Split Bill
In Whatsapp
My Role
Product Designer
tool used
Figma
Miro
project overview
Objective : This conceptual UX case study explores integrating bill splitting into WhatsApp to reduce awkwardness, manage group payments/ expenses within existing habits (chat screen)
Problems
App Switching: Users constantly jump between WhatsApp, Splitwise, and UPI payment apps.
Low Adoption: Third-party splitting apps fail if even one group member doesn't have the app.
Social Friction: Manually chasing friends for money creates awkward social discomfort.
Underused Tech: WhatsApp Pay lacks daily active adoption despite the platform's massive user base.
Goals
All-in-One Flow: Merge calculation, tracking, and settlement directly into the chat screen.
Zero Friction: Eliminate external app downloads by leveraging WhatsApp's existing group reach.
Auto-Reminders: Use neutral, automated prompts to handle late payments gracefully.
Boost Adoption: Drive high-value, organic user engagement and trust for WhatsApp Pay.
User Research
Goal of research : To understand Market Dominance, technology trends, Opportunities, Growth Challenges for existing bill-splitting platforms and payment ecosystems in order to identify strategic opportunities for integrating a split bill feature within WhatsApp
Quantitative Research
Goal : I took users’ survey to gather user feedback on their bill splitting experience, which helps validate hypotheses, identify pain points, measure satisfaction, and inform design decisions with data-driven insights
Age Group
How Often do users use apps to split bills
Challenges while splitting on other apps
WhatsApp Pay usage oppourtunity
Over 96% to 99% of WhatsApp users do not use WhatsApp Pay for payments. This is huge opportunity to integrate in social habbits
Qualitative Research
Interview Questions
Opening Background
How do you currently manage and track shared expenses with friends or family?
Can you walk me through the last time you split a bill with others? What was that experience like?
Current App Usage & Behavior
What motivated you to start using specific app they mentioned] for bill splitting?
Tell me about a time when splitting bills became frustrating or problematic. What happened?
How do you usually handle it when someone in your group doesn't have the same app or payment method?
What's your biggest pain point when collecting money from friends after splitting bills?
WhatsApp Usage & Digital Payments
How important is WhatsApp in your daily communication? Can you describe how you use it?
Have you tried using WhatsApp Pay? What was your experience like? If not, what's stopping you from using it?
What are your thoughts on having messaging and payments in the same app?
Some people feel hesitant to make financial transactions through messaging apps. How do you feel about security when it comes to digital payments?
Exploring Bill Splitting Needs
What would your ideal bill splitting experience look like?
How do you effectively remind others to pay their share?
Describe a complex expense tracking situation and how you handled?
How do you handle delayed payments from others?
WhatsApp Integration Scenarios
Imagine splitting bills directly within WhatsApp group chats. How would you expect this to work?
What concerns ,might you have about splitting bills through WhatsApp?
How important is it that the split bill feature works even if some group members don't have WhatsApp Pay?
Trust & Security Perceptions
What makes you trust on finance related app?
What would make you feel confident about using WhatsApp for bill splitting versus other dedicated apps?
Closing Questions
What features would be essential for you to switch to a WhatsApp bill splitting feature?
Is there anything important about bill splitting or your payment habits that we haven't discussed?
If you were advising someone building a bill splitting feature for WhatsApp, what would you tell them?
User Statements
“I don’t trust WhatsApp with payments” / “UPI feels safer.”
Everyone already has WhatsApp” / “I don’t want to install another app.
It feels rude to remind friends to pay” / “I hate chasing payments.
UPI doesn’t work outside India” / “Different currencies are a mess.
Research Insights
User Behavior
Expense discussions receipts, payment screenshots, expense calculations, payment reminders, already happen inside WhatsApp groups.
UPI adoption is high, but WhatsApp Pay usage remains low.
Design and Innovation Insights
OCR technology can automate bill capture and reduce manual effort.
Automated calculations improve speed and accuracy.
Integrated payments can enable faster settlements.
Payment transparency can increase trust among group members.
Opportunities (Why WhatsApp?)
Faster Settlements - Users already coordinate expenses in WhatsApp groups.
Simplify expense tracking - Conversations, reminders, and payment discussions happen naturally in chat.
No need for users to learn a new platform.
Communication & Payments into one workflow - Existing group context makes bill sharing more intuitive.
Reduce app switching - While everyone in a group may not use Splitwise or similar apps, almost everyone already uses WhatsApp, making it the common platform for coordinating shared expenses.
Design Decisions
Design Decision
Reason
Impact
OCR-Based Bill Capture
Enable receipt scanning
Saves time
Reduces manual errors
Speeds up bill creation
Flexible Split Methods
Support multiple splitting options
Group expenses vary by situation
One split method doesn't fit all scenarios
Payment Tracking
Display payment progress
Helps users understand settlement status
Reduces confusion and manual tracking
Automated Reminders
Allow reminder generation within the flow
Reduces awkward payment follow-ups
Encourages faster settlements
User Persona
Background
30 years old , young business professional. Uses split bill apps weekly basis with friends to split bills with flatmates for regular expenses like rent , food & irregular parcels , outings. Likes to be very up to date with his finance & expenses. Uses different apps to split bills because different group of people use different splitting & paying apps. Uses different tools like Gpay, Phone Pay, Split wise, Paytm, Paper Pen to keep make payments as well as keep track of expenses because his different group of friends uses different apps to split bills, however shares payment proof on whatsApp.
Pain points
Requires to use another app for payment methods.
He feels awkward asking people for money they are owed.
It's difficult to split bills with individuals who aren't using the exact same app.
I have security and trust concerns regarding major platform payment options like WhatsApp Pay due to scams and fraud.
Users are annoyed and time is wasted due to disruptive advertisements in existing bill-splitting applications.
Needs
The ability to split a bill and make the payment within a smooth, unified process within an app
A strong desire for eliminating the need to install a separate applications for splitting bill & making payment
Tools to easily keep track of and monitor personal expenses.
Easily accessible payment history and records within group chats or activities.
The ability to pay using different payment methods (e.g., credit card, bank transfer, mobile wallet).
Clear visibility into who has paid and who has not paid within the group
Need trust/ features to avoid payment scams and fraud.
The Solution
Journey Map & Opportunities
Site Map
User Flow
Scan
Upload photo of physical receipt for OCR processing
1
2
Extract
Auto extract totals , taxes & line amounts from receipt text
Itemize
AI indicates items & suggests who shared each item
3
4
Confirm
Users adjust items or deselect people & confirm the split
Receipt Scan & AI Item Splits
User Interface
Scan & Split Bill
User can scan an expense receipt to automatically capture bill details.
The user can preview the scanned bill for accuracy.
The user can edit the scanned bill (e.g., change item names, prices, or the total amount).
The user can select the group or people with whom to split the bill.
Manually Add & Splitting Logic
Manually adding & splitting the bill equally among all selected participants (the default option).
Different split methods to tackle real life problems
User can manually enter custom amounts each person owes.
User can split the bill by percentage among participants.
User can split the bill by item, assigning specific charges to specific people.
The user can send the final split details directly to a WhatsApp group or individual participant.
Bill Splitting Options
Sending Payment Reminders
Making Payment
Ease In Navigation
Navigation of chat transforming interface into a 'Split Bill' feature for easy navigation & feature adoption
Navigation of WhatsApp chat screen (Home screen) into a Split Bill dashboard by positioning it at Bottom navigation
Expense Tracking Dashboard
Bills dashboard summarizes Total Receivables and Total Payables
Clear clickable top-level KPIs for fast financial overview of how much amount others owe you & how much amount you owe to others. User can click and filter chats.
Scan Receipt
Leverages OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to automate expense entry, reducing friction for the user.
Add Manually
Provides a fallback for traditional data entry or for expenses without physical receipts.
Recent Expenses List
This is the core informational feed of the screen. Each entry provides four key data points:
Expected Outcome & Learnings
Expected Outcome For Users
Reduced calculation errors
Faster Bill Split Creation & less efforts chasing payments
Better Payment Visibility
Expected Outcome For WhatsApp
Increased payment engagement
Higher WhatsApp Pay Adoption
Reduced dependency on third-party expense apps
Learnings : Product Adoption, Appropriation
Developing a new feature in an app is as important as promoting it to ensure people know how to use it.
Providing simpler navigation for better feature adoption
Addressing users emotions into UX not just interfaces
Split Bill
In Whatsapp
My Role
Product Designer
tool used
Figma
Miro
project overview
Objective : This conceptual UX case study explores integrating bill splitting into WhatsApp to reduce awkwardness, manage group payments/ expenses within existing habits (chat screen)
Problems
App Switching: Users constantly jump between WhatsApp, Splitwise, and UPI payment apps.
Low Adoption: Third-party splitting apps fail if even one group member doesn't have the app.
Social Friction: Manually chasing friends for money creates awkward social discomfort.
Underused Tech: WhatsApp Pay lacks daily active adoption despite the platform's massive user base.
Goals
All-in-One Flow: Merge calculation, tracking, and settlement directly into the chat screen.
Zero Friction: Eliminate external app downloads by leveraging WhatsApp's existing group reach.
Auto-Reminders: Use neutral, automated prompts to handle late payments gracefully.
Boost Adoption: Drive high-value, organic user engagement and trust for WhatsApp Pay.
User Research
Goal of research : To understand Market Dominance, technology trends, Opportunities, Growth Challenges for existing bill-splitting platforms and payment ecosystems in order to identify strategic opportunities for integrating a split bill feature within WhatsApp
Quantitative Research
Goal : I took users’ survey to gather user feedback on their bill splitting experience, which helps validate hypotheses, identify pain points, measure satisfaction, and inform design decisions with data-driven insights
Age Group
How Often do users use apps to split bills
Challenges while splitting on other apps
WhatsApp Pay usage oppourtunity
Over 96% to 99% of WhatsApp users do not use WhatsApp Pay for payments. This is huge opportunity to integrate in social habbits
Qualitative Research
Interview Questions
Opening Background
How do you currently manage and track shared expenses with friends or family?
Can you walk me through the last time you split a bill with others? What was that experience like?
Current App Usage & Behavior
What motivated you to start using specific app they mentioned] for bill splitting?
Tell me about a time when splitting bills became frustrating or problematic. What happened?
How do you usually handle it when someone in your group doesn't have the same app or payment method?
What's your biggest pain point when collecting money from friends after splitting bills?
WhatsApp Usage & Digital Payments
How important is WhatsApp in your daily communication? Can you describe how you use it?
Have you tried using WhatsApp Pay? What was your experience like? If not, what's stopping you from using it?
What are your thoughts on having messaging and payments in the same app?
Some people feel hesitant to make financial transactions through messaging apps. How do you feel about security when it comes to digital payments?
Exploring Bill Splitting Needs
What would your ideal bill splitting experience look like?
How do you effectively remind others to pay their share?
Describe a complex expense tracking situation and how you handled?
How do you handle delayed payments from others?
WhatsApp Integration Scenarios
Imagine splitting bills directly within WhatsApp group chats. How would you expect this to work?
What concerns ,might you have about splitting bills through WhatsApp?
How important is it that the split bill feature works even if some group members don't have WhatsApp Pay?
Trust & Security Perceptions
What makes you trust on finance related app?
What would make you feel confident about using WhatsApp for bill splitting versus other dedicated apps?
Closing Questions
What features would be essential for you to switch to a WhatsApp bill splitting feature?
Is there anything important about bill splitting or your payment habits that we haven't discussed?
If you were advising someone building a bill splitting feature for WhatsApp, what would you tell them?
User Statements
“I don’t trust WhatsApp with payments” / “UPI feels safer.”
Everyone already has WhatsApp” / “I don’t want to install another app.
It feels rude to remind friends to pay” / “I hate chasing payments.
UPI doesn’t work outside India” / “Different currencies are a mess.
Research Insights
User Behavior
Expense discussions receipts, payment screenshots, expense calculations, payment reminders, already happen inside WhatsApp groups.
UPI adoption is high, but WhatsApp Pay usage remains low.
Design and Innovation Insights
OCR technology can automate bill capture and reduce manual effort.
Automated calculations improve speed and accuracy.
Integrated payments can enable faster settlements.
Payment transparency can increase trust among group members.
Opportunities (Why WhatsApp?)
Faster Settlements - Users already coordinate expenses in WhatsApp groups.
Simplify expense tracking - Conversations, reminders, and payment discussions happen naturally in chat.
No need for users to learn a new platform.
Communication & Payments into one workflow - Existing group context makes bill sharing more intuitive.
Reduce app switching - While everyone in a group may not use Splitwise or similar apps, almost everyone already uses WhatsApp, making it the common platform for coordinating shared expenses.
Design Decisions
Design Decision
Reason
Impact
OCR-Based Bill Capture
Enable receipt scanning
Saves time
Reduces manual errors
Speeds up bill creation
Flexible Split Methods
Support multiple splitting options
Group expenses vary by situation
One split method doesn't fit all scenarios
Payment Tracking
Display payment progress
Helps users understand settlement status
Reduces confusion and manual tracking
Automated Reminders
Allow reminder generation within the flow
Reduces awkward payment follow-ups
Encourages faster settlements
User Persona
Background
30 years old , young business professional. Uses split bill apps weekly basis with friends to split bills with flatmates for regular expenses like rent , food & irregular parcels , outings. Likes to be very up to date with his finance & expenses. Uses different apps to split bills because different group of people use different splitting & paying apps. Uses different tools like Gpay, Phone Pay, Split wise, Paytm, Paper Pen to keep make payments as well as keep track of expenses because his different group of friends uses different apps to split bills, however shares payment proof on whatsApp.
Pain points
Requires to use another app for payment methods.
He feels awkward asking people for money they are owed.
It's difficult to split bills with individuals who aren't using the exact same app.
I have security and trust concerns regarding major platform payment options like WhatsApp Pay due to scams and fraud.
Users are annoyed and time is wasted due to disruptive advertisements in existing bill-splitting applications.
Needs
The ability to split a bill and make the payment within a smooth, unified process within an app
A strong desire for eliminating the need to install a separate applications for splitting bill & making payment
Tools to easily keep track of and monitor personal expenses.
Easily accessible payment history and records within group chats or activities.
The ability to pay using different payment methods (e.g., credit card, bank transfer, mobile wallet).
Clear visibility into who has paid and who has not paid within the group
Need trust/ features to avoid payment scams and fraud.
The Solution
Journey Map & Opportunities
Site Map
User Flow
Scan
Upload photo of physical receipt for OCR processing
1
2
Extract
Auto extract totals , taxes & line amounts from receipt text
Itemize
AI indicates items & suggests who shared each item
3
4
Confirm
Users adjust items or deselect people & confirm the split
Receipt Scan & AI Item Splits
User Interface
Scan & Split Bill
User can scan an expense receipt to automatically capture bill details.
The user can preview the scanned bill for accuracy.
The user can edit the scanned bill (e.g., change item names, prices, or the total amount).
The user can select the group or people with whom to split the bill.
Manually Add & Splitting Logic
Manually adding & splitting the bill equally among all selected participants (the default option).
Different split methods to tackle real life problems
User can manually enter custom amounts each person owes.
User can split the bill by percentage among participants.
User can split the bill by item, assigning specific charges to specific people.
The user can send the final split details directly to a WhatsApp group or individual participant.
Bill Splitting Options
Sending Payment Reminders
Making Payment
Ease In Navigation
Navigation of chat transforming interface into a 'Split Bill' feature for easy navigation & feature adoption
Navigation of WhatsApp chat screen (Home screen) into a Split Bill dashboard by positioning it at Bottom navigation
Expense Tracking Dashboard
Bills dashboard summarizes Total Receivables and Total Payables
Clear clickable top-level KPIs for fast financial overview of how much amount others owe you & how much amount you owe to others. User can click and filter chats.
Scan Receipt
Leverages OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to automate expense entry, reducing friction for the user.
Add Manually
Provides a fallback for traditional data entry or for expenses without physical receipts.
Recent Expenses List
This is the core informational feed of the screen. Each entry provides four key data points:
Expected Outcome & Learnings
Expected Outcome For Users
Reduced calculation errors
Faster Bill Split Creation & less efforts chasing payments
Better Payment Visibility
Expected Outcome For WhatsApp
Increased payment engagement
Higher WhatsApp Pay Adoption
Reduced dependency on third-party expense apps
Learnings : Product Adoption, Appropriation
Developing a new feature in an app is as important as promoting it to ensure people know how to use it.
Providing simpler navigation for better feature adoption
Addressing users emotions into UX not just interfaces
Split Bill
In Whatsapp
My Role
Product Designer
tool used
Figma
Miro
project overview
Objective : This conceptual UX case study explores integrating bill splitting into WhatsApp to reduce awkwardness, manage group payments/ expenses within existing habits (chat screen)
Problems
App Switching: Users constantly jump between WhatsApp, Splitwise, and UPI payment apps.
Low Adoption: Third-party splitting apps fail if even one group member doesn't have the app.
Social Friction: Manually chasing friends for money creates awkward social discomfort.
Underused Tech: WhatsApp Pay lacks daily active adoption despite the platform's massive user base.
Goals
All-in-One Flow: Merge calculation, tracking, and settlement directly into the chat screen.
Zero Friction: Eliminate external app downloads by leveraging WhatsApp's existing group reach.
Auto-Reminders: Use neutral, automated prompts to handle late payments gracefully.
Boost Adoption: Drive high-value, organic user engagement and trust for WhatsApp Pay.
User Research
Goal of research : To understand Market Dominance, technology trends, Opportunities, Growth Challenges for existing bill-splitting platforms and payment ecosystems in order to identify strategic opportunities for integrating a split bill feature within WhatsApp
Quantitative Research
Goal : I took users’ survey to gather user feedback on their bill splitting experience, which helps validate hypotheses, identify pain points, measure satisfaction, and inform design decisions with data-driven insights
Age Group
How Often do users use apps to split bills
Challenges while splitting on other apps
WhatsApp Pay usage oppourtunity
Over 96% to 99% of WhatsApp users do not use WhatsApp Pay for payments. This is huge opportunity to integrate in social habbits
Qualitative Research
Interview Questions
Opening Background
How do you currently manage and track shared expenses with friends or family?
Can you walk me through the last time you split a bill with others? What was that experience like?
Current App Usage & Behavior
What motivated you to start using specific app they mentioned] for bill splitting?
Tell me about a time when splitting bills became frustrating or problematic. What happened?
How do you usually handle it when someone in your group doesn't have the same app or payment method?
What's your biggest pain point when collecting money from friends after splitting bills?
WhatsApp Usage & Digital Payments
How important is WhatsApp in your daily communication? Can you describe how you use it?
Have you tried using WhatsApp Pay? What was your experience like? If not, what's stopping you from using it?
What are your thoughts on having messaging and payments in the same app?
Some people feel hesitant to make financial transactions through messaging apps. How do you feel about security when it comes to digital payments?
Exploring Bill Splitting Needs
What would your ideal bill splitting experience look like?
How do you effectively remind others to pay their share?
Describe a complex expense tracking situation and how you handled?
How do you handle delayed payments from others?
WhatsApp Integration Scenarios
Imagine splitting bills directly within WhatsApp group chats. How would you expect this to work?
What concerns ,might you have about splitting bills through WhatsApp?
How important is it that the split bill feature works even if some group members don't have WhatsApp Pay?
Trust & Security Perceptions
What makes you trust on finance related app?
What would make you feel confident about using WhatsApp for bill splitting versus other dedicated apps?
Closing Questions
What features would be essential for you to switch to a WhatsApp bill splitting feature?
Is there anything important about bill splitting or your payment habits that we haven't discussed?
If you were advising someone building a bill splitting feature for WhatsApp, what would you tell them?
User Statements
“I don’t trust WhatsApp with payments” / “UPI feels safer.”
Everyone already has WhatsApp” / “I don’t want to install another app.
It feels rude to remind friends to pay” / “I hate chasing payments.
UPI doesn’t work outside India” / “Different currencies are a mess.
Research Insights
User Behavior
Expense discussions receipts, payment screenshots, expense calculations, payment reminders, already happen inside WhatsApp groups.
UPI adoption is high, but WhatsApp Pay usage remains low.
Design and Innovation Insights
OCR technology can automate bill capture and reduce manual effort.
Automated calculations improve speed and accuracy.
Integrated payments can enable faster settlements.
Payment transparency can increase trust among group members.
Opportunities (Why WhatsApp?)
Faster Settlements - Users already coordinate expenses in WhatsApp groups.
Simplify expense tracking - Conversations, reminders, and payment discussions happen naturally in chat.
No need for users to learn a new platform.
Communication & Payments into one workflow - Existing group context makes bill sharing more intuitive.
Reduce app switching - While everyone in a group may not use Splitwise or similar apps, almost everyone already uses WhatsApp, making it the common platform for coordinating shared expenses.
Design Decisions
Design Decision
Reason
Impact
OCR-Based Bill Capture
Enable receipt scanning
Saves time
Reduces manual errors
Speeds up bill creation
Flexible Split Methods
Support multiple splitting options
Group expenses vary by situation
One split method doesn't fit all scenarios
Payment Tracking
Display payment progress
Helps users understand settlement status
Reduces confusion and manual tracking
Automated Reminders
Allow reminder generation within the flow
Reduces awkward payment follow-ups
Encourages faster settlements
User Persona
Background
30 years old , young business professional. Uses split bill apps weekly basis with friends to split bills with flatmates for regular expenses like rent , food & irregular parcels , outings. Likes to be very up to date with his finance & expenses. Uses different apps to split bills because different group of people use different splitting & paying apps. Uses different tools like Gpay, Phone Pay, Split wise, Paytm, Paper Pen to keep make payments as well as keep track of expenses because his different group of friends uses different apps to split bills, however shares payment proof on whatsApp.
Pain points
Requires to use another app for payment methods.
He feels awkward asking people for money they are owed.
It's difficult to split bills with individuals who aren't using the exact same app.
I have security and trust concerns regarding major platform payment options like WhatsApp Pay due to scams and fraud.
Users are annoyed and time is wasted due to disruptive advertisements in existing bill-splitting applications.
Needs
The ability to split a bill and make the payment within a smooth, unified process within an app
A strong desire for eliminating the need to install a separate applications for splitting bill & making payment
Tools to easily keep track of and monitor personal expenses.
Easily accessible payment history and records within group chats or activities.
The ability to pay using different payment methods (e.g., credit card, bank transfer, mobile wallet).
Clear visibility into who has paid and who has not paid within the group
Need trust/ features to avoid payment scams and fraud.
The Solution
Journey Map & Opportunities
Site Map
User Flow
Scan
Upload photo of physical receipt for OCR processing
1
2
Extract
Auto extract totals , taxes & line amounts from receipt text
Itemize
AI indicates items & suggests who shared each item
3
4
Confirm
Users adjust items or deselect people & confirm the split
Receipt Scan & AI Item Splits
User Interface
Scan & Split Bill
User can scan an expense receipt to automatically capture bill details.
The user can preview the scanned bill for accuracy.
The user can edit the scanned bill (e.g., change item names, prices, or the total amount).
The user can select the group or people with whom to split the bill.
Manually Add & Splitting Logic
Manually adding & splitting the bill equally among all selected participants (the default option).
Different split methods to tackle real life problems
User can manually enter custom amounts each person owes.
User can split the bill by percentage among participants.
User can split the bill by item, assigning specific charges to specific people.
The user can send the final split details directly to a WhatsApp group or individual participant.
Bill Splitting Options
Sending Payment Reminders
Making Payment
Ease In Navigation
Navigation of chat transforming interface into a 'Split Bill' feature for easy navigation & feature adoption
Navigation of WhatsApp chat screen (Home screen) into a Split Bill dashboard by positioning it at Bottom navigation
Expense Tracking Dashboard
Bills dashboard summarizes Total Receivables and Total Payables
Clear clickable top-level KPIs for fast financial overview of how much amount others owe you & how much amount you owe to others. User can click and filter chats.
Scan Receipt
Leverages OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to automate expense entry, reducing friction for the user.
Add Manually
Provides a fallback for traditional data entry or for expenses without physical receipts.
Recent Expenses List
This is the core informational feed of the screen. Each entry provides four key data points:
Expected Outcome & Learnings
Expected Outcome For Users
Reduced calculation errors
Faster Bill Split Creation & less efforts chasing payments
Better Payment Visibility
Expected Outcome For WhatsApp
Increased payment engagement
Higher WhatsApp Pay Adoption
Reduced dependency on third-party expense apps
Learnings : Product Adoption, Appropriation
Developing a new feature in an app is as important as promoting it to ensure people know how to use it.
Providing simpler navigation for better feature adoption
Addressing users emotions into UX not just interfaces