The document provides ten essential tips for designing effective mobile payment experiences, emphasizing the importance of speed, security, and clear communication. Key recommendations include minimizing data entry, providing constant feedback during transactions, and ensuring user trust through consistent design and functionality. The guide suggests that rewarding users with loyalty incentives can enhance repeated use and engagement with mobile payment systems.

1. UX Design for
Mobile Payment Experiences
10 Tips & Tricks
Skip Allums
UX Lead, Monitise Create
@skippr #mobilepaymentux

3. the
history
of
PAYMENT
TECH
how
mobile payments
ACTUALLY WORK
UX
BEST PRACTICES

4. Available now in print & digital formats:
§ oreilly.com
§ your favorite bookstore
More at:
mobilepaymentux.com

5. Designing Mobile Payment Experiences: 10 Tips & Tricks
1
Your app is not their goal.
Favor speed over spectacle.
2
Payments are a conversation.
Provide constant feedback.
3
Information is power.
Show balances & recent activity.
4
Lock it up.
Users expect security.
5
Expect the unexpected.
Design for error cases.
6
Speak plainly.
Avoid tech jargon.
7
Dress the part.
If something looks odd, users
won’t trust it.
8
Function follows form.
Communicate service necessities.
9
Teach all users.
Instruct consumers, merchants
& support.
10
Award repeated use.
Incentivize with offers & loyalty
points.

6. 1
Your app is not their goal.
Favor speed over spectacle.

7. PLAN
TRAVEL
BROWSE
PURCHASE
TRAVEL
make a
shopping list!
find address
of the store!
arrive at
the store!
look for
needed items!
place them in
the basket
stand in check
out line
pay for
items
load items
on counter
arrive
home

8. 1. Your app is not their goal. Favor speed over spectacle.
Avoid lots of data entry!
Where possible, remove unnecessary fields:
Credit Card Type – Can be parsed from the first one
or two digits of the card number
City, State – Can be determined from the postal code
dunkin donuts

9. 1. Your app is not their goal. Favor speed over spectacle.
Avoid lots of data entry!
Where possible, remove unnecessary fields:
Credit Card Type – Can be parsed from the first one
or two digits of the card number
City, State – Can be determined from the postal code
uber

10. 1. Your app is not their goal. Favor speed over spectacle.
Avoid lots of data entry!
Make use of image recognition (see card.io, jumio) to
allow for quick scanning of credit/debit cards via the
mobile camera
uber

11. 1. Your app is not their goal. Favor speed over spectacle.
Efficient screen flows make
for faster transactions.
Avoid putting the user
through unnecessary menus
in order to initiate a payment.
`

12. 1. Your app is not their goal. Favor speed over spectacle.
Efficient screen flows make
for faster transactions.
Avoid putting the user
through unnecessary menus
in order to initiate a payment.
`

13. 2
Payments are a conversation.
Provide constant feedback.

14. 2. Payments are a conversation. Provide constant feedback.
Hello! Welcome to
Donut Hut. Paying
with cash or card?!
Card please.!
Great. That will
be $79.50.!
!
Paper or plastic?!
I have my own !
bag, thanks.!

15. 2. Payments are a conversation. Provide constant feedback.
Give the user obvious feedback while paying.
This can include animations, visual cues, messaging or audio/haptic
feedback.
softcard aka isis

16. 2. Payments are a conversation. Provide constant feedback.
When possible, show detailed receipts when the payment is over: the card
used, amount, merchant name, date & time, etc.
google wallet

17. 3
Information is power.
Show balances & recent activity.

18. 3. Information is power. Provide balances & recent activity.
Show large, easy to read balances so the user
always knows how much money they have.
Itemized tables of recent transactions:
§ Helps users track their spending
§ Should have clear typographic hierarchy
§ Obvious payment & credit amounts
coinbase wallet

19. 3. Information is power. Provide balances & recent activity.
Offer transaction records in plain-English.
Parse Merchant Category Codes (MCC) for context.
simple
Raw record:
CHECK CRD PURCHASE 09/20 PANDAEXPRESS #09302
NAPA CA 4111XXXXXX1234 ?MCC=5814!
Better:
Sep. 20!
Panda Express!
Napa, CA!
!
$8.95
Fast Food!
VISA… 1234

20. 4
Lock it up.
Users expect security.

21. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.
Hey consumers! What are your
biggest concerns with mobile !
payments?!

22. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.

23. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.

24. WEB SERVICES
Encryption, PCI-DSS compliance,
Username/passwords, Tokens
COMMUNICATION
Transport Protocols, Encryption
OPERATING SYSTEM
mPINs/Passcodes, Biometrics,
Gesture Patterns, Trusted Applications
UI LAYER
mPINs/Passcodes, Gesture Patterns,
User data & preferences

25. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.
Mobile passcodes & PINs are faster than username/passwords, and can lock
the app down after too many wrong attempts.
coinbase wallet
softcard aka isis
paypal

26. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.
Mobile passcodes & PINs are faster than username/passwords, and can lock
the app down after too many wrong attempts.
Passcode Best Practices:
§ Large, easy to read, custom numeric keypads
(avoid using stock OS keyboards)
§ No more than 4 or 5 digits
§ Mask the passcode as the user enters it
§ Obvious path to revert back to primary sign
in method, or reset their passcode
§ Give the user a time-out option, which will
prompt for a passcode after 1 to 5 minutes or
more of inactivity
§ Don’t allow the user to set an easy to guess
passcode: 1234, 2580, 1111, etc.

27. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.
Gesture patterns are another alternative for quick sign in, and can be more
unique than passcodes.
Gesture Pattern Best Practices:
§ Use obvious touch/drag stop points
§ No less than 4 stop points and no more than 9
or 10.
§ Obvious path to revert back to primary sign
in method, or reset their pattern
capital one wallet

28. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.
Biometrics are likely the most secure authentication method (very hard to
fake). Usage is normally entirely dictated by the native OS.
apple pay
paypal + samsung

29. 4. Lock it up. Users expect security.
Avoid compromising cardholder data and
personally identifiable information. Ensure
these aren’t locally stored in your app:
Cardholder Data:
- Full card numbers
- Cardholder name
- Expiration dates
- Security / CVV codes
Personally Identifiable Information:
- Billing street address, city state & zip code
- Birth dates
- Social security numbers
- Phone numbers
- ID numbers (ex. driver’s licenses, passports)
- Pictures of the user, their voice or fingerprint

30. 5
Expect the unexpected.
Design for error cases.

31. 5. Expect the unexpected. Design for error cases.
Designing for when things go wrong is just as important as when things go
right.
Again employ animations, visual cues, messaging or audio/haptic feedback.

32. 5. Expect the unexpected. Design for error cases.
Clearly communicate what has gone wrong, and explain what steps the
user can take to rectify the situation, if possible.
venmo
lyft

33. 5. Expect the unexpected. Design for error cases.
Clearly communicate what has gone wrong, and explain what steps the
user can take to rectify the situation, if possible.
level up

34. 6
Speak plainly.
Avoid technical jargon.

35. 6. Speak plainly. Avoid technical jargon.
Instructional text should be free from
marketing speak and technical jargon, even
when describing complex processes.
§ Avoid obtuse phrases like “processing…”
§ Explain exactly what is taking place
behind the scenes.
softcard aka isis

36. 6. Speak plainly. Avoid technical jargon.
Instructional text should be free from
marketing speak and technical jargon, even
when describing complex processes.
§ Avoid obtuse phrases like “processing…”
§ Explain exactly what is taking place
behind the scenes.
square order

37. 7
Dress the part.
If something looks odd, users
won’t trust it.

38. 7. Dress the part. If something looks odd, users won’t trust it.
Adhere to platform UI
guidelines as much as
possible.
Mobile users have
inherent expectations
of their chosen
operating system. Try
to avoid incongruences
such as:
§ iOS UI elements on
Android
§ Web-derivative
layouts
secure wallet
ing belgium

39. 7. Dress the part. If something looks odd, users won’t trust it.
Squish the bugs!
UI defects and dead-end processes
can kill any trust the user might
have in a mobile app. This is
especially true of financial
experiences.

40. 8
Function follows form.
Communicate service necessities.

41. 8. Function follows form. Account for service limitations.
Explain any inherent service charges.
Users don’t like to be caught off guard
by hidden per-transaction fees.
Pay $300.00
Payments over $100 will incur a $2 service fee for !
processing costs.!

42. 8. Function follows form. Account for service limitations.
Hardware issues should be
brought to the attention of
the user immediately.
Include instructions so that
the user can adjust any
device settings.
google wallet

43. 9
Teach all users.
Instruct consumers, merchants
& support.

44. 9. Teach all users. Instruct consumers, merchants & support.
Mobile payments are a new
paradigm.
Users need effective
instruction upon first use.
softcard aka isis
paypal

45. 9. Teach all users. Instruct consumers, merchants & support.
FAQ / Help sections should be logically
structured and relevant.
If this content is viewed via the web wrapper,
ensure a responsive layout is used.
venmo

46. 9. Teach all users. Instruct consumers, merchants & support.
Ensure that all participants are made aware of the service, and how it works.
POS systems should be clearly labeled, and staff should be briefed on what to do if
something goes wrong.

47. 10
Award repeated use.
Incentivize with offers &
loyalty points.

48. 10. Award repeated use. Incentivize with offers & loyalty points.
Mobile payments have to be more than just
“cool”.
Relevant offers and substantial savings will
encourage daily use.
starbucks

49. 10. Award repeated use. Incentivize with offers & loyalty points.
Offers have to be easy
to find, and easy to
redeem.
Clear discount details
and large, easy-to-scan
barcodes make
redemption simpler for
the consumer and the
merchant.
groupon
google wallet

50. Designing Mobile Payment Experiences: 10 Tips & Tricks
1
Your app is not their goal.
Favor speed over spectacle.
2
Payments are a conversation.
Provide constant feedback.
3
Information is power.
Show balances & recent activity.
4
Lock it up.
Users expect security.
5
Expect the unexpected.
Design for error cases.
6
Speak plainly.
Avoid tech jargon.
7
Dress the part.
If something looks odd, users
won’t trust it.
8
Function follows form.
Communicate service necessities.
9
Teach all users.
Instruct consumers, merchants
& support.
10
Award repeated use.
Incentivize with offers & loyalty
points.

51. THANK YOU
Available now in print & digital formats:
§ oreilly.com
§ your favorite bookstore
@skippr
mobilepaymentux.com

52. UX Design for
Mobile Payment Experiences
10 Tips & Tricks
Skip Allums
UX Lead, Monitise Create
@skippr #mobilepaymentux