top of page
header-photo.jpg

About “Ya” app

“Ya” is a digital product created by mexican bank “Paga Todo”, a fintech created to add small businesses and merchants to the digital banking system and all its benefits, like: digital inventory, credit card payments and new mexican social services programs.

 

“Ya” app works as an easy way for small shopkeepers or merchants to accept credit card payments, but, also is a full digital banking app in which, their users can manage their finances, pay services, transfer money, etc.

Product design - Diego Díaz

Background

“Ya” app passed through many iterations, with different graphic styles and even different functionality, which make it hard to understand and difficult to use on its first release back in 2016.

 

This original app was intended to be a merchant services aggregator, services payments and credit card reader.

00-prev.png
00-prev3.png
00-prev2.png

The problem

Original sign-up flow

Form a first view the problem of “Ya” app was its lack of consistency and confusing interface.

 

A second problem was its sign up process: It was long, asked a lot of personal information and it require a individual “handmade”  authorization.

 

But the main problem was that it wasn’t scalable and converting it to a banking app keeping its original features represent a considerable challenge.

My role

I joined the Ya Ganaste project after its initial launch to revamp the app’s UX/UI for small business owners.

 

I led a full redesign of the app user experience reducing steps in the registration process and simplifying navigation to better serve actual users.

 

By collaborating closely with stakeholders and developers, I ensured the new design aligned with business goals and provided a more intuitive experience for small businesses.

My responsibilities where:

  • Led the UX/UI redesign, focusing on simplifying the app’s structure and flows.

  • Analyzed existing user data to pinpoint pain points.

  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams (e.g., development, marketing, and stakeholders at Paga Todo) to align the new design with business goals.

Product Big Picture

The challenge

Marketing data suggested that the primary app users were store owners aged 45-55 (mostly male). However, field research showed that the real day-to-day users were younger employees or the owners’ children (18-25 years old). This meant the interface and messaging weren’t tailored to the actual user group, leading to confusion and lower adoption.

Small businesses faced a cumbersome registration process and a user experience not aligned with the real demographics using the app, limiting adoption and overall satisfaction.

Design process

Research

User Data Review: Analyzed quantitative data from the existing app usage and marketing reports.

Field Observations & Interviews: Engaged with actual users (younger employees or owners’ children) to understand their day-to-day tasks, challenges, and expectations from a payment app.

Definition

Registration complexity discouraged completion.

The app’s design and language felt outdated or irrelevant to younger users.

User Personas & Journeys:
Created a persona for the real users (younger employees), focusing on their tech savviness and desire for a faster, more intuitive flow.

During the whole process we kept doing whiteboard wireframes and low-fi paper wireframes to start landing all of the ideas.

Ideation

Simplifying Registration:
Brainstormed ways to reduce required fields, add progress indicators, or allow partial saves.

Younger User Focus:
Proposed updated UI elements, more modern visuals, and simplified flows.

Rapid Prototyping:
Created quick wireframes to validate new registration steps and navigation schemes.

Prototyping

High-Fidelity Mockups:
Showed a cleaner dashboard, simplified sign-up, and relevant features for users handling multiple tasks in busy store environments.

Testing with Real Users:
Gathered feedback from a small group, focusing on clarity of steps, language, and immediate value.

Signup Flow
mockup.png

Testing & Iteration

Iterative Refinements:
Addressed any friction in the sign-up flow, clarified instructions, and further optimized the UI for smaller screen devices (common among younger employees).

Stakeholder Reviews:
Presented updated designs to the marketing and leadership teams at Paga Todo, ensuring alignment with branding and strategic goals.

testimoniales2.jpg

Project impact

User-Centered Redesign:
By reducing friction in the registration process and tailoring the experience for a younger demographic, you created a more intuitive and engaging app.

Government Contract Success:
“Ya Ganaste” secured a government contract in Mexico City, becoming the only product to accept a special card that helps people buy school supplies. This expansion brought the app into many local stationery stores, significantly increasing adoption.

Business Validation:
Despite initial challenges, the redesign helped position Ya Ganaste as a viable solution for small businesses, proving the value of applying user insights to real-world fintech products.

UI Kit

GUI.png

A completely new  UI Kit with a GUI layered system was crated for the app, including a full set of personalized (and grid accurate) icons.

GUI layered system

layers.png

 App background

First action elements

External flow blocks

External components

Inside space

Internal components

Assistance components

Top elements

Design evolution

lg-dd_2x.png

© 2025 Created by Diego Díaz

Contact

If you have any questions or would like to discuss potential collaborations, please feel free to reach out.

hola@diego-diaz.com

+52 4434 100112

bottom of page