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Payments Platform
Problem statement
Flight Centre needed a global payments platform that could unify and streamline fragmented payment processes across multiple regions, including the UK, Canada, and Australia. The existing system was inconsistent, time-consuming, and lacked transparency, causing inefficiencies for consultants and frustration for users.
I was tasked with leading the design and development of a new platform to address these challenges, creating a seamless experience that aligned with both customer needs and business goals.
Vision & mission
Vision
The design was outdated compared to competitor websites, and not utilising our brand to its full potential, which led to low recognition.
Mission
The majority of users were using the header drop-down as the main point of navigation from the HP. The order and number of options to select from made it hard to quickly find what our customers were looking for.
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Key objectives
Research & Discovery
To kick off the project, I led a series of workshops with global finance teams to map out the "AS-IS" processes, identifying pain points and capturing business requirements.
We also conducted focus groups across six regions to understand the challenges consultants faced when managing refunds and credits. Through this, we uncovered several critical issues:
Key painpoints
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Lack of transparency
Consultants struggled to provide customers with clear timeframes or updates on their refunds due to the lack of transparency in supplier communications.
Inconsistent systems
Different regions used various systems and methods, leading to inefficiencies and double handling of information.
Time-consuming processes
The current refund and credit processes were slow, involving multiple systems and repetitive data entry.
Supplier credit
No control over how suppliers handle their credits, updating T&C’s and effort in tracking inconsistencies.
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Define & Personas
We developed personas representing different types of users—such as travel consultants and finance teams—ensuring that our designs would solve real user problems. These personas guided our design decisions, focusing on creating a user-friendly platform that could simplify payment management and reduce inefficiencies.
Design & Ideation
In response to the pain points, we developed wireframes and prototypes that aimed to simplify the refund and credit processes. These designs were tested through one-on-one user testing sessions with consultants and team leaders.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with users praising the simplified processes and the elimination of tedious tasks like using Excel calculators.
Key features
Customer refund management
Simplified management of refunds, allowing consultants to handle customer requests more efficiently.
Customer credits management
Easy creation and management of credits, reducing the reliance on multiple systems.
Payment requests
Streamlined request and management processes for customer payments, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
Daily cash banking
Introduced a feature for consultants to manage their daily cash banking duties within the platform, removing the need for external systems.
Testing & Validation
The prototypes were tested in one-on-one sessions with consultants and team leaders across various regions. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, particularly around the elimination of tedious tasks like manual calculations and the streamlined user interface.
We iterated on the designs based on user feedback, improving the visibility of refund statuses and refining the payment request process to reduce friction.
Insights & Recommendations
The final round of feedback highlighted a few areas for further improvement:
- Clearer communication on refund statuses: Users wanted more transparency and better tracking of payment details.
- Integration with other systems: There was potential to connect the platform with additional systems for a more comprehensive experience.
These insights informed recommendations for future platform updates and expansions, ensuring the product could continue evolving with user needs.
Results & Impact
The new Payments Platform successfully addressed key pain points, improving efficiency, transparency, and user satisfaction. Consultants praised the streamlined processes, while the business saw a reduction in double-handling and faster transaction processing across regions. The platform played a pivotal role in aligning user needs with business goals, proving the value of user-centred design in delivering scalable solutions.
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