Designing a Seamless Payment Experience Across Digital and On-Site Touchpoints
TLDR
X-KIOSK is a lifestyle payment solution deployed in high-traffic areas across Malaysia, offering self-service access to telco top-ups, bill payments, SIM cards, and more.
As the in-house UX and visual designer, I worked across all three touchpoints of the product ecosystem—designing the public-facing website, a mobile app concept, and the physical kiosk interface.
This work helped increase X-KIOSK’s visibility across B2B and B2C audiences and improved accessibility across three platforms.
📍 OpenSys Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
TIMELINE
Sep 2021 - Jan 2022
MY ROLE
UX Designer
Marketing Executive
Graphic Designer
TEAM
Yee Wee Chew (Manager)
Marketing Team
Developers
Sales Team
TOOLS
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Teams, Word, PowerPoint
19+
Locations
Website launched to support kiosk rollout across Malaysia.
B2B
Partnerships
Improved onboarding and service visibility for billers, telcos, and advertisers
3
Unified Platforms
Consistent branding and user experience across website, mobile app, and kiosk UI
The Problem
UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM SPACE
A critical gap in payment access made visible by a pandemic.
In Malaysia, many people still rely on physical locations to pay bills. But the process was fragmented—you might pay your water bill at one office, electricity at another, and go somewhere else entirely for your phone or internet.
Problem 1
When COVID-19 lockdowns hit, these in-person payment locations shut down. But the bills didn’t stop—only access to paying them did. For many, there was no backup plan.
Problem 2
While mobile banking and e-wallets are on the rise, not everyone is part of the digital economy. The pandemic didn’t just disrupt habits—it exposed the cracks in a system that had long overlooked the needs of those without reliable digital access.
At OpenSys, we saw this as more than a temporary inconvenience. As the primary supplier of ATMs in Malaysia, we recognized the trust people already placed in self-service machines—and saw a design opportunity in that trust.
So we asked: what if bill payments could be just as easy and accessible like the ATM?
UNDERSTANDING THE TARGET AUDIENCE
Designing for those left behind by the digital shift.
X-KIOSK was designed for people who are often left out of digital-first solutions:
📵
Individuals without smartphones
Some users still rely on basic mobile phones—or none at all. For them, app-based payments aren’t an option.
🤷♂️
Those limited digital literacy
Less tech-experienced users often find mobile apps intimidating or difficult to navigate, leading to hesitation or complete avoidance.
🏡
Residents in rural or underserved areas
Poor infrastructure and limited service availability make online transactions unreliable or impossible.
These users needed a solution that didn’t ask them to catch up with technology—but instead met them where they already were.
The Impact
X-KIOSK was introduced as payment alternative built on ATM principles: intuitive, familiar, and universally trusted.
At OpenSys (M) Berhad, we had the foundation to build something better. As the primary supplier of ATMs in Malaysia, we understood what a "familiar interface" really meant—and how to build trust through design.
With X-KIOSK, we aimed to:
✅ Provide a one-stop machine that could consolidate bill payments, reloads, and more
✅ Design an experience that felt like using an ATM—simple, fast, and reliable
✅ Ensure people could make payments safely, independently, and without needing a smartphone
The result was a public kiosk that supported essential transactions during times of social distancing and digital exclusion and laid the foundation for broader, more inclusive access.
The Solution
A single machine. A unified experience.
But the experience didn’t stop at the kiosk. I led the design of a full ecosystem that included:
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Kiosk UI, redesigned for clarity and simplicity
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Marketing website, built from scratch to support the launch and explain the service
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Mobile app concept, designed post-launch based on user feedback to support hybrid kiosk-digital use
1/
Kiosk UI
The redesigned interface grouped services into clear categories and broke down bill payment into manageable, step-by-step flows. Each decision was made with accessibility in mind—from button sizing to contrast levels, language visibility, and payment variety.
KIOSK UI HIGHLIGHT 2
Multiple Payment Options
X-KIOSK was the first of its kind to support multiple payment methods all in one machine:
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Cash
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Credit/Debit card
This accommodates both cash-preferred and digital-first users, enhancing flexibility.
*Touch 'n Go is Malaysia’s leading e-wallet, offering fast, cashless payments that are widely accepted and trusted—making it ideal for seamless, contactless transactions at kiosks.
2/
X-KIOSK Website
The X-KIOSK website served as both a marketing tool and an onboarding platform—designed to explain what the kiosk does, guide new users, and attract B2B partnerships.
WEBSITE PARTNERS PAGE
Clear calls to action for business partnerships
This page outlines how Advertisers, Billers, and Premise Owners could benefit from X-KIOSK.
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Advertisers: Promote products through digital screen placements at high-traffic kiosks
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Billers: Expand customer access to payment channels beyond counters and apps
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Premise Owners: Draw foot traffic and provide added services by hosting a kiosk
3/
Mobile App:
A digital companion designed in response to real user behavior
As younger users began adopting the kiosk, we designed a mobile app to extend the experience and act as a digital bridge—syncing kiosk transactions and app features.
Kiosk UI Refinement
My first task was improving the interface of the kiosk itself. I simplified visual layouts, increased contrast for legibility, and made call-to-actions clearer—especially for first-time users. I worked within existing hardware constraints while enhancing usability for non-digital natives.
Primary Research
Interviews and Thematic Analysis
I conducted in-depth interviews with seven dog owners across varying experience levels, ranging from first-time adopters to long-time owners. I chose this group intentionally to reflect a spectrum of preparedness and care strategies.
My goal was to understand how different types of owners transition into dog ownership, where they struggle, and how their expectations shape outcomes. I analyzed responses thematically and uncovered patterns around preparedness, daily routines, and shifting responsibilities.
Quote
“We watched Cesar Millan and read up on Huskies before adopting. That helped a lot.”
- Interview Participant 4
“(Having a new dog) was a little bit challenging because now I wake up at least two hours earlier than my usual time to walk my dog and give her some attention and feed her before I go to work.”
- Interview Participant 3
Key Insight
Many participants who planned ahead—by researching breed traits, setting up a routine, and adapting their lifestyle—reported a smoother transition and greater satisfaction. In contrast, those who adopted impulsively described feeling overwhelmed, underprepared, and frustrated by their dog’s behavior.
Dog ownership is rewarding, but it’s also a major commitment—and those who acknowledged the work upfront were better equipped to handle it.
Ethnographic Fieldwork
Dog parks
At dog parks, I observed clear differences in dog behavior depending on how attentive owners were. Dogs with attentive, engaged owners appeared more regulated and calm. Others, accompanied by distracted owners, often displayed stress or pulled uncontrollably on leash. This reinforced the importance of owner presence and consistency during outings
MSPCA Boston Animal Shelter
At MSPCA Boston, I spoke with shelter staff about their evaluation process. I learned that staff make active efforts to match dogs with suitable adopters, often walking them through care needs, behavior expectations, and lifestyle fit.
Even with these precautions, staff reported that pet returns still occurred frequently—especially when owners underestimated the time commitment or misunderstood a breed’s needs. Compatibility, they emphasized, was often more important than enthusiasm alone.
Key Insight
Owners who were consistently attentive and engaged in public settings tended to have calmer, more well-regulated dogs—helping them feel more in control and less overwhelmed. The more effort and presence an owner puts in early on, the easier and more manageable the journey becomes.
Most surrenders happened not out of neglect, but from unmet expectations, miscommunication, and lack of long-term planning.
Reflection
Not every product hits its original target and that’s where growth starts.
Despite our intention to serve the underserved, adoption rates among older users remained low post-launch. The reality? Even with ATM-inspired familiarity, kiosks still felt “new” to many in our target group—and that was enough to deter them.
But we didn’t stop. We pivoted to support the users who were engaging: younger, more mobile-savvy individuals. That shift brought new insights:
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Users wanted a way to track their payments digitally
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There was demand for a hybrid model that combined kiosk convenience with mobile flexibility
This feedback led to the birth of the mobile app concept—a natural evolution of X-KIOSK’s mission, now focused on expanding convenience beyond the physical terminal.