UX RESEARCH PROJECT

Cashback Wallet

A cashback wallet experience designed around clarity, trust and everyday value. The research explored how people understood balance, rewards, payment confidence and security inside a digital wallet.

UX Research Digital Wallet Cashback Rewards Usability Testing Fintech UX

0 CORE UX PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED

0 HIGH SEVERITY FINDINGS

8% SAMPLE CASHBACK RATE

$18.40 SAMPLE CASHBACK BALANCE

$160.89 SAMPLE WALLET BALANCE

PROJECT DETAILS

Researching the moments where money starts feeling unclear.

PROJECT Cashback Wallet UX Evaluation

MY ROLE UX Research and Prototype Refinement

FOCUS Rewards, payment confidence and trust

OUTCOME Clearer rewards, payments and store discovery

◇

TEAM PROJECT

This was a collaborative group project. My contribution focused on UX research, usability evaluation, synthesizing findings and refining the prototype based on the issues we identified together.

01 / PROBLEM

Users liked cashback, but the wallet did not explain the value clearly enough.

The wallet was meant to help users save through cashback rewards, discover eligible stores, complete payments and track recent activity. Testing showed that users needed stronger clarity around balance, rewards, payment actions and security.

Cashback confusion

Users could not quickly separate wallet money from cashback rewards.

Hidden Pay Now

The primary payment action was not placed where users expected it.

Store discovery gap

Users missed nearby cashback stores because the map did not feel important.

Bank linking hesitation

Users wanted stronger security cues before connecting a bank account.

✦

SELECTED ISSUE

Cashback value was visible, but not understandable.

02 / RESEARCH APPROACH

I tested the wallet around real money decisions, not just screen impressions.

The study focused on realistic wallet moments: checking cashback, finding offers, paying, linking accounts and understanding rewards after a transaction.

METHOD 01

Think Aloud Testing

Participants moved through the prototype while explaining what felt clear, confusing, risky or useful.

METHOD 02

Task Observation

I looked at where users hesitated, what they missed and what actions they expected to be easier.

METHOD 03

Severity Mapping

Issues were grouped by impact so the redesign could focus on cashback clarity, Pay Now visibility and store discovery.

INTERACTIVE RESEARCH LAB BALANCE CLARITY

WALLET BALANCE $160.89

CASHBACK BALANCE $18.40

03 / REWARD CLARITY

Users needed rewards to feel real, not hidden.

The redesign direction makes cashback visible before payment, confirms it after payment and separates reward money from regular balance so users do not have to guess.

CASHBACK SIMULATOR

Make the reward visible before the payment happens.

8% cashback $4.00 estimated cashback on a $50 purchase

1% 15%

04 / STORE DISCOVERY

Cashback becomes useful when users can instantly see where to use it.

NEARBY

Coffee shop

0.3 mi away

POPULAR

Grocery store

Open now

BEST VALUE

Food court

12%

Limited offer

SECURE PAY

Online checkout

Instant credit

✦

USABILITY SIGNAL

Users did not dislike cashback. The experience simply made them work too hard to understand it.

05 / KEY FINDINGS

Four usability problems shaped the redesign.

Cashback needed clearer visual separation.

Users needed a clearer split between wallet balance and cashback balance so they could understand what money was available and what rewards had been earned.

06 / REDESIGN DECISIONS

Each redesign moved cashback closer to the user’s decision point.

Cashback was mixed into one balance area.

→

Split wallet balance and cashback into clearly separated cards.

The store map was hidden.

→

Bring store discovery into navigation with search and filters.

Pay Now was hard to find.

→

Move Pay Now to the homepage as a visible primary action.

Cashback after payment was unclear.

→

Show cashback credits directly inside Recent Activity.

07 / WALLET JOURNEY

The redesigned experience should feel like one simple money story.

Find offer

Nearby cashback stores are visible and easier to discover.

Pay fast

Pay Now is visible without searching through the interface.

Earn reward

Cashback confirmation appears directly after payment.

Come back

Reward history gives users a reason to return.

08 / FUTURE WORK

The next step is making cashback personalized, secure and habit forming.

A/B Testing

Compare the old and redesigned interface using task time, errors and satisfaction.

Personalized Rewards

Suggest deals based on spending patterns, store preference and location.

Security Cues

Add clearer bank linking reassurance, biometric login and safer verification.

Rewards Dashboard

Show cashback trends, spending insights and progress toward rewards.

09 / FINAL TAKEAWAY

Cashback only feels valuable when users can see it, understand it and trust it.

The redesign focused on making rewards visible at the right moment: before payment, during store discovery and after transactions. The biggest UX lesson was that financial interfaces should not make people guess. Money states should feel obvious.

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