UX DESIGN
UX DESIGN
PayPal
PayPal
PayPal
A financial tool that doesn't make you feel like you need a manual.
A financial tool that doesn't make you feel like you need a manual.
The starting point
The starting point
PayPal works. It just makes simple things harder than they need to be. This project wasn't about a visual refresh. It was about fixing the underlying logic that creates friction where there shouldn't be any.
PayPal works. It just makes simple things harder than they need to be. This project wasn't about a visual refresh. It was about fixing the underlying logic that creates friction where there shouldn't be any.
PayPal works. It just makes simple things harder than they need to be. This project wasn't about a visual refresh. It was about fixing the underlying logic that creates friction where there shouldn't be any.
The problem
The problem
PayPal's complexity is a product of its history. Features were added over years and the interface accumulated layers without ever being fundamentally rethought.
Three things kept coming up: navigation that reflects product logic rather than what someone is trying to do, fees that surface too late to feel honest, and a payment method selector that presents options and steps back, leaving the decision entirely with the user.
PayPal's complexity is a product of its history. Features were added over years and the interface accumulated layers without ever being fundamentally rethought.
Three things kept coming up: navigation that reflects product logic rather than what someone is trying to do, fees that surface too late to feel honest, and a payment method selector that presents options and steps back, leaving the decision entirely with the user.
PayPal's complexity is a product of its history. Features were added over years and the interface accumulated layers without ever being fundamentally rethought.
Three things kept coming up: navigation that reflects product logic rather than what someone is trying to do, fees that surface too late to feel honest, and a payment method selector that presents options and steps back, leaving the decision entirely with the user.
What users actually need
What users actually need
Speed, but not at the cost of confidence. Users want to move fast and still know what's happening, what it costs and that they can undo it if something goes wrong.
Clarity at decision points. Not everything the system knows, just the specific things that are relevant to this choice right now.
Predictability. Existing users have built expectations about where things are. A redesign that works for new users by disorienting existing ones creates more problems than it solves.
Speed, but not at the cost of confidence. Users want to move fast and still know what's happening, what it costs and that they can undo it if something goes wrong.
Clarity at decision points. Not everything the system knows, just the specific things that are relevant to this choice right now.
Predictability. Existing users have built expectations about where things are. A redesign that works for new users by disorienting existing ones creates more problems than it solves.
Speed, but not at the cost of confidence. Users want to move fast and still know what's happening, what it costs and that they can undo it if something goes wrong.
Clarity at decision points. Not everything the system knows, just the specific things that are relevant to this choice right now.
Predictability. Existing users have built expectations about where things are. A redesign that works for new users by disorienting existing ones creates more problems than it solves.
How I got there
How I got there
I started with heuristic evaluation and real user complaints from support channels, forums and app store reviews. The failure modes were already on record, reported repeatedly, in users' own words. Low-fidelity wireframes let me test structural alternatives before touching anything visual. The scope stayed tight: the payment flow and the dashboard. Getting those right has more impact than diffuse improvements everywhere.
I started with heuristic evaluation and real user complaints from support channels, forums and app store reviews. The failure modes were already on record, reported repeatedly, in users' own words. Low-fidelity wireframes let me test structural alternatives before touching anything visual. The scope stayed tight: the payment flow and the dashboard. Getting those right has more impact than diffuse improvements everywhere.
I started with heuristic evaluation and real user complaints from support channels, forums and app store reviews. The failure modes were already on record, reported repeatedly, in users' own words. Low-fidelity wireframes let me test structural alternatives before touching anything visual. The scope stayed tight: the payment flow and the dashboard. Getting those right has more impact than diffuse improvements everywhere.
The decisions that shaped it
The decisions that shaped it
The payment flow got flatter. The most-used payment method surfaces by default so the user is confirming, not selecting.
The payment flow got flatter. The most-used payment method surfaces by default so the user is confirming, not selecting.
The payment flow got flatter. The most-used payment method surfaces by default so the user is confirming, not selecting.
Actions are grouped by intent. Sending, requesting and reviewing recent activity are all expressions of the same thing.
Actions are grouped by intent. Sending, requesting and reviewing recent activity are all expressions of the same thing.
Actions are grouped by intent. Sending, requesting and reviewing recent activity are all expressions of the same thing.
The dashboard shows open loops first. Pending payments, recent transactions, upcoming charges. Closing open loops is its primary job.
The dashboard shows open loops first. Pending payments, recent transactions, upcoming charges. Closing open loops is its primary job.
The dashboard shows open loops first. Pending payments, recent transactions, upcoming charges. Closing open loops is its primary job.
Fees appear earlier. At payment method selection, not at final confirmation. Discovering the cost at the last step feels like a trap, even when the fee is identical.
Fees appear earlier. At payment method selection, not at final confirmation. Discovering the cost at the last step feels like a trap, even when the fee is identical.
Fees appear earlier. At payment method selection, not at final confirmation. Discovering the cost at the last step feels like a trap, even when the fee is identical.
What stuck with me
What stuck with me
Small changes in information hierarchy produce disproportionate results. Moving fee disclosure forward by one screen changes whether the user finishes feeling confident or uneasy.
The real work in financial tools is distinguishing between complexity that's load-bearing and complexity that's just inherited clutter.
Small changes in information hierarchy produce disproportionate results. Moving fee disclosure forward by one screen changes whether the user finishes feeling confident or uneasy.
The real work in financial tools is distinguishing between complexity that's load-bearing and complexity that's just inherited clutter.
Small changes in information hierarchy produce disproportionate results. Moving fee disclosure forward by one screen changes whether the user finishes feeling confident or uneasy.
The real work in financial tools is distinguishing between complexity that's load-bearing and complexity that's just inherited clutter.
Let's connect!
Let's connect!
Let's connect!
carabottoalice@gmail.com
carabottoalice@gmail.com
carabottoalice@gmail.com
Curious by nature, designer by choice
Curious by nature, designer by choice
© 2026 Alice Carabotto. All rights reserved.
© 2026 Alice Carabotto. All rights reserved.
© 2026 Alice Carabotto. All rights reserved.
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