Greenfield Fintech

Lead product designer

Travelex — goTaxFree: Research That Changed a Product

My role: Lead Product Designer

Timeline: 10 months (Aug 2019 – May 2020)

The short version: Led design on a greenfield start-up inside Travelex to digitise the UK VAT refund process. Research experiments revealed a fundamental misunderstanding about what users valued — which changed how the entire product was positioned.

CONTEXT

The UK VAT refund process for non-EU tourists has long been criticised for its inefficiency — paper forms, manual processes, long airport queues. Travelex saw an opportunity to digitise this and create a new revenue stream.

goTaxFree was set up as a start-up inside Travelex: small agile team, greenfield product, high autonomy. I was the lead (and sole) product designer, owning end-to-end design across native iOS/Android apps, a retailer-facing web app and supporting internal tools. I defined the design approach, research plans, success metrics and early design system foundations.

THE THREE SOLUTIONS

We built the product progressively, learning from each stage:

  1. Retailer pilot (Oliver Bonas)

Partnered with Oliver Bonas to pilot a web app for VAT e-receipts, online registration, fast-track airport passes and digital refund claims. This validated the core proposition in a real retail environment before investing in native apps.

  1. goTaxFree app

Designed native iOS/Android apps enabling tourists to digitise receipts, auto-generate VAT forms and complete claims in-app. The goal was to replace the entire paper workflow with a mobile-first experience.

  1. API & partnerships

Collaborated with engineering on API development and early partner integrations, including China Union Pay, to extend the service to a wider tourist base.

Retailer Pilot Program

We partnered with the retailer Oliver Bonas to run a pilot of our VAT refund proposition. To facilitate this program, we designed and built a dedicated web app with the following features:

  • Request VAT E-Receipt:
    • Customers can request electronic VAT receipts at checkout, simplifying record-keeping
  • Register Online:
    • Shoppers can register details via the web app, streamlining the process and saving time at the airport
  • Free Fast Track Pass at Airport:
    • Participants receive a free pass at the airport, expediting their VAT refund process.
  • Claim Refunds by Providing Email Address:
    • Tourists can claim refunds by providing their email address, ensuring a quick and paperless process

By implementing this pilot program with Oliver Bonas and leveraging our custom web app, we aimedto test and refine our proposition to ensure it effectively meets the needs of tourists and simplifies the VAT refund process

goTaxFree App

Our go Tax Free App was designed to streamline and digitize the VAT refund process, making it significantly more convenient for tourists. The app offered the following features:

  • Digitized VAT Receipts:
    • Scan receipts and auto-generate 407 forms, eliminating paperwork.
  • Simple Steps:
    • Download: Easily accessible from app stores.
    • Register: One-time process for future claims.
    • Upload Photos: Digitize receipts for validation.
    • Claim VAT: Quick refunds directly through the app.

The intention behind the development of the go Tax Free App was to enable tourists to effortlessly manage their VAT receipts, generate necessary forms, and claim refunds directly from their mobile devices. This digital solution aimed to significantly reduce the complexity and time associated with the traditional VAT refund process, providing tourists with a seamless and convenient experience during their travels.

API’s & partnerships

Once our APIs undergo rigorous stress testing and validation, we intend to extend their accessibility to key partners, such as China Union Pay. By doing so, we aim to forge strategic alliances that will facilitate seamless integration and enable a broader range of tourists visiting the UK to access our VAT refund services.

Partnering with China Union Pay, a leading global payment provider, will unlock new opportunities to reach tourists from diverse regions and enhance their overall shopping experience in the UK. Through our APIs, China Union Pay users will gain convenient access to our VAT refund platform, streamlining the process and ensuring a smoother journey for international travelers.

This expansion of our partnerships reflects our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. By leveraging the capabilities of trusted partners like China Union Pay, we can deliver greater value to tourists while solidifying our position as a leading provider of VAT refund solutions in the UK market.

THE RESEARCH THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

This is the part of the project I’m most proud of. We ran two key experiments that fundamentally shaped the product’s direction.

Preference test: Receipt dashboard

We tested four design variations of the receipts dashboard with 42 participants, randomising presentation order to avoid bias.

52% preferred version 2. But the quantitative data was only part of the story.
We asked four follow-up questions to understand why:

  • Why did you select this version?
  • Is there anything you disliked about it?
  • What do you prefer in the other versions?
  • Do you think anything is missing?

By combining quantitative analysis with qualitative feedback, we gained a comprehensive understanding of user preferences and identified actionable insights to guide future design iterations

    Role Playing – Incentives

    This was the pivotal experiment. We hypothesised that giving users a physical voucher for the fast-track airport queue would increase conversion. We ran a role-play of the shopping-to-airport experience, giving half of participants vouchers and half nothing.

    The results

     

    Quantitative Analysis

    The findings were surprising and clear:

    • People forget very quickly
    • People don’t read
    • Financial reward was confusing and irrelevant to most users
    • Users cared about one thing: saving time

    THE STRATEGIC SHIFT

    This experiment changed the product’s entire positioning. We shifted from a process-centric approach (“here’s how to claim your refund”) to a benefit-centric one (“save time at the airport”). The fast-track offer became the lead proposition.

    This directly shaped how we approached the retailer pilot website — moving away from process explanations and FAQs toward a simpler landing page focused on the time-saving benefit.