Redesigning Payments to Drive Card Usage and Retention
Led end-to-end design of Sezzle Balance, driving $2.27M in deposits in 2 weeks through a compliant payment experience. Improved retention and card usage by simplifying how users manage their Payment Methods.
Timeline
Nov 2024 – Present
Contribution
UX Research, UI Design, Prototype Testing
My Role
Lead Product Designer
Main project view - Final design
Overview
Sezzle needed to remove credit and debit cards from scheduled payments due to Visa regulations, risking a sharp drop in user engagement. I led the redesign of the Payment Methods section and launched Sezzle Balance, a compliant wallet that allowed users to load funds and continue using cards.
By collaborating with product, engineering, legal, and marketing, we created intuitive flows that increased trust and conversion, all under tight time constraints.
The Challenge
Visa’s updated policy forced Sezzle to remove credit and debit cards from scheduled payments, putting user trust, retention, and card usage at risk. We needed to redesign the Payment Methods experience quickly to support compliance without confusing users or disrupting activation.
- Offer a compliant path for users to keep using their cards
- Reduce time when updating or adding a payment method
- Clarify available payment options without adding friction
- Increase retention with minimal onboarding effort
Before and After
Before
After
Process and Solution
My approach involved a comprehensive design process:
Research and Discovery
Reviewed payment flows, audited the UI, and conducted user interviews. Insights included:
- 36% of users already save for purchases; 30% don’t plan
- Confusion about card restrictions
- Flows were too nested, with too many unclear steps
We also benchmarked tools like Klarna, revealing that excessive information and non-editable data hurt comprehension.
Information Architecture
Simplified the structure of payment types. Introduced clearer separation between cards and banks, and reduced the number of steps to switch or update methods.
Wireframing and Prototyping
Created and tested prototypes for:
- Entry points (Account tab, Pay Now, Add Money)
- New loading funds flow
Tested internally before and after launch. User feedback helped validate entry points and flow clarity.
Visual Design
Applied visual hierarchy and iconography to differentiate payment types. Used familiar UI patterns to preserve trust and improve clarity.
Added clearer microcopy to help users navigate the new flows with confidence. Image suggestion: Final UI screens showing card vs. bank separation and action buttons (Edit, Add, Delete).
Results and Impact
Added to Sezzle Balance in 2 weeks
Balance loads + 1,100 payments/hr
Payment setup time with clearer flows
Engagement and trust through visual clarity
The redesign allowed Sezzle to maintain card usage, improve conversion among underbanked users, and launch a compliant, interest-generating wallet with minimal disruption.
Learnings and Takeaways
- Breaking complex regulation-based flows into familiar, simple actions helped users regain trust faster.
- Early visual validation and copy testing made a difference in reducing confusion post-launch.
- Tight collaboration across Product, Legal, and Engineering was essential to move fast without compromising clarity.
Continue Exploring