Creating a new consumer card from scratch — A Case Study
Behind the scenes of LazyCard, as told by the designer who created it
At LazyPay, our mission is to reinvent banking. We’re a next-gen fin-tech company that provides credit to users for all their needs, with flexible repayment options. And in our latest adventure, we dived head-first into the world of cards.
Most users prefer cards 💳 over cash 💵
Think credit — and you automatically think of cards.
Card = convenience. Instead of carrying large sums of cash around, users can carry a lightweight piece of replaceable plastic, and spend with ease.
That’s not all. There’s an interesting factor as to why users prefer cards over cash — the willingness to spend.
In several studies, it has been proven that alternatives to cash result in higher spending; some suggest that credit card users spend twice as much compared to cash users.
But why is this so?
A lot of it relates to the psychology of loss aversion, and mental accounting. A case study by Raghubir and Srivastava, 2008 explains why users display this behavior.
- When users shop with cash, they can clearly see money changing hands, and it makes them uncomfortable. The ‘loss’ of money happens right in front of their eyes. In the case of a credit card/gift card, the money is considered as a “token amount” making it different from “actual money” in the user’s mind.
- When a user pays with a card, there is a delay between the purchase and the actual money deduction. This reduces the significance of the item’s cost, and the transaction doesn’t have an immediate negative impact.
- When combining many purchases into a lump sum, people don’t associate the payment with a specific item; when merging necessities with luxuries, there is less guilt attached to unnecessary spending. This encourages users to spend more on entertainment or pleasure.
Armed with all this research and information, the natural next step for us was to foray into cards with our new LazyCard.
Why LazyCard? 💳
A card gives people the means to spend without worrying about their bank balance. Our goal was to provide credit to people who were under-served by traditional banks. This is where LazyCard comes in.
Our target users are mainly 20–35 year olds who are just starting their credit journey. This includes students just out of college, or people working at their first job.
Owing to our partnership with VISA and SBM bank, LazyCard was launched as one of the most widely accepted cards in the Indian market. But what ultimately sets us apart is our killer rewards program.
The Goal🎯
Craft a unique LazyCard design that people would love to talk about, and feel proud enough to show off to their friends. A card that is pleasing to consumers, stays true to the brand’s identity, whilst also differentiating itself from the rest of the market. We wanted something that starts conversations; not just a card, but a piece of functional art.
Ideating themes💡
Here we were, designing a credit card experience that all of our users would regularly use in their daily life. We had to get it right.
First, we kicked off several discussions between the LazyPay design team and varied stakeholders. From the aesthetics of the card to how we should build our app experience — we received an outpour of feedback and ideas.
After all, great products can’t be built in a bubble.
Then, we sorted them into a couple of themes/visual directions to try out:
- Neon: A futuristic, cool look & feel
- Nostalgic: As our target users are mostly 90s kids, we tried out design elements that reminded them of their childhood, like the Mario game
- Pure luxury: A classic card with luxury elements to show off
- Minimalistic: A simple and minimal approach, without an overload of elements
At the same time, our designs had to convey that LazyCard is a unique and future-ready offering. The LazyPay logo stands for ‘Fast forward’ so our card design has to portray the same.
Card design✨
A vertical card
When you insert a horizontal card in most bank POS machines and ATMs, or when you pass it to someone by hand, all the text and graphics are turned the wrong way.
If you think about it, our lives are predominantly lived in portrait orientation (books, phones, etc.)
To build uniqueness in our product, we began by moving away from traditional horizontal cards to a fresh, new vertical design.
Added security
Next, we moved the card number to the back for two reasons.
1️⃣ User could show off their card and post it on social media, without needing to blur out the card number
2️⃣ Since the CVV number is already on the back, users could see all details in one place while making an online payment
Finally, we checked with the VISA team for the placement and layout of the card number and VISA logo. They got back to us with the below guidelines:
The card number was placed in a 4-lettered grid pattern, on the back of the card, thereby making it more readable.
Once we froze the layout, we went on to visual directions. After several variations, we shortlisted these options:
Testing our card design 🔍
We rolled out a small survey to a closed user group consisting of mainly LazyPay & PayU employees, and got the following insights:
Neon was the option most users liked, having a futuristic, fast forward & brag-worthy feel
Card packaging 📦
Finally, to add a premium user experience, we designed the card packaging as a minimal black cardboard box with bold typography.
Card unboxing by our beloved LazyCard users : Video 1 , Video 2
Reflections
It's hard to believe the sexy, new LazyCard you see today started from a small discussion with a product manager over Google Meet.
Building a card experience from scratch has been a journey that has taught me a lot of things — like behind-the-scenes challenges, and printing techniques, to name a few. I enjoyed integrating research insights into the design process and achieving evidence-based design.
I look forward to more such projects with LazyPay that push the boundaries of what is possible within the world of finance.
LazyCard was a collaborative design project with the Design Manager, Product Manager & Product Head.
Article edited and proofread by Mohana Das
