Traditional Checkout Experience
Design Process
I led the design process by mapping the existing checkout funnel, identifying friction points, and iterating on flow concepts that balanced speed, clarity, and technical feasibility.
1. Journey Mapping
Mapped the existing checkout funnel to identify friction points, especially on mobile web.
2. Friction Analysis
Reviewed steps causing repeated input, extra decisions, and momentum loss.
3. Flow Exploration
Explored multiple checkout concepts balancing speed and payment transparency.
4. Decision Validation
Partnered with product and engineering to validate feasibility and compliance requirements.
5. Iteration & Refinement
Adjusted hierarchy and confirmation patterns to maintain trust while reducing steps.
Discovery & Insights
Which steps add real value vs unnecessary friction? Where does user momentum break during checkout? I focused on these core questions by analyzing the standard checkout journey.
Insight 1: Manual input was the biggest friction
Users had already provided information previously, so re-entering information again created unnecessary work.
Insight 2: Returning users want speed, not more detail
Users with existing Sezzle profiles wanted checkout to feel instant. Users didn’t need long explanations.
Insight 3: Too many micro-decisions hurt momentum
Each step interrupted purchase intent. Users still need to understand payment plans clearly before confirming purchase. This shifts the design focus from “adding new UI” to removing unnecessary decisions.
Secondary Research
How fast can checkout be without confusing users? Should checkout happen immediately or include confirmation? Should users edit information every time? This project required balancing speed, clarity, and user control in a financial transaction.
Guiding Design Principles
Reuse existing user data
Maintain payment clarity and trust
Minimize decisions during checkout
Early CTA Button Concepts
The checkout CTA is a high-impact decision surface that heavily influences user confidence and completion rates. I explored multiple CTA options to improve clarity and increase user confidence during payment selection.
Usability Testing
Multiple CTA iterations for PDP / Mini Cart / Shopping Cart checkout pages were tested across high fidelity prototypes to understand which CTA is most effective for users during checkout. I conducted user testing sessions with six participants to their experiences with each CTA. Here were the usability test results:
6/6 users preferred “Pay with Sezzle” CTA
5/6 users said it clearly communicated payment action
5/6 users noted the Sezzle logo alone was not sufficiently descriptive
➡️ Decision: Pay with Sezzle was selected to be used across Mini Cart and Shopping Pages based on research results.
Iteration A: Non-Sticky CTA
Iteration B: Sticky CTA
Design Explorations
I explored multiple structural approaches including a full-page redirect flow, embedded checkout layer, and a pop-up modal overlay. The modal approach was selected because it reduced friction while maintaining merchant integration stability. It also allows users to remain on the merchant website without being redirected to a new web page.
Final Solution
The final solution introduced Sezzle Express Checkout, a streamlined modal experience allowing returning shoppers to complete purchases with significantly fewer steps while remaining on the merchant’s website. Instead of redirecting users through multiple pages and repetitive form fields, Express Checkout:
Prefilled saved shopper information from Sezzle accounts
Consolidated review and confirmation into a single, clear step
Kept payment details visible to preserve trust and transparency
Reduced screen transitions and typing on mobile web
View Desktop
View Mobile
Post Impact
Express Checkout established Sezzle’s first fast-path checkout experience and directly supported efforts that reducde cart abandonment and improved conversion efficiency.
-
%
Reduced cart abandonment
+
K
Merchant platforms launched