Flippay is a platform built to simplify how people buy, sell, and trade gift cards. Many users were holding onto unused cards with locked value, while others were searching for affordable ways to shop — Flippay connects both sides in a seamless and secure environment. By offering competitive rates, fast transactions, and dependable customer support, the platform helps users unlock value quickly and with confidence.
As the product grows, the vision is to continuously refine the experience: expanding the variety of supported cards, improving transaction speeds, and strengthening trust through advanced security features. These improvements are designed not only to meet current user needs but also to establish Flippay as the preferred choice for digital gift card trading worldwide.
Flippay, was facing declining engagement and friction across its mobile and web applications. Average session times were short (3–7 minutes), and trade completion rates were below 55%, suggesting users were struggling with the core experience. My role as Senior Product Designer was to lead the redesign to improve usability, streamline the trading process, and increase overall engagement and conversions.
Key Challenges Identified
Cluttered and inconsistent interface: The UI lacked clear hierarchy, leading to confusion. Usability testing revealed that 3 out of 5 participants struggled to find key features without guidance.
Low engagement with core features: Analytics showed that only about 40% of active users initiated trades, even though trading was the platform’s primary function.
Inefficient trading process: The gift card selling flow took 5–6 steps on average, resulting in a 35% drop-off rate before completion.
Ineffective admin dashboard: Admins reported that routine tasks like verifying trades or resolving disputes took 30–40% longer than expected, slowing down platform management and customer support.
Interface
As Flippay grew, it became clear that users were struggling to fully engage with its mobile and web applications. While the platform promised a simple way to buy, sell, and trade gift cards, the actual experience often fell short. Analytics revealed that average session times were relatively short (3–7 minutes) and trade completion rates were under 55%, signaling friction in the core user journey.
Through usability testing and user feedback, we uncovered several underlying issues. The interface felt cluttered and inconsistent, lacking a clear hierarchy that would guide users seamlessly through their tasks. In fact, 3 out of 5 test participants failed to locate key features without assistance, underscoring the need for a more intuitive design.
The trading process itself posed another major challenge. Selling a gift card required 5–6 steps, which not only felt tedious but also led to a 35% drop-off rate before completion. For a platform whose primary value lay in quick, reliable transactions, this inefficiency directly impacted user trust and conversion.
On the operational side, admins also faced friction. The existing dashboard made it difficult to verify trades or resolve disputes efficiently, often taking 30–40% longer than expected compared to industry benchmarks. This not only slowed down platform management but also had downstream effects on customer support and user satisfaction.
In short, Flippay’s challenge wasn’t lack of demand, but rather a misalignment between user expectations of speed, clarity, and simplicity — and the actual experience the platform was delivering.
DESK RESEARCH
72%
of users are more likely to return to a trading platform that offers competitive, transparent rates.
DESK RESEARCH
68%
of users abandon gift card sales if the process feels too long or complicated.
DESK RESEARCH
61%
of gift card sellers say responsive support strongly influences their decision to continue using a platform.
68%
72%
61%
54%
of users said trust and security were their top concerns when choosing a platform, with many fearing scams or delayed payments.
76%
of users stated they would be more loyal to a platform that offers instant payouts, transparent rates, and loyalty rewards.
The goal of the ideation phase was to translate insights from research into actionable design opportunities that would simplify the trading process, build trust, and improve overall engagement on Flippay’s mobile and web platforms.
Brainstorming & Workshops
I facilitated structured brainstorming (PM, CEO, and Devs) sessions to generate multiple solutions around key pain points, such as reducing the 5–6 step trading flow and improving rate transparency. Using methods like “Crazy 8s” and “How Might We” exercises, we explored a wide range of ideas before narrowing them down.
User Journey Mapping
I created detailed user journey maps to visualize how users currently interacted with Flippay and identified moments of friction. These maps informed opportunities to shorten the selling process to just 3 steps, ensuring clarity at every touchpoint.
Wireframing & Concept Exploration
Low-fidelity wireframes were developed to explore different layout options for navigation, onboarding, and trading flows. By iterating rapidly, I was able to test and refine concepts early, ensuring solutions were both feasible and user-centered.
Feature Prioritization
Through impact vs. effort analysis, features like instant payout confirmation, transparent exchange rates, and a simplified admin dashboard were prioritized. This ensured we focused on the changes that would deliver the most value to both users and the business.
As Flippay grew, it became clear that consistency, scalability, and efficiency were critical to delivering a seamless user experience across mobile and web platforms. To support this, I established a unified design system that served as a single source of truth for both designers and developers.
The goal was twofold:
Enhance user experience by ensuring visual and functional consistency across every touchpoint.
Improve team efficiency by reducing design debt, accelerating handoffs, and enabling faster iteration.
This system included a comprehensive set of tokens, reusable components, and interaction guidelines, making it easier to scale features, maintain brand identity, and ensure accessibility across the product ecosystem.
This significantly improved consistency in terms of white space, balance, and unity within my designs. This allowed the developers to have easy access to all our design specifications and begin implementing them in the TestFlight app using Flutter.
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Daniel Osinuga
Project Manager of PayNyce (Flippay)
