I improved payment security and compliance by implementing Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) regulations and eliminating vulnerable dynamic payment links prone to fraud and phishing attacks. Through this work, I developed an innovative solution for initiating and collecting digital red packets (eLaisee) via PayMe. This resulted in significant user engagement and positive customer feedback.
Timeline
Role
Deliverables
Tools
🧧 Laisee, or red packet, is a gift of money given during Chinese New Year. It is a cherished tradition in Hong Kong, symbolizing luck and prosperity.
The eLaisee feature, introduced by PayMe in 2022, allows users to send electronic laisee with customized blessings to up to 100 recipients at once through the app. This feature enhances convenience while preserving cultural significance during festive occasions.
Over the years, eLaisee has consistently proven to be an effective tool for user acquisition for PayMe.
200K+ users sent out eLaisee via PayMe in 2023
500K+ users received eLaisee via PayMe in 2023
Potential Risks of PayMe eLaisee
The original design of PayMe's eLaisee feature, which enables users to send money via shareable links distributed through social messaging apps, has raised concerns about potential misuse for scams and phishing.
Shareable links could be exploited by scammers to create fake URLs, tricking recipients into accessing malicious websites or downloading harmful software. Cybercriminals may use deceptive messages to manipulate users into clicking these links, especially during festive seasons when eLaisee usage peaks.
Recognizing these vulnerabilities, our team began exploring solutions to ensure that users can send and receive eLaisee seamlessly while maintaining the festive spirit of the tradition. We aim to strike a balance between convenience and security, preserving the joy of sharing blessings while safeguarding user transactions.
Enable users to share eLaisee through alternative methods without relying solely on links?
Ensure a seamless journey, allowing users to launch the app and collect eLaisee effortlessly?
Enhance the user experience by enabling personalization when sharing eLaisee with friends and family?
Our team proposed the concept of a Laisee Group, designed to create a shared space where users can facilitate sending and collecting eLaisee, either to all members or selected individuals. To enhance engagement, members can respond with stickers or send additional laisee to others within the group.
The chatroom would evolve to include additional features such as group bill splitting and enabling merchants to share exclusive offers and coupons with group members in the mid to long term.
Challenges
Initial limited use case may result in low user engagement
I prepared the prototype and tested the design concept with six interviewees in collaboration with the CX team.
The feedback revealed significant concerns regarding the eLaisee group's use case limitations on day one, primarily centered around sending and collecting laisee. Users expressed skepticism about engaging with the space beyond Chinese New Year.
Technical challenges threaten pre-CNY 2024 rollout
The technical effort required to develop the space within one PI was deemed too substantial, with ticket sizing estimated at M+, which poses a risk of missing the rollout timeline before CNY 2024.
Solution
Close-looped journey
Our goal is to optimize the user journey by creating a close loop, maximizing PayMe P2P adoption while minimizing transfers to external channels. We target to streamline the laisee-sending process, allowing users to select recipients within the app and enabling collection without leaving the platform. This approach could significantly reduces out-of-app interactions, enhancing user retention and simplifying the overall experience.
We do this through:
Revamped notifications method: Allow user to be able to notify recipients after payment/ request
Revamped eLaisee for selected recipients: Enable eLaisee collection notifications, allowing selected recipients to collect the group laisee by one tap.
In the new design, after payment, senders can now customize and share their eLaisee QR code directly from the new modal. They can select a preferred design theme before sending the group laisee to friends and family.
Four key updates have been implemented in the design journey to ensure a seamless user flow for both senders and receivers -
02.
PayMe users will now receive push notifications for new eLaisees received, and easily collect them by going to the Notifications tab in the app and tapping the ‘Collect’ button. This eliminates the need to exit the app to collect eLaisees via a link.
To safeguard user privacy, the sender's name and profile picture will be obscured for PayMe users who are not yet connected as friends on the app.
03.
User testing showed that users instinctively associate collecting eLaisee with the "Group laisee" tab under quick actions. To align with this behavior, we've added a new "Collect" button on the laisee sending modal.
This strategic placement simplifies eLaisee collection by integrating it into users' existing habits, making the process more intuitive and seamless.
04.
For the eLaisee collection modals, I created the visual and loading animations from scratch using Adobe Illustrator and After Effects, enhancing user engagement and crafting a captivating experience during the Chinese New Year festival.
Following the launch of the new feature, I collected eLaisee from friends through two entry points and documented the flow with screen recordings —