Skana App
A mobile payment platform that enables instant, cashless transactions using QR codes, usernames, or store names without requiring traditional bank details.
Company
MWG Design Challenge
Industry
Fintech, Finance
Role
Product Designer
Year
2026
Tools
Figma
Intro.
The goal was to create an MVP for the Skana app, a mobile application to help businesses and users perform fast, cashless transactions. The app would utilize easy onboarding, intuitive structure, and smooth & seamless flows, to help users carry out their transactions stresslessly.
Problem & Context
Businesses and their customers need money to move instantly and without stress. However, many existing payment and banking tools slow this down with delays, unclear processes, and unnecessary steps that get in the way of everyday transactions.
Key breakdowns
Speed breaks down at critical moments:
For businesses, slow transfers mean delayed sales, unhappy customers, and disrupted operations. Customers also feel this delay when payments don’t go through instantly or when they’re left waiting without clear feedback.Too many steps for fast payments:
Simple actions like paying a business or confirming a purchase often require multiple screens, repeated inputs, or extra approvals. These steps slow users down and reduce the feeling of instant payment.Cash handling is risky and inefficient:
Many businesses still rely on cash for speed, but cash comes with safety risks, record-keeping issues, and inconvenience. Digital payments should replace cash — but only if they are just as fast and more reliable.Sharing bank details creates friction and concern:
Asking customers to manually share bank details or move between apps slows down transactions and raises security concerns, especially in busy business environments.Money-related stress affects confidence:
Delays, failed payments, or unclear flows increase anxiety around money. For businesses, this affects revenue. For customers, it affects the overall purchase experience.
The challenge wasn’t only to build a better payment option, but also removing anything that slowed people down, and creating a fast, clear, and reliable way for businesses and their customers to move money confidently.
Research & insights
Before designing Skana, I reviewed how people currently send money, pay businesses, and handle fast transactions, especially in everyday, real-life situations.
Key breakdown
What I looked at:
How people pay businesses today (bank transfers, POS, cash)
Where customers lose patience during payments
How people feel about new financial applications.
I also carried out a SWOT analysis and UX analysis on some like-products in the market like; UBA, Chipper Cash, Cashapp, Moneypoint, Palmpay.
Key Insights:
People want speed, but they also want certainty (they need to know the payment went through)
Customers hate being pushed through too many screens
Users dread rigid onboarding processes.
Typing bank details is slow and creates friction
This research made it clear what Skana needed to prioritize.
Strategy & Key Decisions
The insights I got from the research, helped guide the design strategy for the product.
Key breakdowns
"Scan-and-pay" was treated as a primary flow, not a secondary feature
Payment confirmation and status screens were prioritized
Bottom sheets were used to reduce screen-hopping
The onboarding process was made light to eliminate frustration
Entry points were made clear: scan and pay, pay a store & pay a user (no second guessing).
This gave me a clear direction for the screens, flows and experience that needed to be designed.
Solution & Key Flows
Testing & Iteration
After building the flows, I shared the prototype for quick user testing and feedback to gain informed user insights and iterate/improve where necessary.
Key breakdowns
From an AB testing done, it was clear that a lot users preferred clearer entry points "Pay a User" & "Pay a Store" instead of one “Send Money” button.
Testers shared how the flow felt faster as fewer screens are involved.
Testers also shared how easy the onboarding felt.
Outcome & Impact
The final solution focuses on speed, clarity, and trust, to help businesses get paid faster and help customers pay without stress.
Key breakdowns
What the solution achieved:
Clear entry points for the payment actions
A fast payment experience through scan-to-pay, pay with user and pay with store name
Clear payment confirmation and status feedback
A clean UI system designed for consistency and scale
Impact:
Faster transactions for businesses during busy hours
Reduced payment confusion for customers
Less reliance on cash and manual transfers
More trust in the payment process through clear confirmation
How success is measured:
Shorter time to complete a payment (start to success)
Reduced drop-offs during payment
Reduced percentage of opened complaint tickets or failed/abandoned transactions
Stable increase in transactions carried out in skana
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