problem80% of merchants preferred the desktop dashboard due to limited features and poor usability on the mobile app
impactIncreased app downloads, improved product engagement, broader usage across PayU’s suite, and reduced onboarding drop-offs
The problem
Roles & responsibilities
Research
Design
Impact
Learnings & next steps
Over 80% of PayU merchants exclusively used the desktop dashboard. The mobile app, while functional, lacked:
Product discoverability
Seamless onboarding
Full product coverage
Intuitive navigation
This led to poor engagement and limited app usage for anything beyond viewing transactions. A clear gap in user experience needed to be addressed to match the depth and reliability of the desktop platform.
product Leadership & Team ManagementLed a team of designers throughout the project - provided one-on-one guidance and feedback to the team
Cross-functional CollaborationCoordinated with PMs, developers, stakeholders to align timelines, user needs, and implementation feasibility.
Workshop & Ideation FacilitationConducted collaborative workshops to solve design challenges early, shape user flows, and define MVP priorities
Design Process OwnershipOwned and streamlined the design process to drive consistency, usability, and clarity across all app modules
We conducted in-depth interviews across five user segments, from mobile-only users to merchants using PayU and competitor platforms. These conversations helped validate behavioral patterns and inform our design decisions.
market researchWe explored India’s evolving B2B payment landscape to understand broader user behavior and platform trends. With over 600 million smartphone users and a mobile-first shift in B2B commerce, the data pointed to mobile becoming central to business workflows. Rising app revenue, UPI adoption, and digital-first expectations confirmed the need for a more robust mobile offering from PayU.
Competitive AnalysisWe benchmarked PayU against other top players like Razorpay, Paytm, and Stripe.
Identified gaps like missing quick actions and poor GST invoice support
Helped us prioritize features like better navigation, mobile-first onboarding, and payment link creation
Informed our app’s positioning as a complete B2B toolkit, not just a payment handler
User interviewsWe conducted in-depth interviews across five user segments, from mobile-only users to merchants using PayU and competitor platforms. These conversations helped validate behavioral patterns and inform our design decisions.
Many merchants didn’t know the mobile app existed or found it too limited
Most preferred desktop for link creation, reporting, and deeper financial workflows
Users primarily used the app for quick balance checks or transaction lookups
Key features were hard to discover, and the app felt incomplete compared to the dashboard
Notification clarity and support access were major pain points
Users liked PayU’s tools, but the mobile app didn’t feel like a reliable business platform
Click to enlargeWe restructured the app using a hub-and-spoke model based on key user pain points like feature discoverability and incomplete workflows. We grouped PayU’s products by usage and business relevance. This new IA addressed major drop-offs and laid the foundation for the Super App approach.View full project in FigmaThe impact of the redesign was clear both in how merchants engaged with the app and how internal teams responded to the new experience.This project wasn't just about solving UX problems, it was about solving them at scale, across a fragmented product ecosystem, while managing the expectations of multiple stakeholders. It helped me grow not just in skill, but in strategy, influence, and decision-making.
Learned how to drive alignment across vertical teams with conflicting priorities, without slowing down momentum
Realized that mentorship is most effective when paired with ownership, not just feedback
Empowered designers by giving them clear areas of responsibility, which built stronger accountability and confidence
Process Improvements I’d Apply Next Time
Build a more modular design handoff process, especially for complex multi-product apps
Break down deliverables into smaller, pre-approved design blocks to enable smoother collaboration with dev teams
How This Project Strengthened My Leadership
Became more confident in making trade-offs that served both user needs and business strategy
Learned to identify what to push forward and what to postpone, without losing sight of long-term vision
App-Only UsersComfortable with mobile-first tools, use the app for quick actions, less aware of the full range of PayU features, expect minimal workflows
Improved App AdoptionAfter the redesign, previously desktop-only merchants started using the mobile app more consistently, especially for everyday actions.
App + Dashboard UsersUse desktop for setup and tracking, app for on-the-go checks, want seamless transitions between platforms.
Feature DiscoverabilityWith a structured information architecture and contextual shortcuts, users could find and use more PayU products than before.
Dashboard-Only UsersPrefer desktop for its depth and clarity, rely on advanced features, open to mobile if it matches desktop functionality
Better First-Time ExperienceThe new onboarding flow reduced the drop-off rate for new users. Merchants could now register and activate products without external support.
Not Using Any PayU PlatformNew or inactive users with low awareness, may be using offline payment systems, need clear onboarding.
Stronger Cross-Team AlignmentThe redesign created a shared product language across verticals. This improved coordination among product, design, and engineering teams.
PayU + Competitor UsersHave exposure to tools like Razorpay or Paytm, value smoother checkout experiences, compare feature sets across apps.
product Leadership & Team ManagementLed a team of designers throughout the project - provided one-on-one guidance and feedback to the team
Workshop & Ideation FacilitationConducted collaborative workshops to solve design challenges early, shape user flows, and define MVP priorities
Improved App Adoption by 18%After the redesign, previously desktop-only merchants started using the mobile app more consistently, especially for everyday actions.
Better First-Time ExperienceThe new onboarding flow reduced the drop-off rate by 32%. Merchants could now register and activate products without external support.
Feature DiscoverabilityWith a structured information architecture and contextual shortcuts, users could find and use more PayU products than before.
Stronger Cross-Team AlignmentThe redesign created a shared product language across verticals. This improved coordination among product, design, and engineering teams.
App-Only UsersComfortable with mobile-first tools, use the app for quick actions, less aware of the full range of PayU features, expect minimal workflows
Dashboard-Only UsersPrefer desktop for its depth and clarity, rely on advanced features, open to mobile if it matches desktop functionality
App + Dashboard UsersUse desktop for setup and tracking, app for on-the-go checks, want seamless transitions between platforms.
Not Using Any PayU PlatformNew or inactive users with low awareness, may be using offline payment systems, need clear onboarding.
PayU + Competitor UsersHave exposure to tools like Razorpay or Paytm, value smoother checkout experiences, compare feature sets across apps.
Cross-functional CollaborationCoordinated with PMs, developers, stakeholders to align timelines, user needs, and implementation feasibility.
Design Process OwnershipOwned and streamlined the design process to drive consistency, usability, and clarity across all app modules
Over 80% of PayU merchants exclusively used the desktop dashboard. The mobile app, while functional, lacked:
Product discoverability
Seamless onboarding
Full product coverage
Intuitive navigation
This led to poor engagement and limited app usage for anything beyond viewing transactions. A clear gap in user experience needed to be addressed to match the depth and reliability of the desktop platform.
User interviewsWe conducted in-depth interviews across five user segments, from mobile-only users to merchants using PayU and competitor platforms. These conversations helped validate behavioral patterns and inform our design decisions.
We conducted in-depth interviews across five user segments, from mobile-only users to merchants using PayU and competitor platforms. These conversations helped validate behavioral patterns and inform our design decisions.We restructured the app using a hub-and-spoke model based on key user pain points like feature discoverability and incomplete workflows. We grouped PayU’s products by usage and business relevance. This new IA addressed major drop-offs and laid the foundation for the Super App approach.Click to enlargeView full project in FigmaThe impact of the redesign was clear both in how merchants engaged with the app and how internal teams responded to the new experience.This project wasn't just about solving UX problems, it was about solving them at scale, across a fragmented product ecosystem, while managing the expectations of multiple stakeholders. It helped me grow not just in skill, but in strategy, influence, and decision-making.
Many merchants didn’t know the mobile app existed or found it too limited
Most preferred desktop for link creation, reporting, and deeper financial workflows
Users primarily used the app for quick balance checks or transaction lookups
Key features were hard to discover, and the app felt incomplete compared to the dashboard
Notification clarity and support access were major pain points
Users liked PayU’s tools, but the mobile app didn’t feel like a reliable business platform
market researchWe explored India’s evolving B2B payment landscape to understand broader user behavior and platform trends. With over 600 million smartphone users and a mobile-first shift in B2B commerce, the data pointed to mobile becoming central to business workflows. Rising app revenue, UPI adoption, and digital-first expectations confirmed the need for a more robust mobile offering from PayU.
What I Learned as a product lead
Learned how to drive alignment across vertical teams with conflicting priorities, without slowing down momentum
Realized that mentorship is most effective when paired with ownership, not just feedback
Empowered designers by giving them clear areas of responsibility, which built stronger accountability and confidence
Process Improvements I’d Apply Next Time
Build a more modular design handoff process, especially for complex multi-product apps
Break down deliverables into smaller, pre-approved design blocks to enable smoother collaboration with dev teams
How This Project Strengthened My Leadership
Became more confident in making trade-offs that served both user needs and business strategy
Learned to identify what to push forward and what to postpone, without losing sight of long-term vision
Competitive AnalysisWe benchmarked PayU against other top players like Razorpay, Paytm, and Stripe.
Identified gaps like missing quick actions and poor GST invoice support
Helped us prioritize features like better navigation, mobile-first onboarding, and payment link creation
Informed our app’s positioning as a complete B2B toolkit, not just a payment handler
Competitive AnalysisWe benchmarked PayU against other top players like Razorpay, Paytm, and Stripe.
Identified gaps like missing quick actions and poor GST invoice support
Helped us prioritize features like better navigation, mobile-first onboarding, and payment link creation
Informed our app’s positioning as a complete B2B toolkit, not just a payment handler
Click to enlarge
We restructured the app using a hub-and-spoke model based on key user pain points like feature discoverability and incomplete workflows. We grouped PayU’s products by usage and business relevance. This new IA addressed major drop-offs and laid the foundation for the Super App approach.
View full project in Figma
The impact of the redesign was clear both in how merchants engaged with the app and how internal teams responded to the new experience.
This project wasn't just about solving UX problems, it was about solving them at scale, across a fragmented product ecosystem, while managing the expectations of multiple stakeholders. It helped me grow not just in skill, but in strategy, influence, and decision-making.
App-Only Users
Comfortable with mobile-first tools, use the app for quick actions, less aware of the full range of PayU features, expect minimal workflows
Improved App Adoption
After the redesign, previously desktop-only merchants started using the mobile app more consistently, especially for everyday actions.
App + Dashboard Users
Use desktop for setup and tracking, app for on-the-go checks, want seamless transitions between platforms.
Feature Discoverability
With a structured information architecture and contextual shortcuts, users could find and use more PayU products than before.
Dashboard-Only Users
Prefer desktop for its depth and clarity, rely on advanced features, open to mobile if it matches desktop functionality
Better First-Time Experience
The new onboarding flow reduced the drop-off rate for new users. Merchants could now register and activate products without external support.
Not Using Any PayU Platform
New or inactive users with low awareness, may be using offline payment systems, need clear onboarding.
Stronger Cross-Team Alignment
The redesign created a shared product language across verticals. This improved coordination among product, design, and engineering teams.
PayU + Competitor Users
Have exposure to tools like Razorpay or Paytm, value smoother checkout experiences, compare feature sets across apps.
