UX Leadership at Transbank: Design and Integration of QR Code Payments

A breakdown of my role as Lead UX directing various Product Design teams in the strategy, research, and integration of QR code payments within Transbank's in-person payment ecosystem.

Transbank is the leading Chilean company responsible for operating and processing credit, debit, and prepaid card transactions in the country. It facilitates payments in both physical stores and on digital platforms for businesses of all sizes.

Role Challenges

Between March 2022 and October 2023, I had the privilege of serving as UX Lead at Transbank S.A., leading Product Design teams within the QR Platform cluster.

In this role, I was in charge of the user experience for the digital product suite within the In-Person Payments Value Stream, supervising design work across three agile squads:

  • Android POS QR
  • App QR
  • QR H2H (Host-to-Host)

The scope covered the entire transactional flow, from capturing the user’s digital wallet by scanning the QR code displayed by the merchant to the final payment authorization.

Key strategic and operational challenges of the role included:

  • The parallel coordination of 3 distinct Product Design and Development teams to ensure consistent design standards.
  • The implementation of clear frameworks to structure the handoff between design and development.
  • The design and integration of the QR display functionality, accounting for technical limitations across various devices.

My Approach and Process

My primary role as UX Lead at Transbank was to coordinate Product Design teams and align their deliverables with the strategic objectives of the Product and Innovation Management department, optimizing the user experience across the entire QR payment ecosystem.

To achieve this, I structured the work around four key initiatives:

  1. Interaction Between Payment Platforms and Digital Wallets

    Defining and designing the transactional flow at the in-person point of sale, ensuring fast QR code scanning, proper validation between the digital wallet and terminal, and clear status messaging during payment authorization.

  2. Design Team Management Within the "QR Platform" Cluster

    Strategic and operational coordination of designers assigned to the Android POS QR, App QR, and QR H2H squads, promoting continuous alignment with Product Owners and development to maintain product consistency.

  3. Standardization of UX Design Workflows

    Implementation of structured methodological frameworks, incorporating Definition of Ready (DoR) and Definition of Done (DoD) criteria to formalize the design process, organize UI asset delivery, and optimize technical handoff.

  4. UX Research Framework

    Establishment of user research dynamics aimed at testing payment flows in real purchase scenarios, uncovering operational friction points in merchant locations, and integrating findings to back design decisions with data.

Impact and Results

As a result of my management, significant progress was achieved in standardizing UX design and research processes.
I established clear and efficient protocols that enabled coordinated and cohesive work among cluster members, optimizing product and service development across Transbank’s QR payment ecosystem.

Ground-Up Design of the In-Person QR Payment Experience

Complete definition and integration of the QR payment transactional flow for digital wallets in Transbank’s in-person ecosystem (Android POS, App QR, and H2H).

Reduction in Checkout Time (Time-to-Pay)

Reduction in the seconds required to complete in-person payments, optimizing transactional fluidity at the point of sale and merchant operational efficiency.

Standardization and Coordination Between Designers and Devs

Implementation of clear work protocols and research frameworks, reducing friction in design handoffs and optimizing squad development timelines.

Strategic Alignment of Cluster Designers

Strategic alignment of designers distributed across three independent squads, guaranteeing a unified interaction and user experience standard across the entire digital product suite.