YEAR:
2021
ROLE:
PRODUCT DESIGN LEAD
COMPANY:
EARNIN
EXPERIENCE:
MOBILE, UX RESEARCH, A/B TESTING, GROWTH
Paying it forward
Paying it forward
about.
Earnin helps people living paycheck to paycheck access their earned wages before payday — with no mandatory fees. A core differentiator and driver for Earnin's brand equity is its unique business model—our users love the fact that Earnin lets them pay what they think is fair.
When core KPIs hit an all-time low, I led the redesign of our core Cash Out experience that resulted in a decrease in CS tickets and 30bps increase in tip rate, bringing our revenue to an all time high at Earnin.
Earnin helps people living paycheck to paycheck access their earned wages before payday — with no mandatory fees. A core differentiator and driver for Earnin's brand equity is its unique business model—our users love the fact that Earnin lets them pay what they think is fair.
When core KPIs hit an all-time low, I led the redesign of our core Cash Out experience that resulted in a decrease in CS tickets and 30bps increase in tip rate, bringing our revenue to an all time high at Earnin.
challenge.
Earnin's tipping experience was built around a "pay it forward chain" concept that users consistently misunderstood — creating skepticism instead of goodwill. The confusion was driving a sustained decline in tip rate, taking revenue to an all-time low. The real problem wasn't that users didn't want to support the mission — it was that the experience never made it clear enough to act on.
Earnin's tipping experience was built around a "pay it forward chain" concept that users consistently misunderstood — creating skepticism instead of goodwill. The confusion was driving a sustained decline in tip rate, taking revenue to an all-time low. The real problem wasn't that users didn't want to support the mission — it was that the experience never made it clear enough to act on.
Before
Before
solution & result.
Once we diagnosed the real friction through customer research, we were able to reframe the community value prop, eliminated choice overload with a single suggested tip, and validated the direction with real users before launch.
Result: 30+ basis point lift in tip rate, meaningful CS ticket reduction, and a segment of $0 tippers converted to regular contributors — all while keeping risk metrics flat.
Once we diagnosed the real friction through customer research, we were able to reframe the community value prop, eliminated choice overload with a single suggested tip, and validated the direction with real users before launch.
Result: 30+ basis point lift in tip rate, meaningful CS ticket reduction, and a segment of $0 tippers converted to regular contributors — all while keeping risk metrics flat.
customer quotes.
"I like this setup because it is giving me an actual idea of what is a decent tip in order to keep this app running."
