Financing Simplified
Project Duration
2.5 months
My Role
Product Designer
The Team
1 Product Manager,
3 Developers
Overview
As a Product Design Intern at BharatPe, I redesigned the loan repayment journey for small and medium merchants. The aim was to simplify repayments, build trust, and reduce drop-offs by making repayment schedules more transparent and user-friendly.
The Design Brief
The goal was to redesign BharatPe’s loan repayment journey to make it simple, transparent, and trustworthy for merchants. My task was to create a repayment flow that reduced friction, built confidence among low-literacy users, and encouraged timely repayments through a clean, visual, and user-friendly design.
Problem breakdown
Research and Insights
Why Merchants Struggle With Loan Repayment
Merchants in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities rely on BharatPe for quick access to credit. But once the loan was disbursed, repayment often felt confusing. Information was buried in jargon, schedules were unclear, and progress was hard to track, leaving merchants anxious about their dues.
3.3 lakh merchants
were eligible for daily repayment loans
30,000 merchants
were eligible for monthly repayment loans
We Identified Two Key Merchant Profiles Who Struggle With Repayment Clarity
Business Size
These users are typically small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) operating in local markets.
Technology Adoption
They have limited smartphone usage, low digital literacy, and depend on affordable mobile data.
Revenue Range
Their businesses usually generate modest and irregular daily or monthly income streams.
From insights to implementation
As we progressed through the project, we adopted an iterative and data-driven approach to ensure each design solution aligned with our goals. Here’s a glimpse of the different milestones we experimented with.
Usability Testing
Confusing terminology
Words like “Disbursed” and “Installment Schedule” were hard to understand.
Misinterpreted amounts
Merchants often confused “Total Repayment Amount” with “Amount Paid.”
Cluttered loan details
Too many numbers on the screen caused confusion and made it hard to interpret.
Unclear payment schedule
Users struggled to distinguish between “Paid EDI” and “Overdue EDI.”
Reliance on SMS
Many merchants trusted auto-deduction messages instead of checking the app.
Impact
1 . 5L+
merchants experienced the redesigned flows
35%
reduction in support tickets related to loan repayment
40%
fewer overdue repayments recorded
2x
increase in eligibility conversions
Key learnings
Clarity beats complexity
Simplifying financial jargon into plain language helped merchants instantly understand repayment details and reduced anxiety.
Visuals drive trust
Progress trackers and repayment calendars reassured merchants by making dues and schedules easy to follow.
Small details make a big impact
Adjustments in information hierarchy, like showing net disbursed amount upfront, boosted confidence and transparency.
Business constraints shape design
Balancing regulatory requirements with user-friendly flows taught me that good design often comes from working within real-world limitations.