Redesigning a high-frequency invoice flow to reduce drop-offs and improve financial confidence.
Invoice creation is one of the most critical and frequently used actions in any accounting product.
This project focused on redesigning the invoice creation flow to reduce user drop-offs, improve task efficiency, and increase confidence around financial details such as charges, payment terms, and bank information.
Product
GimBooks
Role
Product Designer
Duration
2 Weeks
Tools
Figma
Problem Statement
Despite being the most frequently used feature, the invoice creation flow caused significant friction for both new and returning users.
New users were confused by unclear terminology and complex financial sections, especially around charges, payment terms, and bank details.
Returning users faced repetitive data entry and slow, modal-heavy workflows.
This friction reduced user confidence, increased abandonment during first-time invoice creation, and slowed down a critical business task.
Context and Background
GimBooks is used daily by small and medium businesses where invoicing needs to be fast, accurate, and reliable. Any hesitation or error in this flow directly impacts business operations, trust, and user retention.
Analytics and support data revealed that invoice creation generated the highest number of support queries and drop-offs across the platform, making it a high-impact area for improvement.
Understanding the Problem
Research revealed two distinct but related patterns:
First-time users often abandoned the flow mid-way, overwhelmed by the number of fields and unsure about financial inputs such as taxes, charges, and bank details.
Returning users found the process repetitive and time-consuming, as key information had to be re-entered and edited through multiple modal interactions.
Approximately 40% of first-time users failed to complete their first invoice, indicating confusion rather than lack of intent.
Goals
The redesign aimed to:
Reduce friction for first-time users through better guidance and clarity
Speed up invoice creation for returning users
Increase confidence around financial inputs such as charges, payment terms, and bank details
Create a faster, cleaner, and more intuitive end-to-end experience
Research
To deeply understand user behavior and pain points, I used:
Funnel and session analytics to identify drop-off points and time spent per field
Support ticket analysis to uncover recurring issues and confusion
Interviews with small business owners and accountants to understand real-world invoicing workflows
Key Insight
Users wanted invoice creation to feel less like filling out a complex form and more like a guided, intelligent process—especially when dealing with financial and payment-related decisions.
Key Usability Issues Identified
Buyer Selection
The buyer selection flow relied heavily on modals and long lists. Frequent buyers were difficult to access quickly, often leading users to create duplicate entries and slow down the process.
Item Management
Items had to be added and edited through repeated modal interactions. Editing quantities, prices, or discounts required extra steps, increasing cognitive load and interrupting user flow.
Charges, Payment Terms & Bank Details
Critical financial information was hidden under secondary sections, leading to hesitation and confusion. Users were unsure:
Whether charges were mandatory or optional
Which payment terms to select
Whether adding bank details was required to complete an invoice
This uncertainty resulted in incomplete invoices and frequent edits.
Design Strategy
The redesign was guided by four key principles:
Progressive disclosure to reduce cognitive overload
Speed for experienced users, guidance for new users
Inline editing to minimize context switching
Clarity over completeness, especially for financial inputs
Optimized Buyer Selection
The buyer selection experience was redesigned to prioritize search, recent buyers, and frequently used parties. This allowed users to select buyers quickly without navigating through multiple modals or creating duplicates.
Inline Item Editing
Item quantities, prices, discounts, and taxes can now be edited directly within the invoice table. This reduced interruptions and significantly sped up invoice creation for repeat users.
Clear Financial & Payment Guidance
Charges, payment terms, and bank details were repositioned and clearly labeled with intent:
Users can instantly see what is required, optional, or recommended
Payment terms are contextual and easier to understand
Bank details are clearly explained as recommended, not mandatory, reducing hesitation
This clarity helped users move forward confidently without second-guessing financial decisions.
Outcome & Impact
Reduced first-time invoice abandonment by minimizing friction and uncertainty across the flow
Accelerated invoice creation for returning users by eliminating repetitive data entry and modal-heavy interactions
Increased user confidence in financial decision-making by clearly communicating requirements around charges, payment terms, and bank details—resulting in fewer hesitations and incomplete invoices
Learnings
Designing high-frequency financial workflows requires balancing speed with reassurance. Even small moments of uncertainty around money can significantly impact user confidence and task completion.
Clear guidance, better hierarchy, and inline interactions can dramatically improve both efficiency and trust.
Next Steps
Introduce smart defaults for payment terms based on user behavior
Auto-suggest bank details based on invoice type
Validate improvements through A/B testing and usability studies