The Design Team
Maria José Alonso
Jahdiel Maestre-Ruperto
Veronica Barau
Dejean
Dejean
Molly Singer
Crystal Diaz
It is mainly utilized by young adults and is consistently one of the most popular options for transactions between peers in app stores. Users often remark that its ease of use and minimal design lend themselves favorably to customer retention over similar apps.
One area where the app has been found lacking is the limited ability to split costs between large groups. Customers using Cash App typically find workarounds to share a bill when they participate in social events like dining or recurring payments like rent. This leaves users frustrated and confused when it comes time to pay the bill.
So we asked ourselves...how might we create a feature that simplifies and streamlines the action of splitting bills between friends and family on Cash App?
We wanted to understand how users split a bill within a group through mobile payment apps like Cash App. We conducted several research methods to familiarize ourselves with user habits and preferences.
To learn more about the mobile payment app market and what features were valuable to consumers, we each were assigned an app to research in more detail. We examined the unique attributes of each app and reviews in the app store and weighed the pros and cons. This research would later aid when we came together to create the competitive analysis by giving us an idea of attributes that are present or missing from Cash App compared to other similar bank apps.
In developing the SWOT analysis, we found that Cash App has the benefit of a minimalist interface that users found familiar, as well as additional banking features like a debit card and investing. However, regarding bill splitting, competitor apps like Zelle have made the process much more convenient for their users by making it a dedicated element while having many of the same qualities. Cash App relies on workarounds to accomplish the same.
Through surveying 30 users, we found what mobile payment apps are popular and what features entice users to keep returning to the apps. We also identified pain points while navigating these apps and the changes they would like to see to improve usability.
Q: What difficulties do you face when splitting transactions?
"Doing the math on the spot, I am overwhelmed and out and about. I can’t handle dividing the subtotal, the gratuity tip, the menu items that were shared if any, etc."
Q: What would make your bill-splitting process easier?
"We usually have to calculate the amount ourselves, but I guess it would be nice if the app had a feature where we can enter the amount and it automatically calculates the amount based on the number of people you're splitting the bill with."
After conducting the user survey, our next step was synthesizing the information through affinity mapping. Collecting similar responses, we developed insights and we had a clearer picture of a potential user and what their desired outcome should be when using Cash App.
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Some insights that validated our assumptions:
‣ Users want clarity in which cost is associated with each person.
‣ Users want flexibility in deciding the number of people who pay and how much they pay.
‣ An intuitive and sleek app that requires minimal information and fewer steps to complete is what users find most convenient.
‣ Users feel overwhelmed and irritated by having to calculate gratuity and tax in dining situations.
‣ They have a difficult time dividing the total based on what each person ordered.
To be sure our potential design solution was going to address the correct pain points, we mapped each step of a user attending a group dining event where bill splitting would be necessary. By anticipating a user's feelings and needs from the moment they step into the restaurant to receiving the bill, we could find opportunities to improve their experience.
Using the information provided by the previous research methods, we created two personas we felt encompassed the users with whom we spoke. Our first persona focuses on users who frequently bill split, value convenience, and don't want to get stuck calculating bills. Our second persona addresses another kind of user that is careful with spending, values organization, and tracks payments they split.
These personas guided our approach; we knew the main problems we wanted to address were ease of use, convenience, and organization while bill splitting.
From preliminary sketches to the final screens, we concentrated on maintaining an easy-to-follow flow that would not leave users confused or frustrated. We wanted our bill-splitting feature to resemble a natural inclusion that wasn't out of place amongst Cash App's other features.
Initially, in brainstorming sessions, the bill-splitting process involved a group card that users could collectively deposit money into and use in group outings. However, we quickly realized that it added an extra barrier for users that lacked convenience. We instead turned to a more straightforward process where the user could begin the bill-splitting process by simply pressing a dedicated icon on the home screen.
We also made several iterations of a flow to track group payments. Many of our initial drafts had complex elements that strayed from the purposefully minimal visuals on the rest of the app.
We wanted to include a high level of organization options without overwhelming the users with visual clutter. We resolved this by finding a balance and intuitively hiding options to keep the illusion of simplicity while maintaining the flexibility of personalization for users that wanted to explore these additional options.
After usability tests, we refined the designs to reflect user expectations; this often involved highlighting actions that the user wasn't noticing and aligning elements on the screen so that they were cohesive and easy to understand at every step. Through carefully placed colors, buttons, and prompts, we made sure there was no place where the user stalled trying to figure out the next step.
Because we were working with an existing product, we stuck closely to the brand's parameters. The team studied the app at length so we could properly utilize the elements in a way that was familiar to users and would not disrupt the flow of the app.
Buttons, menus, and similar components were some of the novel elements we had to create for our bill-splitting flow; we went through many iterations until we made a final version that matched closely with the app's current visuals.
When our work was usability tested, what seemed obvious to us would not be to users. We learned to filter out unnecessary elements and highlight others unintentionally overlooked. In its most recent form, we think we've accomplished a flow that allows the user flexibility and confidence in bill splitting within the app.
With more testing, we can continue to refine the experience so that there are no points of confusion for the large variety of users that find the feature essential to their lives.
