OneTap
Designing a truly contactless payment experience for India
ROLE
Chief Marketing Officer
TIMELINE
12 Weeks
TEAM
Interdisciplinary founding team
PLATFORM
Mobile application (iOS & Android)
METHOD
User interviews
Behavioural research
Experience mapping
Information architecture
Interaction design
SCOPE
Payment experience strategy
Core interaction definition
Wallet and transaction flows
Visual Identity
[ 1 ]
Overview
India’s digital payment ecosystem is fast, widespread, and deeply embedded in everyday life. Yet despite high adoption, most “contactless” payments still rely on visible effort: QR scanning, manual entry, confirmation delays, and cognitive interruptions at the point of transaction.
[ The problem ]
Digital payments are technically efficient, but experientially fragmented.
[ OneTap set out to answer a focused question: ]
What would a payment experience feel like if it required almost no conscious thought at the moment of transaction, while still earning user trust in a security-sensitive market?
Why This Project Mattered
This project demonstrates my ability to translate market opportunity into experience clarity, align product and UX decisions across a two-sided ecosystem, and validate premium experience thinking in a price-sensitive context.
Project Timeline
[ Design Leadership ]
As Chief Marketing Officer at OneTap, I shaped how the product’s value was defined, experienced, and communicated. My focus was aligning user insight, product decisions, and go-to-market strategy to drive clarity, trust, and adoption.
I partnered closely with product, design, and engineering teams to prioritise features based on user behaviour and market gaps, ensuring the experience reinforced OneTap’s promise of fast, effortless, and secure payments.
By grounding brand positioning in real user research and usability validation, I helped ensure that marketing narratives reflected genuine confidence rather than aspirational claims, positioning OneTap as a premium yet accessible payment experience in a price-sensitive market.
Impact
User Validation
96%
user satisfaction in prototype testing with 50+ consumers and merchants .
Time Efficiency
3 secs
payment completion time reduced from the current 18 seconds UPI process.
Task Success
98%
task completion rate in usability testing scenarios proving intuitive interface.
[ Problem Statement ]
While India leads globally in digital payment adoption through UPI, the current ecosystem suffers from significant user experience friction that limits true contactless adoption. Existing payment processes involve multiple manual steps and time-consuming authentication, creating delays and slowing everyday transactions.
The user scans the QR code displayed at the counter.
They manually enter the payment amount on their phone.
The users enter the UPI PIN to authorize the payment.
Then, they wait as the payment is processed and confirmed.
Vision Statement
To make OneTap the ultimate payments app for the Indian market by creating the most seamless, secure, and user-friendly contactless payment experience.
[ Market Analysis ]
We analysed OneTap’s target users and conducted a competitive review of leading digital payment apps, evaluating UX patterns, technology, and regulatory gaps. These insights surfaced clear market opportunities, informed feature prioritisation, and aligned product strategy with user needs and business goals.
India’s UPI ecosystem processes over ₹20 trillion monthly and ₹240 trillion annually, making it the world’s largest digital payment platform. At the same time, digital payment fraud reached ₹14.6 billion in FY 2024, reinforcing the need for experiences that balance speed with trust.
Competitive Landscape
Competitors
Market Share
Security
Contactless
Experience
Strengths
Weakness
PhonePe
47%
No blockchain
Limited NFC,
requires scanning
Extensive merchant
network, Walmart
backing
QR dependency, manual amount
entry
Google Pay
35%
No blockchain,
Traditional security
Basic NFC,
still requires typing
Strong UPI
integration, global
tech stack
Manual amount
entry
Paytm
15%
No blockchain,
Standard encryption
Traditional QR
based payments
Early market entry,
comprehensive
features
Declining share,
cluttered interface
Apple Pay
0%
No blockchain,
Advanced security
Instant
tap-to-pay
Premium UX,
global standard
Not available in
India
Market Gaps
Lack of true contactless payment experience across across all competitors
Manual amount entry and multi-step payment workflows create friction and delays for users
Absence of blockchain based verification in current digital payment solutions for enhanced security.
Lack of integrated POS systems and NFC-compatible devices limits merchant adoption and innovation
SWOT Analysis
[ 2 ]
Research
We conducted comprehensive mixed-methods user research to understand payment behaviors, pain points, and needs across India’s digital payment ecosystem. Our research included user interviews, observational analysis, affinity mapping, persona development, journey mapping, and behavioral pattern identification to validate market assumptions and inform product strategy.
Primary Research Methods
1. Consumer Interviews (n=21)
Demographics: Ages 22-45, urban professionals, existing UPI users
Key Finding: 89% found current payment process "unnecessarily complex"
Pain Point: "I have to tell the shopkeeper the amount, then scan, then type it again"- Research Participant
2. Merchant Interviews (n=14)
Small retailers, restaurants, service providers across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore
Key Finding: 92% wanted faster payment confirmation
Pain Point: "Customers sometimes enter wrong amounts, creating confusion"
3. Observational Studies
200+ hours observing checkout processes across retail environments
Average transaction time: 18 seconds (QR + UPI) vs. 3 seconds (global contactless)
23% of transactions required amount re-entry due to customer errors
User Insights
89% of users expressed frustration with current payment processes
18-20 seconds is the average payment time causing daily friction for frequent users
67% experienced or knew someone who experienced UPI fraud
92% wanted instant payment confirmation to reduce checkout bottlenecks
Khushi
28, Software Engineer
"I have to scan, type, confirm, and wait - it should just work like tapping abroad"
Ravi Teja
36, Cafe Owner
"Customers sometimes enter wrong amounts and I have to restart the whole process"
Affinity
Mapping
Market Readiness
CBDC preparation needs
Platform integration demands
Government initiative alignment
Security Concerns
Fraud vulnerability fears
Lack of transaction transparency
Need for enhanced protection
Process Friction
Manual step frustrations
Time consumption issues
Error-prone interactions
Technology Gaps
Missing contactless experiences
Limited blockchain adoption
Inadequate merchant infrastructure
User Expectations
Premium payment experiences
Instant confirmations
Seamless integrations
Primary Persona
Secondary Persona
User
Pain Points
01
Manual Payment Friction
Users spend 18-20 seconds daily on 4-step payment processes (scan → type → verify → wait), leading to frustration and repeated friction. This time burden accumulates across multiple daily transactions, affecting productivity and user satisfaction.
02
Payment Security Vulnerabilities
Despite processing ₹240+ trillion annually, users face $175 million in digital fraud. 1 in 5 users experienced payment fraud, creating trust issues and hesitation in adopting digital payment solutions for larger transactions.
03
Transaction Error Frequency
Merchants report 23% of transactions require restarts due to manual amount entry errors. Customers input wrong amounts, causing confusion, checkout delays, and negative experiences that impact business efficiency and customer satisfaction.
04
Missing Premium Experience
Indian users lack access to global-standard contactless payments available worldwide. While international markets enjoy experiences like Apple Pay, Indian consumers are forced through outdated multi-step processes despite leading in transaction volume.
05
Merchant Infrastructure Limitations
Small businesses rely on basic QR displays without instant confirmation systems. Merchants must manually verify payments, communicate amounts verbally, and wait for customer completion, creating bottlenecks and operational inefficiencies.
Ideation
Leveraged user research insights to design a comprehensive blockchain-powered contactless payment ecosystem addressing both consumer friction and merchant infrastructure gaps. Applied design thinking methodology to transform identified pain points into innovative features that deliver true contactless experiences while enhancing security through native blockchain technology.
Feature Mapping
Core Payment Innovation
Consumer Experience
Merchant Infrastructure
Security & Compliance
Contactless tap & pay experience
Power button quick wallet access
3-tier POS hardware ecosystem
Blockchain transaction processing
NFC Transactions
Multi-card wallet management
Instant payment confirmation
EMV tokenization standards
CBDC integration capabilities
Device-to-device P2P transfers
Advanced analytics dashboard
RBI regulatory compliance
Biometric authentication
Real-time transaction verification
Platform integration APIs
AI-powered fraud detection
Key Features
01
Tap & Pay Instantly
Complete payments in just 3 seconds with a single tap, contactless and secure, powered by blockchain verification.
02
Universal Merchant Hardware
Accept payments anywhere, from pocket-sized readers to full enterprise terminals, with easy setup, instant confirmations, and built-in analytics.
03
Digital Wallet Ready
Stay future-ready with full support for India’s Central Bank Digital Currency and programmable money capabilities.
04
Tap 2 Tap
Send and receieve money instantly by tapping devices together. Tap 2 Tap transfer is simple like AirDrop, secure like a bank.
05
Seamless Platform Integration
Connect effortlessly with delivery, retail, and e-commerce platforms, so OneTap works wherever you shop, eat, or sell.
06
AI powered Security
Advanced fraud detection and blockchain immutability protect your transactions without compromising ease of use.
Core User Journey
Quick Access: Double-tap power button for payment interface
Authentication: Face ID/Fingerprint verification
Payment: Tap phone to merchant terminal
Confirmation: Instant success feedback
Product Strategy
The mission is to create India's first blockchain-powered contactless payment ecosystem delivering global-standard user experiences, enhanced security, and adoption across 500+ million users.
Brand Value Proposition
OneTap delivers fast, secure, and seamless tap-and-pay experiences for consumers and merchants, combining effortless convenience with a complete NFC-enabled ecosystem to drive adoption across India.
Competitive Positioning
True Contactless Experience
Only solution eliminating QR scanning and manual amount entry
Comprehensive Hardware Ecosystem
Unlike app-only competitors, provides complete merchant infrastructure
Premium User Experience
Seamless tap-and-pay experience designed for Indian market preferences.
Regulatory Compliance
Built-from-ground-up compliance with RBI payment aggregator requirements
Core Business Model
B2C App
Completely free to download giving users premium features including multi wallet management and One Tap experience. Drives high adoption with upsell potential, targeting urban professionals aged 22–45.
B2B Merchants
3 tiered POS hardware (OneTap Pro, OneTap Standard, OneTap Pocket) covering all business sizes, with optional subscriptions for analytics, reporting, and inventory management.
Revenue Streams
Transaction Fees: 1.8% per payment (market competitive)
Hardware Sales: ₹1,500–8,000 profit margin per device (three-tier ecosystem)
Platform Integration: Revenue-sharing with partners (Zomato, Swiggy)
Premium Services: Advanced analytics and business tools subscriptions
Unit Economics
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): ₹150 per user via referral and partnerships
Lifetime Value (LTV): ₹2,400 per active user over 24 months
Hardware ROI: 6-month payback for merchants through transaction volume
Success Metrics & KPIs
Product Adoption Metrics
Monthly active users & transaction frequency
Merchant onboarding rate & hardware deployment
Transaction success rate & user satisfaction
Business Performance Indicators
Revenue growth & improved unit economics
Market share in contactless payments
Partnership integration success
Strategic Milestones
Regulatory approval & compliance achievements
Technology development & feature release schedule
International expansion readiness
[3]
Design Process
Our design process focused on creating an effortless payment experience. We defined the core interaction, visual system, and app structure, then translated them into high-fidelity wireframes and an interactive prototype that showcase seamless tap-and-pay flows, instant feedback, and accessible design for all users.
Design Philosophy
Invisible Payments
The most successful payment experience is one the user doesn’t consciously notice. OneTap eliminates cognitive overhead by leveraging familiar interaction patterns, instant feedback, and minimal user intervention. The app is designed so transactions feel natural, effortless, and trustworthy, making payment friction virtually invisible.
Color
Palette
Logo
The OneTap logo features a refined gold hand icon with a radiating signal wave symbolizing the app’s NFC-powered instant tap-to-pay experience.
Its minimal yet dynamic design capturing the essence of instant and secure payments completed in a single touch.
Typography
One Tap
Satoshi
Thin
Regular
Medium
Bold
Black
User Flow
This core interaction sequence ensures speed, security, and simplicity, allowing users to complete transactions in under 3 seconds with minimal thought.
Double-tap power button
Face ID
Tap phone
Payment complete
Information Architecture
Wireframes
High-fidelity wireframes capture the final structure, visual hierarchy, and interaction patterns, providing a clear blueprint for seamless tap-and-pay experiences
Product Prototype
Interactive prototype simulates real payment flows and gestures, showcasing instant feedback, NFC interactions, and accessible design for users and merchants alike
[ 4 ]
Usability Testing
Users highlighted the app’s speed, intuitive workflow, and effortless interactions, confirming a seamless, secure, and intuitive payment experience. Usability testing involved both consumers and merchants, providing diverse perspectives to ensure the app performs effectively across all user touchpoints. These results highlight OneTap’s strong market potential and its value as a reliable digital payment solution.
Protocol:
Usability testing was conducted on the high-fidelity Figma prototype with 51 participants using in-person and remote Zoom sessions to observe natural behavior and gather qualitative feedback.
37 consumers (tech-savvy adults, frequent digital payment users)
14 merchants (small and medium business owners using POS terminals)
Tasks Tested
Completing a tap-and-pay transaction from start to finish
Authenticating payments via Face ID / Fingerprint
Selecting and switching between multiple payment methods
Exploring transaction history and managing wallet settings
Initiating and receiving peer-to-peer payments
Accessing real-time spending insights and analytics
Testing Methods
01
Think-Aloud Protocol
Participants verbalized their thought process while interacting with the app, revealing mental models, decision-making patterns, and potential pain points in navigating payment flows.
02
Scenario-Based Testing
Users completed realistic tap-and-pay scenarios, such as café purchases and adding new cards, allowing us to test app performance under real-world conditions and verify confidence in its security features.
03
Moderated Usability Testing
We observed participants completing core app tasks, including NFC payments and security authentication, to validate workflows, uncover hesitation points, and ensure the tap-and-pay experience was fast, secure, and intuitive.
04
Heuristic Evaluation
UX experts assessed the app against Nielsen’s heuristics, focusing on feedback clarity, consistency, error prevention, and security-critical steps, identifying subtle usability issues and ensuring reliable, user-friendly financial flows.
Key Insights
The core interaction created a seamless payment experience, reducing cognitive load for users.
Merchants found the app’s integration with POS terminals smooth resulting in faster checkouts
Instant visual and haptic feedback increased user confidence and ensured transaction confirmation
Privacy features like the hide balance button were highly valued by users in social settings.
User Testimonials
"Payments are so fast and simple, I hardly have to think about them. I love how effortless it feels."
— Priya Sharma, 28,
Marketing Executive
The hide balance button is very useful when I’m out in the groups, keeping my finances private with just one tap."
— Arjun Mehta, 34,
Software Developer
"Switching between cards and completing a payment is smooth. I feel safe using Face ID every time.
— Ananya Kapoor, 32,
Graphic Designer
[ 5 ]
Impact
OneTap successfully addresses a genuine market gap in India's digital payment ecosystem by delivering true contactless payment experiences while building the necessary merchant infrastructure for widespread adoption across retail, hospitality, and service industries. Through user-centered design, comprehensive market research, and strategic product development, OneTap has demonstrated the viability of premium payment experiences in price-sensitive markets.
Impact Metrics
Reduced average payment time from 18 seconds to 3 seconds
Eliminated 4-step QR process with 1-tap solution
Transactions requiring re-entry dropped from 23% to 1.2%
87% of merchants preferred OneTap POS hardware over traditional QR terminals
Positioned for 25% market capture in contactless payments by Year 3
Success Factors
Clear Problem Definition
Identified specific friction points rather than attempting to recreate entire payment systems
Comprehensive Solution Approach
Addressed both consumer and merchant needs through integrated hardware/software solutions
Cultural Adaptation
Respected existing user behaviors while eliminating pain points and increasing usability
Technical Excellence
Invested in robust, secure, scalable infrastructure from initial development
Next Steps
OneTap will enhance AI insights, merchant loyalty integration, and voice payments. Long-term plans include blockchain, IoT, and AI personalization for market expansion and rural adoption.
Strategic lessons include balancing dual-sided market needs, adapting UX to local culture, and turning regulatory compliance into a competitive advantage.
Growth and iteration will be guided by user-centered design, agile sprints, data-driven decisions, and proactive stakeholder management.
Reflections
One Tap project showcased my ability to identify market opportunities, conduct comprehensive user research, design complex multi-sided products, manage technical implementation, and drive business results through strategic product management. The experience reinforced the importance of user-centered design, cultural adaptation, and comprehensive market understanding which are vital in product success.
Learnings
Challenge
Slow payment experiences across competitors created friction for users.
Action
Designed a streamlined flow leveraging NFC and Face ID for instant authentication.
Impact
Payment completion time reduced from 18 to 3 secs with a seamless experience.
Challenge
Navigation felt cluttered, making it harder for users to locate core features quickly.
Action
Conducted 50+ usability tests and iterated the navigation and task flows based on feedback.
Impact
98% task success rate showing that the interface is highly user friendly and easy to navigate.
Challenge
Balancing speed and clarity to keep users confident across multiple payment features.
Action
Collaborated with the team to streamline flows and refine interactions
Impact
These improvements led to 96% user satisfaction in prototype testing
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