base.
MY ROLE
Researcher and Designer
MY TEAM
1 Industrial Designer
1 Design Engineer
TIMELINE
5 days
HOW IT STARTED
While working at Analogy Design, we got a brief from Paytm: redesign their Audio Box - the small speaker that says “Payment received” after a QR scan. It seemed straightforward at first. A visual refresh. Clean up the form. Maybe simplify the materials.
At first, it seemed pretty straightforward. But once I started visiting stores and watching how people actually used it, things got interesting. The box was always shoved to one side. Wires tangled up. QR placards taped here and there. Dusty counters. It was doing its job, sure. But it wasn’t designed for the chaos of a real shop.
As I moved through streets and local markets, I started noticing a second gap: what about the vendors who don’t have shops at all? The cart pushers, street-side sellers, and pop-up stalls who rely on mobile payments, but have nowhere to place a device like this? And they make up almost 65% of India's retail industry!!
That’s when the brief shifted from a visual redesign to a broader opportunity. So, the problem statement became:
How might we reimagine the role of Paytm's audio box in India’s payment ecosystem, so it adapts to the full spectrum of merchants, from fixed shops to mobile sellers?
WHAT I SAW IN THE FIELDS
I visited 20+ stores — tea stalls, kirana shops, pharmacies, cafes. Same story everywhere. Here’s what I noticed:
Poor QR placement
Charging limitations (must stay plugged in)
Cluttered counters and messy wire management
Low adaptability to different retail types (kiosks, carts, mobile vendors)
Device is placed in a corner, near the plug point while charging, and users can never see it.
Multiple devices is required for multiple bank accounts
There’s no universal QR. Each app like PhonePe or Paytm uses its own.
A separate placard is placed in the front
Messy cable management
MARKET GAP: STATIC DESIGN IN A MOBILE ECONOMY
India’s digital payments sector is one of the fastest-growing in the world, driven by UPI, increased smartphone adoption, and aggressive expansion by fintech companies like Paytm, PhonePe, and BharatPe. But while the software infrastructure has matured, the hardware experience has not kept pace, especially in informal and semi-formal retail settings.
Here's the disconnect:
🛒
Many vendors are mobile or space-constrained:
Street vendors, push carts and tiny corner shops often operate without fixed counters or consistent access to power. Traditional hardware like the Paytm Audio Box assumes a stable, plug-in setup, which doesn’t reflect this reality.
📜
Current solutions rely on static or improvised setups:
Devices from competitors like BharatPe and PhonePe often depend on paper placards or custom holder hacks created by vendors themselves. These are prone to damage, poor visibility, and inconsistency.
🧠
There’s little industrial UX thinking in this space:
Most payment hardware is designed for efficiency or cost reduction, not for contextual usability. The current design choices are not based on how users actually engage with the device.
MY DESIGN APPROACH
I anchored the redesign in real-world constraints and systems thinking, not just individual user preferences. Every choice had to account for:
Physical environment: counter space, visibility, reach
Infrastructure: access to power, lighting conditions
Merchant mobility: fixed vs. roaming vendors
Customer behavior: scan angles, interaction speed
Branding and product scale: adaptable across geographies and shop types
DESIGN EXPLORATIONS: TWO AUDIENCES, TWO NEEDS
During field visits, I saw a clear divide in how merchants used (or struggled with) payment devices. Some had fixed counters with power access, while others were mobile vendors with no stable setup. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in India’s informal retail economy, as the design solutions must meet context, and not force standardization.
So I split the solution into two parallel approaches, each tailored to a different kind of use case.
APPROACH 01
Modular Modules
Modular Modules: For fixed setups. It comes with suction pads, a wall dock, and a hook, so it can sit, stick, or hang wherever it makes sense. Cables stay tucked away.
APPROACH 02
Portable to-go Unit
Portable to-go Unit: For people on the move. It has a strap to clip on or carry, and slides open into a mini stand. You can also switch out the QR sticker easily.
APPROACH 01: MODULAR MODULES
Designed to adapt to different spaces and user needs, while keeping the cables tucked away. It comes with three attachment options:
Suction Module: Allows you to stick the device onto smooth, flat surfaces like glass, tiles, or mirrors. It’s ideal for temporary or movable setups without damaging surfaces.
Wall Dock Module: A fixed mounting option that can be screwed onto walls, providing a stable, permanent installation for regular use.
Hanging Hook Module: Lets you hang the device on existing hooks, rods, or other structures without needing tools, making it easy to relocate as needed.
APPROACH 02: PORTABLE-TO-GO UNIT
IMPACT
While the designs haven’t yet been tested in the field, their potential impact is clear, especially when mapped against the everyday constraints and behaviors of street vendors and their customers.
😁
Physical adaptability → Wider adoption across vendor types
Street vendors operate with whatever setup they can manage…..a foldout cart, a tarp on the ground, a wall hook. The Modular design suits semi-fixed setups with anchoring options, while the Portable one is designed to go wherever the vendor goes.
This flexibility expands access to reliable digital payment tools beyond just shop owners, reaching vendors who are usually left out of tech upgrades.
😌
Reduced social friction → Smoother human interactions
In a crowded market, even a few seconds of delay while a customer searches for a QR code can create tension, especially with others waiting in line. That moment of friction, of uncertainty, breaks the flow.
These designs make QR codes immediately visible and easy to scan, reducing hesitation and making the payment process feel intuitive. The result? A quicker, more confident transaction — not just technically smoother, but socially more comfortable.
WHAT I'D BRING TO YOUR TEAM:
I like spotting problems people work around every day, then fixing them in ways they didn’t know they needed.
If you’re designing a physical-digital product, especially one that lives in messy, real-world spaces, I bring:
A sharp eye for context
A background in product/industrial design
A love for simple tweaks that make big differences
Roots
Behavioral UX Design | Sustainability
Nest
Healthcare UX Design | Emotional Design