Seamless Gratitude
Between Customers and Staff
Domain
Fintech · Microtransactions · Hospitality
What Happened
Designed a digital tipping service that reframes tips as genuine expressions of gratitude rather than burdensome obligations. The service enables customers to leave tips after receiving service, with features such as personalized thank-you notes, staff-specific tipping, and post-service notifications.
Role
UX Designer
What I Did
Surveyed and interviewed users to understand tipping frustrations and motivations, created personas and service blueprints, mapped end-to-end user journeys, and designed interactive prototypes in Figma. Conducted usability testing sessions to observe customer interactions and iterated on flows to improve clarity and fairness. Developed a design system to ensure consistency across the app experience.
Overview
Wondering how much to tip after receiving great service?
Want to personally show your appreciation with a tip and message?
Tiply lets you pay tips based on your satisfaction and send a personalized message directly to the staff.
Problem
Tipping was once a reward for great service, but it has become an expected routine, often disconnected from service quality. With rising living costs, customers feel pressured to tip, leading to frustration for both customers and service providers, signaling a need for change.
66%
of U.S. adults have
a negative view of tipping
30% feel that tipping culture has gotten out of control
32% feel annoyed about pre-entered tipscreens
Bankrate Survey, Jun 2023
Focus
How Might We make tipping reflect customer satisfaction,
free from pressure, and meaningful again?
Solution
Tip after the service,
based on how satisfied you are
Problem
I designed Tiply, a post-service tipping system that uses QR check-in, smart tip suggestions, satisfaction-based ratings, and personalized thank-you messages to let customers tip effortlessly after their dining experience.
QR Check-in
When entering the store, customers simply scan a QR code to check in.
This step automatically connects their visit to the payment and tipping process.
Checkout & Tip Notification
After finishing their meal and leaving the store, customers receive a notification.
Through this notification, they can proceed with their tip payment instantly.
Satisfaction-Based Tipping
Customers rate their satisfaction with the service and view a suggested tip amount.
They can also adjust the amount themselves before completing the payment.
Personalized Tip Message
Along with their tip, customers can send a thank-you message directly to the staff.
The staff receives both the payment and the message, creating a more meaningful experience.
Research
I conducted surveys and in-depth interviews to explore how people perceive and experience tipping.
Through this research, I identified key challenges such as confusion around appropriate tip amounts, discomfort with pre-service tipping, and uncertainty about whether tips actually reach staff.
These findings provided valuable insights into customer frustrations and desires, highlighting opportunities to design a tipping service that is transparent, pressure-free, and satisfaction-based.
Problem
🗣️
“I feel uncomfortable when the tip options pop up on the screen before I’ve even received the service.”
“I usually feel awkward deciding how much to tip while the server is watching.”
“I like being able to leave a personal note with my tip, especially when the service was exceptional.”
Service Goal
Simplify tipping, amplify gratitude!
☝️ Convenient Tipping Process
✌️ Personalized Interaction
Pay your tip effortlessly
as you walk out the door.
Tip as You Leave
Add a personal touch by sending your tip
along with a thank-you message to the staff.
Send a Tip with a Note
Not sure how much to tip?
We’ll suggest the right amount for you.
Smart Tip Suggestions
Rate your experience and get a tip
that matches how you feel.
Tip Based on Satisfaction
Service Map
I created two service maps. One focusing on the seamless tipping process from check-in to distribution, and the other highlighting the feedback loop for enhancing staff and store reputation.
Problem
This service map details the tipping process, covering customer check-in, direct tip payments via QR codes, and the distribution and payment methods for a seamless experience across customer and staff interactions.
This service map outlines the flow from customer payments to personalized tip suggestions, incorporating feedback tracking to enhance staff and store reputation.
Service Blueprint
I designed the service blueprint to capture the complete tipping ecosystem. It visualizes how customers check in, pay tips, and send messages, while also mapping how staff receive payments and how stores manage reputation data. By creating this blueprint, I was able to clearly illustrate the seamless flow across all touchpoints.
Problem
Task Flow
Tipping Proccess During a Restaurant Visit
At checkout, the customer can seamlessly tip based on their satisfaction, either by using a suggested tip amount or manually adjusting it.
They also have the option to send a personalized tip message directly to the staff. This flow demonstrates how our service removes the pressure from tipping and makes the process smooth and efficient for both customers and staff.
design system
I designed a complete design system for the tipping service, defining typography rules, color palettes, and reusable UI components. This system ensures visual consistency across screens.
usability testing
I conducted a usability test using a high-fidelity prototype, where participants performed predefined tasks while we observed their actions and decision-making process.
Based on these findings, I went through several design iterations, refining flows, improving visual cues, and restructuring interactions to create a smoother and more intuitive experience.
Check-in via Store QR Code
Task 1
Before
After
Applied action color to the transition tab for better visibility.
Added secondary color to indicate when the QR code is successfully recognized, allowing users to understand the context immediately.
Participants struggled due to difficulty locating the screen transition button.
Pay Tip
Task 2
Before
After
Grouped information into a unified card layout for better organization.
Reorganized button hierarchy to improve clarity and usability.
Enabled real-time percentage calculations when adjusting the tip amount using a slider controller.
Refined the writing of
“Tip Suggestion” to deliver its purpose clearer.
Participants were unclear about the basis for tip suggestions and percentage calculations.
Buttons and information were not easily recognizable or intuitive.
Rate Satisfaction
Task 3
Before
After
Strengthened navigation consistency by reverting to the standard app bar.
Replaced the “Previous” button in the bottom navigation with a “Cancel” button for clearer intent.
Expanded the swipe area for easier interaction.
Improved visibility of the progress bar by applying a secondary color.
Participants experienced confusion during the satisfaction rating process.
They were unaware that they could stop the evaluation and return to the tip adjustment stage.
Reflection
Through the research phase, I came to understand the immense value of in-depth user research in uncovering key insights that guide impactful design decisions. By diving deeply into user behavior and preferences, I was able to identify critical factors that would influence the overall user experience, emphasizing the need for trust and simplicity.
During the design process, I recognized that in payment services, user trust is paramount. This required me to carefully consider every interaction and design element to ensure that users felt secure and confident throughout their tipping journey. Balancing user needs with a design that prioritizes reliability and ease of use became a central focus, shaping a seamless and trustworthy experience.