Swetha Anand | UIUX Designer

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Redesigning a payment device so it actually feels like part of the counter

MY ROLE

Researcher and UI/UX Designer

MY TEAM

1 Industrial Designer
1 Design Engineer

TIMELINE

5 days

To fully immerse yourself in the visual experience, I recommend opening the case study on your desktop. Enjoy the journey!

HOW IT STARTED

While I was working at Analogy Design, we got a brief from Paytm. They wanted to redesign their Audio Box - that small device you hear in shops saying, “Payment received” after a QR scan.

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. No one was really looking at the device, just scanning the code and walking off.

And I kept thinking: This box is the only piece of tech in that whole payment flow. Why is it treated like background noise?

That’s when the brief became something more. Not just a visual redesign, but a chance to rethink how it fits into real spaces, real workflows, real hands. Something merchants could actually trust and use with ease, not just work around.

What I saw in the field

I visited 20+ stores — tea stalls, kirana shops, pharmacies, cafes. Same story everywhere. Here’s what I noticed:

The box was always placed far away. Sometimes on the floor, sometimes behind a pile of receipts.

Charging wires were a tangled mess. Some boxes didn’t even stay plugged in.

At night, the QR code was barely visible. There was no light.

Messy cable management

Separate placard placed in the font

There’s no universal QR. Each app like PhonePe or Paytm uses its own.

Devices are placed in a corner, where users cannot see it

Device is placed in a corner, near the plug point while charging

Multiple devices required for multiple bank accounts

Why existing solutions weren’t helping

Paytm (and similar products) hadn’t really designed for the space. They’d built a tech solution, but ignored where and how it would actually live. What this meant was the Audio Box had become more of a speaker than a product. It wasn’t part of the experience. It was just... there.

Most issues came down to 3 things:

In carts, crates, or tiny stalls, there’s rarely a stable or visible spot for the audio box. It gets tied to poles, hung from wires, or buried under other items, making it hard to see or hear during a transaction.

No proper place to keep it

Most vendors don’t get to choose where the audio box goes. It’s just placed near the nearest socket. This often means it’s out of reach, tucked behind other items, or facing the wrong way during a transaction.

Placement depends on plug points

A fixed design might work on a clean retail counter, but not on a food cart, a folding table, or a roadside crate. Merchant setups can vary widely, and the current hardware design can’t flex to fit it all.

One-size-fits-all doesn’t work

I set out with two goals: make the Audio Box something merchants actually see and use, not something that gets pushed to the side, and design it to be flexible enough to fit into all kinds of setups.

MY APPROACH

I had two goals in mind.

First, I wanted to make the Audio Box modular, something that could fit anywhere, no matter the setup. Second, I wanted it to reach more people. While visiting shops, I noticed that many small vendors, especially those with carts or mobile setup had nowhere to actually place the device.

There’s no one-size-fits-all here. So I explored two different directions to work for two very different kinds of merchants:

APPROACH 01

APPROACH 02

Modular Modules

Portable to-go Unit

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.

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.