Role: Lead UI/UX Designer (End-to-End)  Timeline: Pre-Launch (Targeting Late April)  Deliverables: User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, High-Fidelity UI Design, Usability Testing

For students, getting around campus shouldn't require a trip to the ATM. Yet, the standard routine for taking a campus cab involved constantly withdrawing cash and dealing with the daily frustration of drivers never having exact change.

The goal for Paypadi was simple but ambitious: build a dedicated mobile wallet that completely removes cash from the campus transit equation.

Because there were no direct competitors solving this specific localized problem, I couldn't just rely on existing market standards. I led the end-to-end product design, starting from the ground up:

Discovery: Distributed targeted surveys to students to understand their specific pain points with cab payments.

Ideation & Wireframing: Mapped out the core architecture, prioritizing speed and accessibility.

Validation: Conducted controlled usability tests with real students using version 1 of the app to gather actionable feedback before finalizing the high-fidelity designs.

When you're trying to catch a cab or standing on the side of the road, every second counts. My primary design objective was speed.

By mapping out the traditional flow of standard fintech and banking apps, I identified unnecessary friction points. I redesigned the "Send Money" architecture, successfully reducing the total number of clicks required to complete a transfer to be significantly lower than traditional banking apps.

During the controlled usability testing, one small feature emerged as a massive hit: the App Theme Changer.

While the core functionality of Paypadi is utility, I added a feature allowing users to customize the app's color scheme. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive—the vast majority of test users immediately abandoned the default colors to personalize their interface. It proved that even in purely functional financial apps, users crave a sense of ownership and personalization.

Paypadi is currently in its final development stages with a highly anticipated rollout set for late April. The controlled testing phase not only validated the core thesis—that students are eager to ditch cash for campus transit—but also resulted in a highly tailored, user-loved V1 ready for the app store.The Context: The Campus Cash Problem

For students, getting around campus shouldn't require a trip to the ATM. Yet, the standard routine for taking a campus cab involved constantly withdrawing cash and dealing with the daily frustration of drivers never having exact change.

The goal for Paypadi was simple but ambitious: build a dedicated mobile wallet that completely removes cash from the campus transit equation.