Industry
Crypto
Client
EchelonPay
Role
Senior Product Designer
Smart Checkout · Payment Flow Redesign
Overview
Smart Checkout was a short-term freelance project focused on improving the UX of a crypto payment flow. I joined as a Senior Product Designer to lead the early research and propose a more streamlined experience for both users and merchants. Over the course of just a few weeks, I analysed the existing journey, mapped out pain points, and delivered a set of clear, actionable recommendations — laying the groundwork for a checkout experience that felt faster, simpler, and more trustworthy. Crypto’s been a personal interest of mine since 2017, so this project was especially meaningful to me.
Why this mattered
Crypto payments have grown fast — but many checkout flows haven’t caught up. They’re often fragmented, unclear, and filled with moments where users hesitate or drop off. In this case, the experience felt too technical, with limited feedback and too many assumptions about what users knew. For merchants, the flow lacked flexibility and didn’t offer much visibility into what was happening on the other side. Improving this wasn’t just about simplifying the interface — it was about building trust, reducing friction, and helping people complete a process that still feels unfamiliar to many.
What I did
I worked as a freelance Senior Product Designer, leading the UX work during the project’s initial phase. My role focused on identifying where the current flow was falling short and proposing a more intuitive, streamlined experience.
In just a few weeks:
Audited the existing payment journey and highlighted key friction points
Conducted competitive research across crypto and traditional checkout flows
Mapped out user journeys based on real use cases and entry points
Created detailed flow diagrams and proposed restructured alternatives
Delivered a UX recommendations deck with rationale and visuals
Worked with PMs to prioritise improvements and define next steps for implementation
The project was brief, but the work laid a strong foundation for improving both usability and trust in the payment process.
How we approached it
With less than a month to work, the focus was on clarity and speed. I started by auditing the live checkout experience and identifying where users were hesitating, getting confused, or dropping off — particularly around wallet connection, currency selection, and confirmation steps. From there, I mapped out the current flows and layered in real-world use cases, including both first-time and repeat users. I also compared these patterns with other crypto payment gateways and more traditional e-commerce checkouts to find low-effort, high-impact improvements. The recommendations focused on reducing cognitive load, clarifying next steps, and improving feedback at key decision points — all without disrupting the security and logic expected in a crypto environment.
Outcome
The UX recommendations delivered to EchelonPay were quickly adopted by the team, and several changes were implemented across their payment flow within weeks. Just three months after the updates went live, the results spoke for themselves: • 22% reduction in total checkout time • 18% increase in completion rate • 15% improvement in user confidence at critical steps like wallet connection and payment confirmation The updated flow felt faster, clearer, and more trustworthy — especially for users less familiar with crypto payments. While my involvement ended after the first phase, it was great to see the impact of a focused UX intervention in such a short time.
What I would’ve done next
If the project had continued, I would’ve moved into wireframing and UI design — shaping the flow visually and testing it with real users to refine interactions and messaging. There was also room to explore edge cases, wallet types, and ways to improve transparency during confirmation and error states. With more time, I would’ve loved to collaborate closely with developers to bring the flow to life and make sure the final experience matched the intent behind it.
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