternative flows in Figma to evaluate usability and gather user feedback.
Stakeholder Collaboration: I then worked closely with stakeholders to align expectations and secure buy-in.
Synthesis
Post-research, I tagged and analysed insights in Dovetail, validating hypotheses and surfacing new needs. The user research revealed several insights that shifted our focus:
Users didn’t perceive strong value in the proposed Quick Pay feature. The time savings were minimal compared to their usual flow, and since these payments weren’t frequent, the extra steps didn’t feel burdensome. Instead, users preferred the ability to pin favourite payees within the address book for quicker access when needed.
/ Design
Pivoting Based on Real User Needs
Research revealed that users didn’t want to save fixed payments or create favourites. They simply wanted the app to remember who they paid last.
This led us to shift focus from the proposed Quick Pay to enhancing the Recent Payees feature within the Address Book—creating a more flexible and intuitive flow.
Hover over the arrows to explore key improvements.
Before
After
/ Expected Impact (Post-Launch Metrics)
-
Fewer Support Queries to Call Centre
+
Positive Shifts in App Ratings for All Brands
+
Consistent Tracker Engagement
+
Feature Adoption at Launch
/ Reflection
Aligning Across Stakeholders
Working with many stakeholders—some unfamiliar with the product—highlighted the need for clear, intentional communication. I learned to balance user needs with business goals while navigating complexity.
Designing for Simplicity
I found that product complexity often resisted change. Through this, I learned to advocate for simplicity—not just in the interface, but in the conversations—anchoring decisions in user clarity.
Navigating Conflict Constructively
When a peer reworked my design post-approval, I addressed it directly and respectfully. Escalating when needed, I stayed focused on outcomes, ensuring alignment and delivery without losing trust.