Rethinking the Venmo Mobile Application

Venmo is a widely used mobile payment service, but its current design lacks the tools needed to manage shared expenses effectively. Users often resort to external apps like Splitwise to track group payments, leading to fragmented workflows and inefficiencies.

Rethinking the Venmo Mobile Application

Venmo is a widely used mobile payment service, but its current design lacks the tools needed to manage shared expenses effectively. Users often resort to external apps like Splitwise to track group payments, leading to fragmented workflows and inefficiencies.

What I did

What I did

UX/UI design

Design Validation

UX Research

Conducted Surveys & User Interviews

Product

Product

App Redesign

E-commerce

Challenge

Limited Group Payment Tools: Users struggle to split bills and track shared expenses for group activities.

Inefficient Payment Process: Focusing on recipients before transaction details leads to a disjointed flow.

Financial Tracking Gaps: Venmo lacks tools for tracking spending patterns or managing crypto balances.

Results

The redesigned Venmo experience led to a 15-20% projected increase in engagement with the new “Trips” feature for shared expenses and a 12% growth in recurring transactions within the first quarter. Usability testing showed a 32% faster group payment settlement and a 28% improvement in payment flow efficiency. Additionally, 87% of users preferred the “Trips” feature over external tools, and 93% found the redesigned payment process more intuitive.

15-20%

projected increase in shared expense feature engagement

32%

Faster group payment settlement during testing

96%

Of users don't care about other peoples transactions

Process

1. Research

User Interviews:

I interviewed 7 Venmo users to identify pain points and needs. Common themes included:

• Frustration with tracking shared expenses.

• Confusion around payment workflows.

• Desire for financial visibility and recurring payments.


Competitor Analysis:

I analyzed tools like Splitwise and PayPal to evaluate how competitors manage group payments and financial tracking.


Key Takeaways:

Venmo lacked a unified group expense tool and clear financial tracking, creating inefficiencies for its primary users—students, roommates, and frequent travelers.


2. Design Approach

Low-Fidelity Wireframes:

I sketched wireframes for the “Trips” feature and redesigned profile page, focusing on simplicity and usability.


Prototypes:

I built interactive prototypes to test the new flows for payment prioritization and recurring payments.


Usability Testing:

• Conducted tests with 30 participants over two weeks.

87% preferred the “Trips” tool over external apps.

93% found the redesigned payment flow easier to use.Information Architecture: Based on the research findings, we restructured the app's navigation and content, prioritizing features and information according to user needs.


3. Iterations

Based on testing feedback:

• Simplified the “Trips” UI to minimize clicks.

• Added visual indicators for recurring payments.

• Refined the profile design for better balance visibility. (Insert updated screens here)

“I love being able to pay using reoccurring payments—it saves so much time and I don't have to stress about remembering to send rent money.

Michael Chen

Venmo User since 2017

Conclusion

This redesign transforms Venmo from a simple peer-to-peer payment app into a comprehensive financial management tool. By integrating shared expense tracking, streamlined payment flows, and improved financial visibility, Venmo can better serve its growing user base.

Next Steps

Next Steps

Next Steps

• Launch beta testing with a larger user group to validate further improvements.

• Explore integrations with travel and event-planning platforms to enhance the “Trips” feature.

• Launch beta testing with a larger user group to validate further improvements.

• Explore integrations with travel and event-planning platforms to enhance the “Trips” feature.

• Launch beta testing with a larger user group to validate further improvements.

• Explore integrations with travel and event-planning platforms to enhance the “Trips” feature.