VENMO

From domestic only, to trusted international payments

Venmo is built for domestic transfers, but today’s users move globally. This case study reimagines Venmo as a lightweight, travel-ready platform for fast, transparent, and trusted P2P international payments. The redesign drove a 30% boost in task completion, with a 93% average success rate.

Fee transparency

Trust & clarity

Outcomes

→

93% average completion rate

Across core flows — sending money, checking exchange rates, and reviewing fees

→

100% comprehension lift

Redesigned the send flow to surface conversions, fees, and exchanges rates early by addressing a key user trust barrier from interviews

→

100% approval for the new flow

All users preferred the new international experience over the old flow

“If Venmo worked like this abroad, I’d stop using everything else. I’d trust it completely.”

Usability Tester,

Product Designer

Context

Why can’t I use Venmo abroad?

Gen Z and Millennials are on the move. They are traveling, working remotely, living abroad, and need a simple way to send money to friends and family around the world. But when it comes to casual payments, most apps still feel too bank-heavy.

→

Limited to domestic use

→

Forced to switch apps when traveling or living abroad

→

Hidden fees and high exchange rates erode trust

Why hasn’t this been done before?

International payments are complex by design because they’re bound by regulation, compliance, and legacy banking systems.However, Venmo, backed by PayPal, already has the global infrastructure and licensing stack to change that. With a selective international rollout, it can activate a lighter, trusted, and user-friendly way for casual P2P use.

Strategic vision: Global P2P payments

Venmo already dominates domestic P2P because it’s fast, social, and lightweight.This isn’t banking. It’s about building for real, low friction moments that are currently underserved, such as travel, global friendships, living abroad, and gifting.The opportunity? Expand Venmo globally for casual P2P use, while keeping the experience trusted, familiar, and transparent at every touchpoint.

Getting to a solution

What do users want? What do they value?

Users want a simple, reliable way to send money abroad and they’ll switch platforms for global access with transparent fees. Interviews made it clear: if Venmo didn’t evolve, a competitor will.

“Venmo just works in the most simple way possible. If it worked globally and I could trust the rates, I would use Venmo forever.”

Usability tester

“Exchange rates and fees are confusing. I just want to know exactly what I’m paying upfront.”

Usability tester

How might we bring trust, fee transparency, and currency clarity to casual, cross-border payments, while keeping Venmo simple and familiar?

MVP: Designed to make a difference

I built an interactive prototype and ran 8 usability tests using a scripted task flow to validate the experience.

Guided by interview insights, the design focused on trust, transparency, and clarity.

Improved clarity and trust with exact totals shown in recipient’s local currency.

100% of participants

felt confident in how much they’re sending and paying

Improved transparency & trustworthiness by showing fees upfront.

All participants

valued upfront fee transparency

Enabled informed decisions with early exchange rate visibility.

100% of participants

expected early visibility on exchange rates

2nd MVP: Redesigning with intent

After round one, I simplified the flow, reduced friction, and sharpened clarity. The redesign shows the user whats happening at each touchpoint, is upfront about costs, and keeps the experience light and clear. Each iteration moved the experience closer to what users actually wanted.

Core experience: 93% average completion rate

The key tasks results were in:

Task

Completed

7

Sending payment from an international request

93%

6

Requesting money

93%

5

Viewing payment details

79%

4

Sending the payment

100%

3

Checking included fees

93%

100%

1

Select int’l recipient/ enter payment

What if Venmo just worked abroad?

Venmo is bridging the casual transfer gap with a social, transparent experience for global users, so that they can send and receive money internationally with trust, clarity, and confidence in every transaction.

SOLUTION 1

Currency clarity

→

Recipient & sender display

100% comprehension lift, eliminating confusion around currency conversions

→

Mid-market exchange rate display

93% user preference as it increased trust and flow efficiency

SOLUTION 2

Fee transparency

→

New fee structure

7 out of 8 participants valued the transparent fees as it gave them confidence to complete the payment

→

Integrated exchange rates and fees

75% preferred the integrated rates modal as it reduced screen switching and multiple screen taps

SOLUTION 3

Simplicity

→

Replaced 2 CTA buttons

with a toggle

7 of 8 participants found the toggle easier to use than dual CTA buttons (Pay & Request) as it reinforced intentionality and minimized accidental transfers.

A big success!

The redesign drove a 30% boost in task completion, with a 93% average success rate. There was 100% user approval after testing the new international experience.

“This feels like Venmo, but smarter. I’d actually use this when traveling.”

Usability tester, Engineer

VENMO

From domestic only, to trusted international payments

Venmo is built for domestic transfers, but today’s users move globally. This case study reimagines Venmo as a lightweight, travel-ready platform for fast, transparent, and trusted P2P international payments. The redesign drove a 30% boost in task completion, with a 93% average success rate.

Fee transparency

Trust & clarity

Outcomes

→

93% average completion rate

Across core flows — sending money, checking exchange rates, and reviewing fees

→

100% comprehension lift

Redesigned the send flow to surface conversions, fees, and exchanges rates early by addressing a key user trust barrier from interviews

→

100% user approval for the new flow

All users preferred the new international experience over the old flow

“If Venmo worked like this abroad, I’d stop using everything else. This just makes sense.”

Usability Tester,

Product Designer

Context

Why can’t I use Venmo abroad?

Gen Z and Millennials are on the move. They are traveling, working remotely, living abroad, and need a simple way to send money to friends and family around the world. But when it comes to casual payments, most apps still feel too bank-heavy.

→

Limited to domestic use

→

Forced to switch apps when traveling or living abroad

→

Hidden fees and high exchange rates erode trust

Why hasn’t this been done before?

International payments are complex by design because they’re bound by regulation, compliance, and legacy banking systems.However, Venmo, backed by PayPal, already has the global infrastructure and licensing stack to change that. With a selective international rollout, it can activate a lighter, trusted, and user-friendly way for casual P2P use.

Strategic vision: Global P2P payments

Venmo already dominates domestic P2P because it’s fast, social, and lightweight.This isn’t banking. It’s about building for real, low friction moments that are currently underserved, such as travel, global friendships, living abroad, and gifting.The opportunity? Expand Venmo globally for casual P2P use, while keeping the experience trusted, familiar, and transparent at every touchpoint.

Getting to a solution

What do users want? What do they value?

Users want a simple, reliable way to send money abroad and they’ll switch platforms for global access with transparent fees. Interviews made it clear: if Venmo didn’t evolve, a competitor will.

“Venmo just works in the most simple way possible. If it worked globally and I could trust the rates, I would use Venmo forever.”

Usability tester

“Exchange rates and fees are confusing. I just want to know exactly what I’m paying upfront.”

Usability tester

How might we bring fee transparency and currency clarity to casual, cross-border payments, while keeping Venmo simple and familiar?

MVP: Designed to make a difference

I built an interactive prototype and ran 8 usability tests using a scripted task flow to validate the experience.

Guided by interview insights, the design focused on trust, transparency, and clarity.

Improved clarity and trust with exact totals shown in recipient’s local currency.

100% of participants

felt confident in sending and paying

Improved transparency & trustworthiness by showing fees upfront.

All participants

valued upfront fee transparency

Enabled informed decisions with early exchange rate visibility.

100% of participants

expected early visibility on exchange rates

2nd MVP: Redesigning with intent

After round one, I simplified the flow, reduced friction, and sharpened clarity. The redesign shows the user whats happening at each touchpoint, is upfront about costs, and keeps the experience light and clear. Each iteration moved the experience closer to what users actually wanted.

Core experience: 93% average completion rate

The key tasks results were in:

Task

Completed

7

Sending payment from an international request

93%

6

Requesting money

93%

5

Viewing payment details

79%

4

Sending the payment

100%

2

Checking exchange rates and competitor fees

3

Checking included fees

93%

100%

1

Selecting international recipient/ entering payment total

What if Venmo just worked abroad?

Venmo is bridging the casual transfer gap with a social, transparent experience for global users, so that they can send and receive money internationally with trust, clarity, and confidence in every transaction.

SOLUTION 1

Currency clarity

→

Recipient & sender display

100% comprehension lift, eliminating confusion around currency conversions

→

Mid-market exchange rate display

93% user preference as it increased trust and flow efficiency

SOLUTION 2

Fee transparency

→

New fee structure

7 out of 8 participants valued the transparent fees as it gave them confidence to complete the payment

→

Integrated exchange rates and competitor rates

75% preferred the integrated rates modal as it reduced screen switching and multiple screen taps

SOLUTION 3

Simplicity

→

Replaced 2 CTA buttons with a toggle

7 of 8 participants found the toggle easier to use than dual CTA buttons (Pay & Request) as it reinforced intentionality and minimized accidental transfers

A big success!

The redesign drove a 30% boost in task completion, with an average 93% success rate. There was 100% user approval after testing the new international experience.

“This feels like Venmo, but smarter. I’d actually use this when traveling.”

Usability tester, Engineer

VENMO

From domestic only, to trusted international payments

Venmo is built for domestic transfers, but today’s users move globally. This case study reimagines Venmo as a lightweight, travel-ready platform for fast, transparent, and trusted P2P international payments. The redesign drove a 30% boost in task completion, with a 93% average success rate.

Fee transparency

Trust & clarity

Outcomes

→

93% average completion rate

Across core flows — sending money, checking exchange rates, and reviewing fees

→

100% comprehension lift

Redesigned the send flow to surface conversions, fees, and exchanges rates early by addressing a key user trust barrier from interviews

→

100% user approval for the new flow

All users preferred the new international experience over the old flow

“If Venmo worked like this abroad, I’d stop using everything else. I’d trust it completely.”

Usability Tester,

Product Designer

Context

Why can’t I use Venmo abroad?

Gen Z and Millennials are on the move. They are traveling, working remotely, living abroad, and need a simple way to send money to friends and family around the world. But when it comes to casual payments, most apps still feel too bank-heavy.

→

Limited to domestic use

→

Forced to switch apps when traveling or living abroad

→

Hidden fees and high exchange rates erode trust

Why hasn’t this been done before?

International payments are complex by design because they’re bound by regulation, compliance, and legacy banking systems.However, Venmo, backed by PayPal, already has the global infrastructure and licensing stack to change that. With a selective international rollout, it can activate a lighter, trusted, and user-friendly way for casual P2P use.

Strategic vision: Global P2P payments

Venmo already dominates domestic P2P because it’s fast, social, and lightweight.This isn’t banking. It’s about building for real, low friction moments that are currently underserved, such as travel, global friendships, living abroad, and gifting.The opportunity? Expand Venmo globally for casual P2P use, while keeping the experience trusted, familiar, and transparent at every touchpoint.

Getting toa solution

What do users want? What do they value?

Users want a simple, reliable way to send money abroad and they’ll switch platforms for global access with transparent fees. Interviews made it clear: if Venmo didn’t evolve, a competitor will.

“Venmo just works in the most simple way possible. If it worked globally and I could trust the rates, I would use Venmo forever.”

Usability tester

“Exchange rates and fees are confusing. I just want to know exactly what I’m paying upfront.”

Usability tester

How might we bring trust, fee transparency, and currency clarity to casual, cross-border payments, while keeping Venmo simple and familiar?

MVP: Designed to make a difference

I built an interactive prototype and ran 8 usability tests using a scripted task flow to validate the experience.

Guided by interview insights, the design focused on trust, transparency, and clarity.

Improved clarity and trust with exact totals shown in recipient’s local currency.

100% of participants

felt confident in sending and paying

Boosted trust and confidence with upfront fee transparency.

All participants

valued upfront fee transparency

Enabled informed decisions with early exchange rate visibility.

100% of participants

expected early visibility on exchange rates

2nd MVP: Redesigning with intent

After round one, I simplified the flow, reduced friction, and sharpened clarity. The redesign shows the user whats happening at each touchpoint, is upfront about costs, and keeps the experience light and clear. Each iteration moved the experience closer to what users actually wanted.

Core experience: 93% average completion rate

The key tasks results were in:

Task

Completed

7

Sending payment from an international request

93%

6

Requesting money

93%

5

Viewing payment details

79%

4

Sending the payment

100%

3

Checking included fees

93%

2

Checking exchange rates and competitor fees

100%

1

Selecting international recipient/ entering payment total

100%

What if Venmo just worked abroad?

Venmo is bridging the casual transfer gap with a social, transparent experience for global users, so that they can send and receive money internationally with trust, clarity, and confidence in every transaction.

SOLUTION 1

Currency clarity

→

Recipient & sender display

100% comprehension lift, eliminating confusion around currency conversions

→

Mid-market exchange rate display

93% user preference as it increased trust and flow efficiency

SOLUTION 2

Fee transparency

→

New fee structure

7 out of 8 participants valued the transparent fees as it gave them confidence to complete the payment

→

Integrated exchange rates and competitor rates

75% preferred the integrated rates modal as it reduced screen switching and multiple screen taps

SOLUTION 3

Simplicity

→

Replaced 2 CTA buttons with a toggle

7 of 8 participants found the toggle easier to use than dual CTA buttons (Pay & Request) as it reinforced intentionality and minimized accidental transfers.

A big success!

The redesign drove a 30% boost in task completion, with a 93% average success rate. There was 100% user approval after testing the new international experience.

“This feels like Venmo, but smarter. I’d actually use this when traveling.”

Usability tester, Engineer