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Elevating Payment Reporting & Reconciliation Experience

MVP Design and near-term strategy for elevating reconciliation user experience on RippleNet Home

COMPANY

Ripple

TIMELINE

2 Months

(June - August 2023)

TEAM

  • Product Design Intern (Me)

  • UX Research Team

  • Product Manager

  • Design Systems Team

  • Engineering Team

ROLE

  • User Journey

  • Information Architecture

  • MVP Design

  • Prototyping

  • Visual Design

  • Product Strategy

As per the terms of a signed NDA, I am unable to publicly share any project visuals or images. However, I'd be delighted to connect further and discuss the project in detail. Feel free to reach out to initiate a conversation.

Chapter 1: What Went Down

The Reconciliation Saga.

In the realm of modern FinTech, ensuring seamless transactions and accurate record-keeping is a universal challenge. Payment reconciliation, the process of aligning incoming and outgoing funds, has emerged as a critical hurdle for businesses and individuals utilizing innovative payment systems. 

Escalated regulatory oversight, mounting data volumes, and intricate financial products have necessitated the daily operation of numerous reconciliations. Clarity on payments becomes crucial.

​

The path ahead demands a comprehensive approach to addressing the intricate pain points associated with payment reconciliation.

Prompt.

How might we optimize payment reporting and reconciliation customer experience while establishing a centralized repository for accurate and up-to-date payment data

Chapter 2: Reseach Synthesis & Empathy 

Understanding Users.

Collaborating closely with the UX Research team, we meticulously crafted user profiles that capture the diverse spectrum of reconciliation oversight and processes, influenced by factors such as company size.

 

As a result, our design approach needed to seamlessly accommodate this deserving portfolio of users, catering to their unique skill sets and responsibilities.

Chapter 2: Reseach Synthesis & Empathy 

Decoding Pain Points.

To precisely identify the issues, I employed two key strategies:

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  1. Thoroughly reviewed reports from User Experience Research (UXR) and Product Management (PM), which encompassed more than 10 customer product walkthroughs, user interviews, and Product Requirements Documents (PRDs).

  2. Conducted an in-depth analysis of previous design endeavors, both successful and unsuccessful, executed by other designers.

 

By employing these approaches, I successfully distilled the information to outline four core pain points.

01

Inflexible Data Retrieval

Lack of flexible filters, causing inefficiencies in reconciliation efforts.

02

Limited Payment Flow Visibility

Inaccurately assessing transaction details and reconciling funds, hindering decision-making.

03

Manual Data Handling and Repetitive Processes

Daily manual extraction and transformation of data lead to inefficiencies and drain valuable resources

04

Reporting System Rigidity

Customization options are lacking, impacting efficient report generation.

Design Process.

Chapter 3: Crafting Solutions

Solution 
Overview.

Navigating within a limited 2-month timeframe, I strategically deconstructed the solution into four distinct steps. 

​

This approach aimed to address the most easily achievable improvements initially, allowing us to target the low-hanging fruit and make efficient progress.

Optimized Search & Downloading Experience

Introduce minimum effort enhancements for filtering options for data retrieval 

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Automated Reporting Experience

Eliminate manual report generation by implementing automation

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Customization for Tailored Reports

Offer customization options for generating unique, user-specific reports

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Enhanced Payment Flow Visibility

Provide clear visibility into payment flows for accurate reconciliation

Chapter 3: Crafting Solutions - Part 1

Optimized Search & Downloading Experience.

Starting with the low-hanging fruit first,  our primary objective was to swiftly create a solution that required minimal development effort yet produced significant results. During this process, we identified a customer challenge related to the application of filters, leading to delays and inconveniences in retrieving payment data.

​

Presented below is a concise overview of my thought process and the systematic approach I undertook for both conceptualization and execution:

Competitor

Analysis

Moodboard

Whiteboarding

Feature Exploration

Final Output

User Test

Iterations

Feedback Sessions

Chapter 3: Crafting Solutions - Part 2

Reporting & Reconciliation

Project's Phase II involved creating an MVP to streamline payment reconciliation. Currently, the users struggled to find answer to with basic questions like: 

​

  • Where is my money?

  • What’s the status of my payment?

  • What’s my wallet/account balance?

  • What’s the single truth of payment history?

  • How muchdoIowetowho/Whoowesmemoney?

  • How should I split or rebalance the money under different scenarios?

​

We introduced a one-stop solution - the Reporting and Reconciliations page, acting as a unified hub to address diverse payment queries and needs. Here's an overview of the site map's evolution:

Stage 1: Pen & Paper Brainstorming with PM

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback

Stage 2: Whiteboarding, feedback and iterations with the design team

Site Map - Version 1

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback

Stage 3: Wireframes & first draft (MVP)

Chapter 3: Crafting Solutions - Final

Site Map

Here is the comprehensive site map, showcasing both the MVP features and potential future ideas:

Chapter 4: Reflections & Comments

Challenges

01

Understanding the Uncharted

Creating a new flow from scratch within a within a tight timeframe and an industry with no prior experience.

02

Balancing Effort and Impact

Striking equilibrium between building solutions with minimal effort, seamless migration, and yet delivering a substantial transformative impact.

03

Design Complexity

Identifying designs with longer development timelines and evaluating their feasibility within the project's scope.

Chapter 4: Reflections & Comments

Impact & Testimonials

The project proved to be of immense value to Ripple, aligning closely with their long-standing implementation plans. This opportunity allowed me to present my designs to senior leadership, including the CTO, VP of Design, and Director of Strategy. 

​

The final impact can be broadly categorized into 4 points:​​

Approximate 80% reduction in payment data retrieval time through enhanced filtering mechanisms.

Streamlined payment accessibility, minimizing the interaction steps from 15 clicks to just 2 clicks.

Enhanced payment transparency by implementing advanced reporting and automated reconciliations.

Cultivated stronger trust with Ripple, consequently driving substantial customer growth.

I'm writing to kudo Kabeer for his outstanding work on the recent project at Ripple. He joined the team with no prior experience in FinTech or crypto products, but he quickly learned the ropes and made a significant contribution to the project.

Kabeer was proactive and always willing to ask questions and collaborate with stakeholders. He was also very creative and came up with a wide range of design explorations. He was also thorough in socializing the design internally and proposing designs for external user validation.

​

Despite the short timeline, Kabeer was able to wrap up the project in a well-documented and actionable stage. His energy and enthusiasm are a valuable asset to any team, and I'm confident that he will continue to do great things in the design field.

Amy Chiang

Product Design Lead 

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