Client: Trustly
Role: Lead UX Designer (Checkout Experience, EMEA)
Duration: 3 months
Markets: UK & Germany (with later EMEA rollout)
Trustly set out to make online payments fast, simple, and secure for merchants, consumers, and banks. The project focused on redesigning the checkout experience to align with the new design system and guidelines, with the goal of increasing conversion, usability, and trust in regulated European markets.
Trustly: Creating a consistent checkout payment experience.
Background
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Designing payment experiences in EMEA requires balancing speed, regulatory complexity, and user trust. At project initiation, the checkout flow faced several challenges:
→ Low conversion rates across key markets
→ Inconsistent user flows between countries and scenarios
→ Legacy checkout experience not aligned with Trustly’s new design system
Limited user assistance, especially in moments of uncertainty during payment
The challenge extended beyond visual consistency to creating a coherent, human-centered experience that met legal requirements, addressed cultural differences, and aligned with user expectations, all without adding friction.
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Align the checkout experience with the latest checkout guidelines and the Trustly design system.
Increase conversion and completion rates.
Support personalized experiences for both first-time and returning users.
Ensure the experience is user-friendly, trustworthy, and compliant across all markets.
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I led the end-to-end UX design for the checkout flow in EMEA B2C markets, focusing on the UK and Germany.
My responsibilities included:
→ Directed UX strategy and execution from research through delivery
→ Designed first-time and repeat user flows for multiple markets
→ Collaborated with product managers, engineers, researchers, copywriters, data analysts, and legal and compliance teams
→ Translated regulatory and legal requirements into clear, user-centered interactions
→ Established UX foundations and design practices to improve alignment and decision-making across markets
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→ 1 Senior UX Designer (my role)
→ UX Researchers (internal and external)
→ 1 Copywriter
→Product Owners: Frontend, Bank Integrations, Deposits
→Engineers & Database Developer
This cross-disciplinary team required effective facilitation and a shared understanding to address legal, technical, and user needs.
Process
Research and Understanding
We started by making sure we understood both our users and the limits we had to work within.
→ We reviewed the legal and regulatory rules for checkout and user authentication in the UK and Germany.
→ We analyzed the current checkout flows and looked at performance data.
→ We worked with an external research partner to conduct and review user research, focusing on pain points, drop-offs, and trust signals.
This phase showed us where users felt unsure, how language and interaction patterns changed by market, and where old decisions were causing problems.
Synthesis
I led synthesis sessions to bring together insights from research, legal requirements, analytics, and stakeholder input.
Key focus areas included:
→ Identified key hesitation points in the checkout process.
→ Mapped differences between first-time and returning users.
→ Clarified areas where inconsistency affected trust and understanding.
This synthesis helped the team align on what truly mattered for users before moving into solutions.
Concept Development
Based on these insights, I led a focused concept phase in which we:
→ Established clear principles for checkout interactions, emphasizing clarity, reassurance, and minimal cognitive load.
→ Developed modular, reusable flow patterns consistent with the Trustly design system.
→ Balanced personalization with predictability to ensure users always understood each step and its purpose.
Validated concepts early with stakeholders to confirm feasibility across frontend, bank integrations, and compliance requirements.
UI Flows and Design Execution
I developed comprehensive UI flows for the following user scenarios:
→ UK: First-Time User
→ UK: Recurring User
→ Germany: First-Time User
→ Germany: Recurring User
Each flow incorporated the following elements:
→ Market-specific legal requirements
→ Clear, supportive copy and guidance
→ Consistent interaction patterns across scenarios
This approach created a cohesive checkout experience that also addressed local requirements.
UK: First Time User
UK: Recurring User
Germany: First Time User
Germany: Recurring User
Outcomes and Impact
Checkout flows were launched in May 2021.
→ We improved alignment with the Trustly design system and checkout guidelines
→ We established a scalable foundation to support future EMEA market rollouts.
The team adopted frequent and early releases to enable continuous learning.
After launch, we:
→ Conducted post-launch user testing
→ Analyzed performance and behavioral data
→ We iterated on the flows to further reduce friction and improve clarity.
This iterative approach ensured the solution evolved in response to real user behavior rather than assumptions.
Reflection
This project highlighted the value of prioritizing clarity over speed, especially in financial and AI-related systems. By basing decisions on user needs, regulatory requirements, and long-term design principles, we developed a checkout experience that fosters trust, wellbeing, and sustainable growth.
This approach continues to guide my work at Alexandra Mateus Studio, where I help teams navigate complex systems with thoughtfulness, ethics, and a focus on human-centered design.