Earnipay: A Journey of Discovery, Redesign, and Growth

Earnipay’s website in 2022

As the product designer at Earnipay, I had the opportunity to play a pivotal role in transforming the platform and addressing the challenges it faced. After securing a $4M seed round in January 2022, we struggled with product adoption and growth, despite employing various marketing techniques and making product tweaks. The target audience for Earnipay included both employers and employees, but without the employers on board, employees couldn’t benefit from the early salary access we offered.

As a point of interest, I would like to mention that our research, design, and implementation process took eight weeks to complete. Having cleared that up, let’s get down to the details.

In order to uncover the root causes of our low adoption rates, I conducted comprehensive research. Among the companies we were not able to close, I interviewed eight of them and 25 of their employees. Insights gained from these interviews exceeded our expectations and shed light on critical process issues.

During the interviews, we uncovered some key challenges:

Employees often discovered Earnipay before their employers, meaning they had to recommend the platform personally. Unfortunately, we lacked a streamlined process for this crucial step.

Approximately 45% of employees expressed a desire to share in the revenue generated from transactions made through Earnipay.

Around 60% of employers expressed concerns about integrating Earnipay into their existing systems, fearing it would complicate their payroll and book balancing processes.

Notably, 60% of the participants felt that our branding positioned us as a loan company rather than emphasizing the core value we aimed to provide.

72% of the participants complained about always having to sign in whenever they open the app

65% complained that the inclusion of two input types in the withdrawal process is confusing.

Armed with these valuable insights, I led the charge to find creative solutions that would address these challenges head-on. Here’s how we approached it:

Website Explorations

Recognizing the need to refine our messaging, I spearheaded efforts to explore different approaches to communicate the true value of Earnipay. We developed various alternative brand messages and experimented to find a more compelling and accurate way of conveying our value proposition.

Showing the sectioning of the website

Based on the research findings, we realized that solely targeting employees was insufficient. To address this, I led the team in a strategic shift to simultaneously target employers and employees. We revamped our website, creating unique sections with tailored messaging for each audience, effectively addressing their specific needs and concerns.

Earnipay Payroll System

Through careful exploration of integration options, we concluded that building our own payroll management system would be the most effective solution. As the product designer, I guided the development of this system as a feature within Earnipay, streamlining the onboarding process for our users and enhancing their overall experience. It was crucial to ensure that this feature complemented existing payroll providers rather than competing with them.

Earnipay Mobile App

We implemented effective solutions to tackle these issues we identified from the research and improve the mobile experience. Firstly, we introduced a persistent login feature that securely stored user credentials. This enhancement eliminated the need for repetitive sign-ins, allowing users to seamlessly access the app without the hassle of entering their login details every time. By providing a convenient and time-saving solution, we significantly improved user satisfaction.

In response to the confusion surrounding the withdrawal process, we made important changes to simplify and streamline it. Through extensive user research and usability testing, we identified the pain points and redesigned the process accordingly. By consolidating the two input types into a single, intuitive interface, we eliminated confusion and created a more user-friendly experience. Users now navigate a clear and unified flow, ensuring a smooth and efficient withdrawal process.

With these solutions in place, we successfully addressed the users’ concerns and significantly enhanced the mobile experience on the Earnipay app. The persistent login feature and simplified withdrawal process have made using the app more convenient, efficient, and user-centric.

Simplification of the admin system for multi-organization in modals

During the research process, I identified a significant friction point that had gone unnoticed. Our existing system required each company, including sub-companies under a parent company, to register individually with separate login details. This complexity created challenges for administrators. To simplify the process, I led the team in designing a streamlined registration system that allowed sub-companies to be easily included under the parent company’s account. We communicated this update through a newsletter, resulting in a surge of new business registrations.

The realization dawned upon us that even seemingly minor changes in a product can have a profound impact on its success. Guided by user data and feedback, I made strategic decisions and collaborated with the team to implement the necessary changes within a tight timeframe of three months. The efforts paid off, as we witnessed a remarkable surge in both product adoption and revenue generation in just 92 days.

As the product designer, I am proud to have played a crucial role in this transformation, leveraging user insights to identify pain points, redesign processes, and introduce new features that resonated with both employers and employees. The success of this endeavour serves as a testament to the power of data-driven decision-making and a user-centric approach.

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