Venmo Split
Adding a Split Pay Feature to Venmo
project overview
roles
timeline
UX Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
80 hours
tools
Figma
Maze
problem
"Soo.. how should we split the bill?" is a question that almost always comes up when a group of friends share one tab. Venmo offers a feature to split expenses among multiple people, but the process of selecting the right individuals, especially on a trip, can be time consuming.
I experienced this first hand during a trip with friends, where I had to repeatedly pick the same people from a long list each time we split payments, which made the process more tedious.
solution
I developed a product designed to simplify the process of splitting payments among multiple parties, so you can skip the spreadsheets, notes app, and the whole "winging it" thing.
01 background
Venmo is a peer-to-peer payment platform that enables secure money transfers. The social aspect includes friends and connections adding emojis and comments to each transaction to make the transferring process more interactive. Venmo is commonly used to split bills among friends by paying or requesting each person.
research goals
We want to know what current Venmo users' needs and frustrations are so that we understand what will help split their payments easier and save more time.
research objectives
Understand why users prefer Venmo over other mobile payment services
Learn if there are any challenges with the app
Identify how often users use the app
02 discover
I researched other mobile payment services to compare what features they have for P2P services.
Venmo sets itself apart with its social aspect of money transfers. I aimed to retain this social element while making the split payment process more efficient and practical.
user research
I wanted to know the frustrations and most asked questions during the payment splitting process.
I conducted user interviews to determine how users split their payments of groups of 3+ people.
key takeaways
75% of participants said that keeping track of expenses between friends is the biggest challenge
100% of participants said that splitting the bill down the middle is the most convenient way to split the bill
75% of participants said that they would like to have automated calculations when splitting an expense amongst a group of people
03 define
The primary challenge was finding the most convenient method to calculate the expenses.
How can we streamline the process to reduce the time users spend searching for friends, inputting the amount and description, and making payments or requests to their friends?
pov & hmw
In order to address the question, I created a POV and HMW statement to better understand the user's viewpoint.
POV #1:
As a person taking care of the group bill, I want to be able to efficiently request expenses from my friends with accuracy.
​
How might we...
Find a method to easily calculate and split the bill between friends.
Minimize the amount of steps needed to get the total expense for each person in the group.
user persona
In order to gain insight into user needs, I developed user personas to ensure that the final product aligns with and addresses user requirements and expectations.
With these personas, I can empathize with the user and start creating solutions for them.
user & task flows
In order to illustrate the user's path within the product, I developed user and task flows to ensure that these pathways are both intuitive and efficient.
These flows aid in visualizing the routes that will guide users to complete the task in the most efficient manner.
04 develop
I developed wireframes to provide a visual representation of the product's flows from a functional perspective.
mid-fidelity wireframes
I began with mid-fidelity wireframes to define the structure while maintaining consistency with the brand design.
Establishing the core structure of the product enabled me to grasp and visualize the user flows, allowing me to identify any additional elements necessary for efficient payment splitting.
high-fidelity wireframes
I proceeded with creating high-fidelity wireframes that helped to visualize the flows in a more vivid way.
Using these high-fidelity wireframes, I initiated usability testing to assess whether users could successfully accomplish their tasks.
usability testing
100% direct success rate
4.5 average rate out of 5 in terms of navigation flow
I also observed in the test results that all participants immediately gravitated toward the "pay/request" button to initiate a new group. This insight highlighted the convenience associated with making payments or requests to individuals or groups.
design iterations
Incorporating the feedback I received, I made revisions to the frame and flow to establish a more seamless transfer process.
Rather than requiring the user to access their profile to create a group, I made changes to the frames so that they are directly led to the "Pay/Request" option, where they have the choice to either transfer money to an individual or create a group.
final prototype
I developed a prototype to demonstrate the end product, emphasizing the efficiency of group payments.
Create a group and send a payment request
next steps
Add more key features
To develop an MVP, I left out extra functionalities that users requested during the user research, such as the ability to split payments into four installments for larger transfers.
