All Work
Amazon · Search & PDP · 2024

Instalment Discoverability for the Financial Commerce Platform

Redesigning how customers discover and understand instalment payment options — reducing friction, increasing adoption, and building trust at the point of purchase.

Role
Lead UX Designer
Platform
Mobile & Web
Duration
5 Months
Year
2024

Redesigning Instalment Discovery for the Amazon Customer

Customers were unaware that instalment payment options existed on the platform. Even when available, the feature was buried deep in the checkout flow — appearing too late to meaningfully influence purchasing decisions.

The core challenge was not just visibility, but timing and trust. We needed to surface instalment options at the right moment with the right clarity, without disrupting the primary purchase intent.

The Opportunity

BNPL adoption was growing globally, yet our own data showed that fewer than 1 in 8 eligible customers knew they could use instalments on Amazon. An awareness gap this large was a clear product opportunity.

Business Context

Amazon's BNPL partners had negotiated prominent placement in checkout. Our task was to extend that visibility upstream — into search results, PDPs, and the cart — without compromising the core shopping experience.

Discovery Failure at Every Touchpoint

Through heuristic evaluation and session recordings, we identified four critical gaps where users either missed or misunderstood the instalment option entirely.

01

Invisible Entry Point

No mention of instalment options on product listing pages or cart — users had no reason to look for it.

02

Late Reveal in Checkout

Instalment info appeared only after address entry — after most users had already committed to full payment.

03

Confusing Language

Financial jargon like "EMI" without context created anxiety and drop-off at the payment selection stage.

04

No Eligibility Clarity

Users didn't know if they qualified — leading to avoidance rather than curiosity or engagement.

68%
Users unaware instalments were available
3.2×
Higher drop-off vs. full-payment flow
12%
Instalment adoption at baseline

Understanding the Mental Model

We ran 18 in-depth interviews across three user segments — first-time buyers, high-value repeat customers, and users who had previously abandoned instalment flows — combined with funnel analysis across 120K sessions.

Key Findings

Awareness drives intent

83% of users who saw an instalment prompt before checkout clicked to learn more.

Simplicity over detail

Users preferred "₹500 × 6 months" over detailed interest breakdowns at the discovery stage.

Trust signals matter

Bank logos and partner names dramatically increased willingness to explore the option.

"I didn't realise I could split the payment. If I had known, I would have definitely used it — it changes what I can afford."

Constraints That Shaped the Solution

The design had to operate within a tightly regulated financial context, an existing checkout architecture, and competing stakeholder priorities — all without disrupting the primary purchase path.

Platform API limitations Regulatory disclosure requirements Multi-bank partner UX variation Existing checkout component library Mobile-first constraints Zero disruption to primary flow

A Three-Layer Discovery Architecture

We designed a progressive disclosure system — surfacing instalment information at the product level, reinforcing it in the cart, and simplifying the decision at checkout. Each layer earns the next without demanding attention.

Layer 01

Product Page — Passive Awareness

A subtle "or ₹X/month" line below the price. Non-intrusive, contextually placed, tappable for more detail.

Layer 02

Cart — Active Consideration

A persistent instalment summary card in the cart showing total, monthly amount, and bank availability.

Layer 03

Checkout — Simplified Selection

Redesigned payment step with instalment as a first-class option. Plan selector reduced to 3 taps.

Before vs After

Before
After

Testing, Failing, Refining

Four rounds of prototype testing across 32 participants. Each iteration tightened the language, reduced cognitive load, and adjusted placement based on eye-tracking and usability session data.

4
Design iterations
32
Test participants
6
Variants A/B tested

Measurable Outcomes at Scale

Post-launch metrics tracked over 90 days across 2.4M active users on the platform. Results exceeded target across all three primary KPIs.

38%
Increase in Adoption
More customers completed purchases using instalment plans in the 90 days post-launch.
↓44%
Drop-off Reduced
Fewer users abandoned the payment step after instalment options were surfaced earlier.
4.6
CSAT Score
Customer satisfaction with the payment experience up from 3.8 — a 21% improvement.

"The redesign gave customers the confidence to explore a feature they'd previously avoided. That's the real win — not the metric, but the mindset shift."

What This Project Taught Us

Discoverability is not just placement — it's timing. The same information presented 30 seconds earlier in a flow can triple its impact on behaviour.

Financial UX requires an extra layer of empathy. Users aren't just confused; they are anxious. Reducing cognitive load is the same as reducing emotional load.

Progressive disclosure works when each layer earns the user's attention rather than demanding it. The product page line was deliberately forgettable — the cart card was deliberately useful.

Cross-functional alignment with legal, finance, and engineering was as critical as any design decision.

Tools Used
Figma Framer Miro Maze Dovetail ProtoPie Principle