Empowering SMEs with Gift Cards: A New Payment Solution

Graphic Design

Project Overview

In today’s economic climate, where challenges and limited job opportunities have pushed many individuals to start small businesses, managing payments has become a significant hurdle. Traditional methods like cash require physical presence, and bank transfers can often be unreliable, leading to skepticism and distrust.To address these issues, we set out to create a platform that introduces gift cards as an innovative payment method for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This solution offers sellers a secure and convenient alternative, while also providing buyers with a straightforward way to make purchases.

The Challenge We Addressed

Current SME Payment Methods

SMEs typically rely on cash or bank transfers for payments—both of which come with significant drawbacks. Cash transactions necessitate physical presence, which isn’t always feasible, and bank transfers can be plagued by delays and doubts.

Our Solution

We designed a platform that:

Offers an Alternative Payment Method: By introducing gift cards, we provide SMEs with a secure and flexible payment option.
Secure Gift Card Purchases: Buyers can purchase gift cards through a secure channel, ensuring peace of mind.
Marketplace for Gift Cards: A dedicated marketplace allows sellers to list their gift cards, making it easy for buyers to find and purchase them.
Admin Management: Admins have the ability to manage sellers, their gift cards, and sales, ensuring smooth operations.
Seller Management: Sellers can manage their gift cards and transactions through a user-friendly dashboard.
Efficient Checkout Process: Buyers can seamlessly purchase products using their gift cards, enhancing the overall shopping experience.

Our Design Journey

Understanding the Users

We began by defining proto-personas to gain insights into our target audience—the SMEs and their customers. Understanding their needs, challenges, and behaviors was crucial in shaping a solution that would genuinely meet their needs.

Designing the Experience

With these insights, we moved on to designing wireframes that mapped out the core processes and user flows, as outlined by our Team Lead. My role involved reviewing these flows to identify any UX issues and ensure that the experience was smooth and intuitive for both sellers and buyers.

Bringing the Design to Life

Collaborating closely with visual designers, we transformed these wireframes into high-fidelity visual components. The design aimed to be both functional and visually appealing, making it easy for users to navigate and complete their tasks.

Behind the Scenes: SME Dashboard and Gift Card Management

SME Dashboard Overview

The dashboard is the heart of the platform for sellers. It provides a clear overview of their earnings and the status of their gift cards, allowing them to manage their business with ease.

Creating and Managing Gift Cards

Sellers can create and manage their gift cards directly from the dashboard. This includes setting up a store where they can list their gift cards for sale, monitor transactions, and track performance.