Streamlining Bill Payment Approvals: A UX Concept Testing Case Study
Role
Research, Product Design
Timeline
3 weeks
Platform
Web

1. Overview
Xendit is developing Bill Payment, designed to streamline vendor invoice processing, automate payment scheduling, and improve execution efficiency. To support this, the dashboard is crucial in managing complex workflows, particularly for approvers and makers.
However, the current form layout may not fully accommodate Bill Payment's needs, as more space is required for invoice previews. Additionally, the existing table view may present challenges in navigating tasks, understanding the approval process, and completing jobs efficiently. This concept testing aims to gather user feedback to determine the most effective approach. The goal is to simplify workflows, enhance visibility, and ensure a seamless experience for users when creating and requesting bill payments.

Current Form Layout. The gray area is smaller and is currently designed for "hover" or more info in the form
Problem Statement
How might we uncover where users experience the most friction in the bill payment approval process?
2. Objectives
General
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To assess users' understanding of the Bill Payment’s purpose and functionality.
Main Page
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Identify which table concept helps users manage approver-maker workflows more efficiently.
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Gather insights on how the table design can better support decision-making and task execution.
Approve Bill Payment Request
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Understand pain points related to task navigation and column relevance in the workflow.
3. Target Users
We engaged a total of four participants who are
Two non-finance users
One frequently uses Zip HQ for requests and approvals, while the other primarily relies on manual processes.
Two finance users
One has used the platform only a few times, whereas the other uses it regularly.
What tool they’re using
1 out of 4 uses Aspire for cards, Wise, and OCBC for payments
3 out of 4 use ZipHQ due to it’s what the company* (Xendit) is using
What Works Well in Current Tools
👍🏼
Audit trail of approvers
A participant found Zip’s audit trail helpful for identifying and unblocking bottlenecks. Another noted it's useful, even if they don’t check the dashboard often.
👍🏼
Workflow customization
ZipHQ supports flexible approval workflows—e.g., amounts under $5,000 skip legal and CEO approval, while higher amounts require it.
Participants also found features like invoice reading, PO creation, and NetSuite integration highly valuable.
👍🏼
Removes redundant work
Participants find 'vendor registration' helpful as it eliminates the need to input vendor information for each bill request.
Current Tool Pain Points
😣
Naming Convention
Naming of fields can be improve such as “estimated monthly bill" but is asking for time range.
😣
Payment Integration
Participants mentioned that it would be perfect if Ziphq is connected to payment.
4. Methodology
Method:
Moderated Testing
Tools:
Google Meet, Figma Prototype
Understanding participant's background and what and how they use the tool.
Introduce yourself, which company are you from and tell us briefly about your role.
Could you share us what tool do you use to approve payment requests?
Can you walk us through how you usually approve bill payment requests?
What do you like most about the tool you're using? What areas do you think could be improved?
What type of information is most important for you to see first to help you manage the request effectively? Can you explain why?
What’s your typical process on requesting bill payments?
How do you track the progress of your request?
Approving Bill
Mission:
Imagine you’re working at Company ABC, and your role involves approving pending bills submitted by service providers or teammates. Your team member just requested a bill payment of SGD 10,000 from Sinar Digital PTE. LTD. Please show us how you'd authorize this request.
On a scale of 1 to 5, how was your overall experience?
- Could you share why you rated it a {rate} and what we could do to make it a 5?
- If 5, could you share why you rated it a 5? Is there anything else you think we could improve?
How would you usually track the payment?
5. The Concept
This concept aims...
👍🏼
Show a preview of the invoice for easier comparison and validating.
👍🏼
Keep table columns minimal to avoid cognitive overload, while ensuring key bill request details are visible.
👍🏼
Learn how users naturally navigate to bill payment approvals within their workflow.
6. Key Insights & Learnings
Initial thought on Main Page
Draft Tab
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A participant mentioned that it’s their own request created but not yet submitted
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Some participants mentioned that its’s the invoice uploaded by other people
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A participant mentioned that it is for requesting payment
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Participants got confused on the page due to the term “Draft” and asked if these requests still pending documents and is unfinished


Pending Approval Tab
Most participiants initial thought of this tab is the continuation of the draft tab once they submitted the request, it’ll go to Pending Approval.
Approval Flow
3.75
Avg Score out of scale of 5
What could be improve
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Recipient” Label Confusion: Participants suggested using terms like Biller, Vendor, Company Name, or Biller List instead.
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Pending Approval Misunderstanding: Participants thought transactions they submitted would go to Pending Approval instead of ones needing their approval.
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Draft Status Concern: One participant noted drafts might not belong in Pending Approval as they’re not part of "My Approval Workflow."
Status vs. Tabs: A participant suggested using statuses instead of tabs for tracking drafts workflow. -
Unnecessary Documents: Participants don’t need documents like a director’s ID for bill approvals, as these are typically handled during onboarding.
Indonesia (NPWP): NPWP is crucial for verifying taxes like withholding tax. Participants suggested allowing document uploads to minimize input errors.
Singapore (Invoice/PO): Invoices and purchase orders are the key documents for Singapore participants. -
Scheduled Payment On” Confusion: A participant misunderstood this as payment approval rather than payment request. They also noted due dates and invoice dates often don’t matter.
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Payment Proof: Participants rarely send proof of payment unless requested by vendors.
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Tracking Status Expectations: Participants expected statuses like Pending Approval → Paid but noted they often rely on vendor notifications for unpaid invoices.
Table Layout
We also want to test which table concept best supports the approver workflow. One concept groups bills by biller—either through collapsible rows or sections—so that approvers can easily review all bills submitted by each biller, helping them prioritize based on biller activity. The alternative presents bills individually without grouping, based on the hypothesis that most billers typically has only one bill at a time, making grouping unnecessary.
Preference for No Grouping
Most participants preferred the ungrouped view, as it allowed them to easily see the biller and prioritize payments based on date or status.
Additionally, non-finance users—who usually manage only one bill at a time—found the simplicity of the ungrouped layout more intuitive and efficient.

7. Next Steps
Design iteration and run another round of concept testing
With these findings, I plan to revisit the design and incorporate the insights into the next iteration. This will be followed by another round of concept testing to further refine the experience before moving into development.