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ARVIND SETHIA - FEATURED PROJECT
Tata Neu UPI
Repositioning UPI for a Credit-First, Reward-Led India
UX execution
“UPI was buried under commerce modules. Zero visibility, zero habit.”
THE PROBLEM
1
Low success rate:People abandoned Tata Neu for GPay/PhonePe
2
Slow app experience: Contradicted what UPI must be
3
Scan & Pay buried:
Users couldn’t even find the core feature
4
Brand perception weak: “too slow, not a UPI app, don’t trust it”
THE STRATEGIC INSIGHT
A new reliable banking partner fixed the underlying performance issues.
At the same time, NPCI enabled Credit Card on UPI.
Tata Neu had 2M+ existing credit card users — an advantage no one else had at this scale.
OPPORTUNITY
Win not on generic UPI.
Win on:
Credit-first value +
Meaningful rewards.
THE DESIGN NORTH STAR
“The most rewarding credit-first UPI experience in India.”
A shift from paying → Earning.
From utility → Engagement engine.
From buried feature → Primary entry point.
This north star aligned Product, Business, Tech, and Design.
“Rebuilt the identity: Not cutting corners in Reliability, Speed in interaction, Value in every payment.”
WHAT I LED
Design Leadership
- Ran a 3-hour alignment workshop (18 cross-functional leaders).
- Co-led hypothesis-driven UPI research (21 hypotheses, 3 archetypes validated).
- Defined target user mix: Careful Explorers (60%) + Switchers (40%).
- Established the Core–Peripheral–Magic framework adopted across teams.
- Reset homepage & navigation priorities to bring UPI to the foreground.
- Directed end-to-end UX, UI, Visual, Motion for the entire redesign. (1team of 3TDesign lead- 1 (Myself), UX/UI Designer - 1, VD - )
- Ensured reward system clarity and alignment between product, loyalty, and tech.
FRAMEWORK: Core → Peripheral → Magic
Core (must-have for adoption)
- Upfront Discoverability
- Immediate Scan & Pay
- Dedicated UPI widget
- Reliable Transaction Loop
- Clear pending → processing → success states
- Fast perceived feedback
- Meaningful Reward Clarity
- Direct NeuCoins with visible value
- No random scratch card
Peripheral (reinforces trust + preference)
Speed
Sense of Security
Payment insights (Expenses & Rewards)
Bold visuals
Magic (unique to Tata Neu)
Credit-Driven Reward Flywheel
- CC-on-UPI benefit surfaced before payment
- Higher NeuCoin earnings for CC-linked transactions
- Tier progression → habit formation
Ecosystem Advantage
- Utility of rewards across Croma, BigBasket, Cliq, 1mg
- Unified value visualization
KEY DESIGNS
Why are we doing this and for whom
Meaningful reward clarity - Onboarding
Scan & Pay with a delightful twist
Reward reinforced in post payment
BEFORE → AFTER TRANSFORMATION
BEFORE
AFTER
Slow, unreliable
Predictable, fast, transparent
UPI hidden under commerce
UPI-first discovery
No reward
Real NeuCoins with clear value
Weak trust
Strong reliability & safety cues
No habit loop
Daily incentive loop + ecosystem value
“This redesign didn’t beautify UPI. It repositioned it.”
ROLLOUT & MATRICES - JAN ‘26
Tracking the only metrics that matter:
“The redesign is engineered to produce behavioural change, not UI delight.
CC-on-UPI linkage
First-week frequency
Reward redemption
UPI Daily-Active-Users contribution
Ecosystem transaction lift
Repeat payment retention
MORE PROJECTS TO EXPLORE
Similar work and additional learning in other projects
ARVIND SETHIA - FEATURED PROJECT
Tata Neu UPI
Repositioning UPI for a Credit-First, Reward-Led India
UX execution
THE PROBLEM
1
Low success rate:People abandoned Tata Neu for GPay/PhonePe
2
Slow app experience: Contradicted what UPI must be
3
Scan & Pay buried:
Users couldn’t even find the core feature
4
Brand perception weak: “too slow, not a UPI app, don’t trust it”
“UPI was buried under commerce modules. Zero visibility, zero habit.”
THE STRATEGIC INSIGHT
A new reliable banking partner fixed the underlying performance issues.
At the same time, NPCI enabled Credit Card on UPI.
Tata Neu had 2M+ existing credit card users — an advantage no one else had at this scale.
OPPORTUNITY
Win not on generic UPI.
Win on:
Credit-first value +
Meaningful rewards.
THE DESIGN NORTH STAR
“The most rewarding credit-first UPI experience in India.”
A shift from paying → Earning.
From utility → Engagement engine.
From buried feature → Primary entry point.
This north star aligned Product, Business, Tech, and Design.
“Rebuilt the identity: Not cutting corners in Reliability, Speed in interaction, Value in every payment.”
WHAT I LED
Design Leadership
- Ran a 3-hour alignment workshop (18 cross-functional leaders).
- Co-led hypothesis-driven UPI research (21 hypotheses, 3 archetypes validated).
- Defined target user mix: Careful Explorers (60%) + Switchers (40%).
- Established the Core–Peripheral–Magic framework adopted across teams.
- Reset homepage & navigation priorities to bring UPI to the foreground.
- Directed end-to-end UX, UI, Visual, Motion for the entire redesign. (1team of 3TDesign lead- 1 (Myself), UX/UI Designer - 1, VD - )
- Ensured reward system clarity and alignment between product, loyalty, and tech.
FRAMEWORK: Core → Peripheral → Magic
Core (must-have for adoption)
- Upfront Discoverability
- Immediate Scan & Pay
- Dedicated UPI widget
- Reliable Transaction Loop
- Clear pending → processing → success states
- Fast perceived feedback
- Meaningful Reward Clarity
- Direct NeuCoins with visible value
- No random scratch card
Peripheral (reinforces trust + preference)
Speed
Sense of Security
Payment insights (Expenses & Rewards)
Bold visuals
Magic (unique to Tata Neu)
Credit-Driven Reward Flywheel
- CC-on-UPI benefit surfaced before payment
- Higher NeuCoin earnings for CC-linked transactions
- Tier progression → habit formation
Ecosystem Advantage
- Utility of rewards across Croma, BigBasket, Cliq, 1mg
- Unified value visualization
KEY DESIGNS
Why are we doing this and for whom
Meaningful reward clarity - Onboarding
Scan & Pay with a delightful twist
Reward reinforced in post payment
BEFORE → AFTER TRANSFORMATION
BEFORE
AFTER
Slow, unreliable
Predictable, fast, transparent
UPI hidden under commerce
UPI-first discovery
No reward
Real NeuCoins with clear value
Weak trust
Strong reliability & safety cues
No habit loop
Daily incentive loop + ecosystem value
“This redesign didn’t beautify UPI. It repositioned it.”
ROLLOUT & MATRICES - JAN ‘26
Tracking the only metrics that matter:
CC-on-UPI linkage
First-week frequency
Reward redemption
UPI Daily-Active-Users contribution
Ecosystem transaction lift
Repeat payment retention
“The redesign is engineered to produce behavioural change, not UI delight.
MORE PROJECTS TO EXPLORE
Similar work and additional learning in other projects
ARVIND SETHIA - MORE PROJECT
Tata Neu UPI
Repositioning UPI for a Credit-First, Reward-Led India
BEHAVIOURAL UX
THE PROBLEM
1
Low success rate:People abandoned Tata Neu for GPay/PhonePe
2
Slow app experience: Contradicted what UPI must be
3
Scan & Pay buried:
Users couldn’t even find the core feature
4
Brand perception weak:
“too slow, not a UPI app, don’t trust it”
“UPI was buried under commerce modules. Zero visibility, zero habit.”
THE STRATEGIC INSIGHT
A new reliable banking partner fixed the underlying performance issues.
At the same time, NPCI enabled Credit Card on UPI.
Tata Neu had 2M+ existing credit card users — an advantage no one else had at this scale.
OPPORTUNITY
Win not on generic UPI.
Win on:
Credit-first value +
Meaningful rewards.
THE DESIGN NORTH STAR
“The most rewarding credit-first UPI experience in India.”
A shift from paying → Earning.
From utility → Engagement engine.
From buried feature → Primary entry point.
This north star aligned Product, Business, Tech, and Design.
“Rebuilt the identity: Not cutting corners in Reliability, Speed in interaction, Value in every payment.”
WHAT I LED
Design Leadership
- Ran a 3-hour alignment workshop (18 cross-functional leaders).
- Co-led hypothesis-driven UPI research (21 hypotheses, 3 archetypes validated).
- Defined target user mix: Careful Explorers (60%) + Switchers (40%).
- Established the Core–Peripheral–Magic framework adopted across teams.
- Reset homepage & navigation priorities to bring UPI to the foreground.
- Directed end-to-end UX, UI, Visual, Motion for the entire redesign. (Total team of 3: Design lead- 1 (Myself), UX/UI Designer - 1, VD - 1 )
- Ensured reward system clarity and alignment between product, loyalty, and tech.
FRAMEWORK: Core → Peripheral → Magic
Core (must-have for adoption)
- Upfront Discoverability
- Immediate Scan & Pay
- Dedicated UPI widget
- Reliable Transaction Loop
- Clear pending → processing → success states
- Fast perceived feedback
- Meaningful Reward Clarity
- Direct NeuCoins with visible value
- No random scratch card
Peripheral (reinforces trust + preference)
Speed
Sense of Security
Payment insights (Expenses & Rewards)
Bold visuals
Magic (unique to Tata Neu)
Credit-Driven Reward Flywheel
- CC-on-UPI benefit surfaced before payment
- Higher NeuCoin earnings for CC-linked transactions
- Tier progression → habit formation
Ecosystem Advantage
- Utility of rewards across Croma, BigBasket, Cliq, 1mg
- Unified value visualization
KEY DESIGNS
Play the video, to experience the flow
Meaningful reward clarity - Onboarding
Scan & Pay with a delightful twist
Reward reinforced in post payment
BEFORE → AFTER TRANSFORMATION
BEFORE
AFTER
Slow, unreliable
Predictable, fast, transparent
UPI hidden under commerce
UPI-first discovery
No reward
Real NeuCoins with clear value
Weak trust
Strong reliability & safety cues
No habit loop
Daily incentive loop + ecosystem value
“This redesign didn’t beautify UPI. It repositioned it.”
ROLLOUT & MATRICES - JAN ‘26
Tracking the only metrics that matter:
CC-on-UPI linkage
First-week frequency
Reward redemption
UPI Daily-Active-Users contribution
Ecosystem transaction lift
Repeat payment retention
“The redesign is engineered to produce behavioural change, not UI delight.
MORE PROJECTS TO EXPLORE
Similar work and additional learning in other projects