After 10 days of giving interviews and losing hope, I got a sudden call from HR that said, "Congratulations Pushpak! you have been selected for the product design intern role at CASHe. BTW I like your caller tune😉R&quo; And boom! here begins the journey of my first Product Design Internship.

About CASHe 💸

CASHe is a mobile app-based fin-tech product that offers a wide range of consumer lending products and services including personal loans, Buy Now Pay Later, Credit Line, payments, and transfer facilities to salaried millennials using its proprietary credit rating algorithm, the Social Loan Quotient (SLQ). know more about CASHe here

Joining Scenario 💼

"Being a fintech B2C product involving money transactions you must need to think of all types of scenarios for your consumers to build trust and engagement over the product."

It was a 2-month remote internship where we mostly communicated on MS Teams. Starting with a daily design checkup call at 9.45 am, I begin working on the assigned tasks along with 3 other full-time designers.

When I joined, they were working on the design revamp of the whole app, making a new design system, a new art style for illustrations, a new style guide, etc. The reason being the current app has outdated designs, with no proper design systems and no proper raw files for the screens so it's very difficult to incorporate any new feature in the older designs. Also, they were expanding their services so I have got to work on different user flows as well as new features for the app such as BNPL Subscription, Login Enhancement, Spending Analysis, Cashe Card, and Cashe Gold.

My Works at CASHe 🚀

From making the user flows to making the UI banners I have got a variety of work during the two months. So fasten your seat belts and let's see all of them briefly:

👉 BNPL SUBSCRIPTIONS

BNPL stands for Buy Now Pay Later. With this service, the company would make the payment on behalf of the customer, who would then be required to repay the amount in installments or in full at the end of a specified period of time.

Task: To integrate a feature in the current CASHe app which is easily accessible and user-friendly to buy subscriptions of different platforms like OTT, Health, Music, Shopping, etc. on a BNPL basis

In this task, all of the things are more or less defined so doesn't require a very extensive amount of research We just need to think of a short and easy flow along with some additional X-factor features to increase engagement. However, conducting a competitive analysis has been crucial in shaping our approach.

User Research: Most people prefer buying subscriptions to use the services seamlessly and ad-free along with other benefits and including BNPL in this can solve many major pain points of the users like:

1. Perceiving subscriptions as an additional expense rather than a seamless and ad-free service
2. Auto debit subscriptions are both convenient and bothersome, particularly when account balances are low.
3. The inconvenience of purchasing subscriptions from multiple websites.
4. No Offers or discounts on regular buying of subscriptions
5. No proper track of subscriptions you bought earlier or which are active now.

Competitive Analysis: A significant portion of my research involved conducting a comprehensive competitive analysis. I examined leading fintech giants such as Paytm, PhonePe, Freecharge, and Fleek, and observed that although they offer subscription features on their apps, user engagement in these features remains low. To differentiate CASHe from these industry giants, I aim to thoroughly study their offerings and incorporate a more refined flow and innovative features. By doing so, CASHe can stand out and provide a superior subscription experience to its users

I used 6 apps that provide subscription features and noted down their pros and cons. Let's see the research insights of my competitive analysis:

Research Insights:

1. Subscription options in fintech apps are not prominently displayed and require navigating through multiple categories.
2. Fintech apps often lack a comprehensive range of subscription options, with Google Pay having the fewest options available.
3. Except for Fleek, no other apps provide extra offers or discounts over the subscription. Fleek allows users to bundle and purchase multiple subscriptions from different platforms simultaneously.
4. Apps like Google Pay and Amazon Pay don't show detailed information about the subscription plans being purchased
5. All of them work on prepaid service and non of them provides a BNPL feature.
6. Fleek excels in maintaining a record of both active and expired subscriptions for users.

Finalized Flows and Features: Due to the revamp work, all the new features should be designed in both current as well as newer versions. The features are pretty straightforward and based on the user's pain point and different apps analysis.

1. The subscription purchasing option is prominently displayed and easily accessible with a single click.
2. BNPL allows users to buy subscriptions without upfront payment, as the amount is directly debited from their active credit line credit line refers to a flexible loan from a bank or financial institution which you can access as needed and use as you wish
3. Bundling subscriptions allow users to conveniently purchase multiple subscriptions at once. This feature also enables users to take advantage of various offers and discounts available through bundling.
4. Clear details about subscription benefits and validity should be provided to users during the selection process.

Flow in the current app is very simple to shop > subscriptions offers > Select any platform > View details of subscription > Payment with active credit line 👇

The UI for the new version of the app was taken up by another designer

👉 LOGIN ENHANCEMENT

Login enhancement refers to designing a smooth and accessible login screen that ensures a seamless experience for all users. It takes into consideration security and trust concerns to create a secure login process.

Requirements: The primary credential for login into the app should be a phone number followed by OTP verification. Additionally, incorporating features such as WhatsApp notifications and email verification, if required, can enhance the login process. It is essential to consider various user scenarios to ensure a smooth login experience for all users

Scenarios for Login:

1. New customer with registered mobile number

Here we can see the customer is logging in for the first time and after mobile number verification, he has to fill out a form that captures his/her mobile id for further login. Also, the WhatsApp notification button will be automatically enabled and when you enter your mobile number and proceed it will be an inactive button, which means you can't change the state of the button. For changing the state you have to go back

2. User logging in multiple times after filling the form

After a user logs in for the first time and completes the mandatory form, we can request their registered email ID for further login. This additional step enhances account security and helps us eliminate dummy users.

👉 SPENDING ANALYSIS FOR CASHE CARD

CASHe Card is a credit card that provides a certain amount of credits based on your credit score and at the end of each month, you have to repay the expenses with some interest.

Task: Customers always want to track their expenses and keep a record of the expenses through the card. I have to design screens that present a user-friendly interface and allow customers to easily interpret and understand their spending patterns. By incorporating intuitive visualizations and clear categorization, customers can effortlessly track and manage their expenses.

Features Introduced:

1. Comprehensive transaction history for all expenses made through the card.
2. Category-wise spending analysis, allows users to understand their expenditure patterns across shopping, food, travel, health etc.
3. Day-wise spending analysis for the last 10 days, with the option to adjust the period as needed
4. Easy expense comparison through visually informative charts
5. A reward progress bar to motivate users to increase their expenses and earn gifts and vouchers when specific spending thresholds are crossed.

👉 UI BANNERS

UI banners are visual creatives that appear on your screen and can be clicked on to redirect users to specific pages. In Cashe, I have designed a range of UI banners, including vertical scrollable and horizontal swipe options. That is why it is commonly recommended to begin with graphic design before transitioning to product design because having a strong foundation in graphic design is crucial for effectively designing UI banners.

I have worked on one more projects for CASHe, namely CASHe Gold. However, due to the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in place, I am unable to showcase the project here. Nevertheless, I would be happy to discuss this over a call.

Ring me up: +91 6204097684 or mail me at pushpakpunj007@gmail.com

Apart From Design 😉

Since it was a remote internship at CASHe, I didn't have many opportunities for fun activities. However, the designers at CASHe were really laid-back and we had a blast in various aspects, from creating memes to playfully arguing with the Digital Marketing Manager. One of the most memorable parts of my journey was the brainstorming sessions. They were incredibly enjoyable, with everyone throwing out ideas and cracking up with laughter.

One particular session involved coming up with dialogues related to the word 'Name' for a new feature that included customer names. It turned out to be the funniest brainstorming session I've ever attended. Not only did people come up with hilarious dialogues, but they also performed them in their own unique style. We even ended up creating memes based on some of those dialogues. It was a truly entertaining experience!

Key Learnings from CASHe 🧑‍🎓

1. Deep understanding of the fintech industry: At CASHe, I gained valuable knowledge about fintech concepts like BNPL, credit lines, and billing cycles, which enhanced my ability to design user-friendly experiences in this sector.
2. Collaboration and teamwork: I worked closely with developers, Marketing managers, and CTO. This taught me the value of communication, teamwork, and help me deliver impactful design solutions.
3. Attention to detail: Fintech products require a high level of attention to detail to ensure accuracy, security, and usability. I developed a keen eye for detail and learned to incorporate industry best practices and accessibility guidelines into my designs.
4. Discipline and Organized Works: Showing up on time in meetings, and being ready and set with what you are about to discuss and present is good. Completing work before the deadline is good because nothing is perfect in the first shot and iterations will be required
5. User-centric design: Designing for fintech requires building trust with users, especially when it involves financial transactions. I gained valuable experience in conducting user research, gathering insights, and incorporating user feedback to design intuitive and seamless experiences. I can still remember when we were designing for a 30-day billing cycle we figured out 12 user scenarios and designed for each one of them

My Experience With CASHe ❤️

It was my first internship in product design and I always wanted to work in a fintech startup but the start of my internship was not as I expected. Firstly I was unable to understand the technical terms like BNPL, Credit Line, billing cycle, etc. and the complex user flows. But with time and the help of my senior designers, I learned a lot of things there. I was impressed by the work, team, and culture at CASHe. I learned a great deal during my time there, benefiting from the supportive environment and collaborative nature of the team. The emphasis on continuous learning and the opportunity to work on meaningful projects left a lasting impact on me. Overall, my CASHe internship provided me with a strong foundation in product design and fond memories of a fantastic experience.

I really want to thank Om Ashish, Kapil, Nishant Khandelwal, and Madan Mohan for being a team that always answered my never-ending questions and helped me in the right direction.

~fin

Fancy a talk, hit me up Email: pushpakpunj007@gmail.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pushpak-punj-b85652204/

View my portfolio: https://pushpakk.framer.website/