Mapping the Mobile Payments Ecosystem in Brazil
Applied research project to validate the technical and commercial feasibility of a mobile payment solution for Alcatel smartphones, generating knowledge about payment technologies, the Brazilian financial market, and consumer behavior to inform Alcatel Global's strategic decision.
Project
Alcatel Pay - Research Project
My role
Product Designer
Main result
Transferable knowledge framework for the global matrix.
Period
2017
The Challenge
Alcatel Global needed to decide whether it was worthwhile to invest in developing a mobile payment solution (Alcatel Pay) to compete with Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay in the mid-range smartphone segment.
Key issues:
Is there real demand in the Brazilian market?
What are the main barriers to adoption?
How to balance convenience and security?
What would differentiate Alcatel Pay from its premium competitors?
What is the technical and commercial feasibility?
Time to complete the design: 2 months
Business Context
Scenario 2017:
80% of card payment terminals in Brazil are already equipped with NFC (Caixa Econômica).
Apple Pay and Samsung Pay dominated the premium segment (R$ 3,000+).
No mobile payment solution available for mid-range smartphones (R$ 800-1,500).
Alcatel underwent a rebranding in 2016 focusing on Millennials.
A 12-18 month window of opportunity before Chinese competitors.
Opportunity:
60% of smartphone sales in Brazil were mid-range.
Millennials open to fintech (Nubank's growth as evidence)
Infrastructure is in place, but solutions are inaccessible to most.
Potential for significant competitive differentiation.
Why hire local R&D:
Expertise in the Brazilian local market
Risk reduction before multi-million dollar global investment.
Agility and cost-effectiveness vs. mobilizing a global team.
Validation with real users before development.
Project Objective
To map the complete mobile payments ecosystem in Brazil and validate the Alcatel Pay concept through:
Researching technologies: NFC, tokenization, security, APIs
Market analysis: Flags, banks, infrastructure, competitors
Brazilian context: Behavior, payment culture, barriers
Concept validation: Prototypes and testing with real users.
Business Goal
For Alcatel Global:
Cost reduction in R&D using the Informatics Law in the Manaus Free Trade Zone
Risk reduction of failure
Clear prioritization of critical features versus nice-to-have features
Framework applicable to other emerging markets
For the local R&D institute:
Demonstrate expertise in mapping complex ecosystems.
Proven ROI
Positioning ourselves as a strategic partner for innovation.
Becoming a preferred supplier for future projects.
Process
A hybrid approach combining desk research, qualitative research, collaborative ideation, iterative prototyping, and usability testing to generate actionable knowledge in 4 weeks.
Understanding
Compreensão das necessidades de negócio, requisitos técnicos e definição de funcionalidades prioritárias através de alinhamento com stakeholders da Alcatel.
Initial Immersion
-
Levantamento de produtos existentes (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay)
-
Definição de hipótese inicial do produto
-
Identificação de possíveis casos de uso e fluxos
-
Mapeamento de tecnologias envolvidas (NFC, tokenização)
Discovery
Combinação de desk research com pesquisa qualitativa para entender mercado, concorrentes e usuários reais.
Definition
Data synthesis, persona creation, journey mapping, and prioritization of areas for development.
Ideation
Development of flows, wireframes, and a conceptual proposal based on research insights.
Development - Prototyping
Creation of medium and high-fidelity prototypes with iterative usability testing.
Handoff
Complete documentation, presentation of results, and knowledge transfer for Alcatel Global.
Discovery
Exploratory phase combining analysis of secondary data (desk research) and primary data (qualitative interviews) to understand the mobile payments ecosystem, Brazilian consumer behavior, and validate initial hypotheses.
Competitor analysis: In-depth analysis of Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay, and Nubank.
Adoption metrics: Apple Pay with 33% active users vs. Samsung Pay with 23%.
Infrastructure: Survey shows that 80% of payment terminals in Brazil have NFC.
Trends: Motivations for using and not using mobile payments
Sources: Market reports, ACG studies, specialized press.
CSD Matrix
Organizing knowledge into three categories:
Certainties:
Card registration, tokenization, payment authorization.
Assumptions:
Need for internet access, biometrics, transaction history.
Doubts:
Which cards are accepted, security measures, maximum value.
Hypotheses about Users
Target audience: Upper-middle and upper-middle classes (25-40 years old) who are frequent credit/debit card users.
Classes C/D with low affinity for cutting-edge technology.
App trust is a key factor (product generates anxiety)
Hypotheses about Barriers to Adoption
Cashier training: "I need to teach the employee, it takes time and irritates the queue"
Fear of embarrassment: "What if it doesn't work? I'll be embarrassed."
Battery: "What if my cell phone dies?"
Businesses: Not all accept NFC.
Backup needed: I still need to carry physical cards.
Research
We needed to understand more about PIX and users' needs regarding strong authentication for signatures. To do this, we defined some research methods:
Semi-structured interviews
Audience: Samsung Pay users
Format: Semi-structured interviews of 20 minutes.
Outline: 13 questions about setup, use, experiences, and needs.
Interview script
General Information
TARGET AUDIENCE
Users of smartphone-based card payment systems (primarily Samsung Pay).
OBJECTIVE/METHOD
Understanding what motivated the person to use Samsung Pay, how the setup process went (expectations and frustrations, areas for improvement), and how the payment was made. The collected data will be noted and, if possible, recorded in audio.
INITIAL CONTEXT/APPROACH
Opening script:
"Hi [Name], how are you? My name is [Name], I work at the R&D Institute in Manaus, and we are conducting research on new forms of payment using smartphones. We would like to understand what people's experiences have been like."
We will collect the data solely for research purposes, and no information will be disclosed to the public in any way, including your personal information.
It should take a maximum of 20 minutes, depending on the chat.
Any questions? Can we begin?
GUIDE TO QUESTIONS
1. Introduction
Who I am, where I'm from, and my context.
2. Frequency of use
How many times a month do you use Samsung Pay on average?
3. Initial Motivation
What motivated you to use this new form of payment?
4. App discovery
Did you have any trouble finding the app?
5. Initial configuration
How was the first time you set up the app to use it?
What were your expectations?
What frustrations did you experience?
What do you think should be improved?
6. First payment - emotions
What were your thoughts when you made the payment for the first time?
Was there anxiety?
Were you excited?
Curious?
7. Interaction with the cashier
How was your relationship with the cashier the first time?
8. Detailed experience
Can you tell us about one of your experiences with Samsung Pay?
9. Motivation to continue
What motivated you to continue using that payment method on subsequent occasions?
10. Greatest difficulty
What is the biggest challenge regarding NFC payments?
11. Main positive point
What did you like most?
12. Unmet need
What is your biggest need regarding improving how you make payments with your smartphone using Samsung Pay?
13. Demographic data
It's important for us to understand some demographic data. Could you provide us with:
Your age (it doesn't have to be your exact age, but an approximation if you prefer)
Education
In which city do you live?
Which smartphone did you use?
Your profession/occupation
Key insights gathered
Critical Triad for Success:
Reduce anxiety (trust-building design + clear feedback)
Educating shop owners (integrated tutorial + campaigns)
Ensure speed (eliminate friction in the flow)
Opportunities for Differentiation:
Robust cashback/rewards program
Onboarding that manages expectations
Dedicated support for conservative profiles.
Threats to the Product:
Complex configuration = abandonment before first use.
Public embarrassment = trauma that prevents return.
Lack of market education = systematically bad experience.
We interviewed 3 people.
Ideation
Transforming insights into tangible concepts through use case scenarios, personas, defining priority functionalities, and developing navigation flows.
User Journey
Mapeamento completo da experiência desde a intenção até o resultado:
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Pré-uso: Ansiedade ("Será que aceita NFC? E se não funcionar?")
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Na fila: Tensão crescente ("Vou ter que ensinar o caixa?")
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No caixa: Momento crítico de verdade
-
Resultado: Alívio/satisfação OU constrangimento/frustração
Scenario Development
Creation of 5 main scenarios based on identified needs:
Scenario 1 - First Access:
Maria comprou smartphone Alcatel, quer experimentar pagamento mobile. Necessita configuração simples e rápida.
Scenario 2 - Impatient User:
João, at the market, is worried that the cashier won't know how to use NFC. He needs fast, secure, and frictionless payment.
Scenario 3 - Compensation for Failure:
Steffane needs a smartphone to be a practical tool. He doesn't tolerate wasting time.
Scenario 4 - Compensation for Use:
Ronaldo wants a reward for the effort of using new technology (vs. the ease of the physical card).
Scenario 5 - Assistance to the Cashier:
Pedro needs support from the app to explain to the cashier that it's a legitimate and secure method.
Proto-personas
Desenvolvimento de 3 proto-personas baseadas nas entrevistas com usuários e hipóteses de uso por early-adopters
Prioritization of areas for MVP.
Our team defined the MVP based on the positioning of Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay products. We also considered the personas and the basic product functionality of the aforementioned market players.
AREA
PRIORIDADE
JUSTIFICATION
Payment
3 (Alta)
Product core function
Card registration
3 (Alta)
Essential for use
Initial setup
3 (Alta)
First critical impression
User/Store Tutorial
2 (Average)
Reduces anxiety
Introduction
1 (Low)
Nice to have
Flow Mapping
Development of main flows:
Configuration Flow:
Primeiro acesso → Tutorial opcional → Cadastro/login → Adicionar cartão → Tokenização → Confirmação
Payment Flow:
Acesso rápido (launcher/lockscreen) → Seleção de cartão → Autorização (biometria/PIN) → Aproximar NFC → Feedback visual → Confirmação
Merchant Help Flow:
Visual tutorial on how to use → Step-by-step guide to the checkout → Security validation
Visual Concept
In 2017, when I did the project, I used the visual concept of Android + Alcatel's visual identity. For this portfolio, I did a visual reinterpretation, bringing a more current interface concept.
Perceived safety
Elements that convey confidence.
Vibrant colors:
Alignment with One Touch UI
Clarity and simplicity:
Reduce anxiety
Signature with PIX, with the security of the Central Bank.
The Interface
Our main challenge was creating a reliable signature flow: during testing, some users found it strange to receive a document to sign and then make a PIX payment.
Furthermore, we needed to present information in a simple and concise way, since usability tests showed that most people didn't read lengthy texts. Even so, it was crucial to clearly state the essential points for authentication to function correctly.
Usability Testing
To assess the risk of acceptance and usability, we built prototypes for testing. We conducted 21 tests with people from within the company and some clients. After each test, we conducted interviews. This research was carried out by me and the Content Designer.
In this stage of the project, I developed the research plan. With the help of the Product Manager, we recruited users and ran the tests, which I moderated while the Content Designer took notes.
Challenges
Several interviews were conducted with people from other areas of the company who were not involved in product development; however, we would have liked to have tested with more users and non-users of the system.
We needed to simulate a scenario as close to reality as possible, as we needed to assess acceptance and understanding.
The Pix payment step required two people to simulate sending the Pix key in real time during the test.
We couldn't mislead users with too much context.
Analysis
We created a spreadsheet with each screen the user would go through, and noted positive and negative points, observations about their interaction, and tried to identify their emotions during the journey.
Lessons learned from the research
We believe that with the resources we had, we were able to achieve a fluid and simple experience for a first version.
During the testing period, we modified the prototype several times to evaluate what worked best in the interface, maintaining a cycle of evaluation and adjustments. We stopped iterating when the results started to repeat themselves.
Verbal explanations should be sufficient for quick understanding, but care must be taken not to generate further questions or display lengthy texts, as this could reduce the reading rate.
The completion of the process became faster and easier for users to understand with each iteration.
The mobile version should prioritize the use of Pix copy and paste, while the desktop version should prioritize QR Code usage.
It was essential to provide the user with context about why a payment via Pix would be requested.
We would need to generate documentation to inform the sender of the document of the importance of notifying the recipient in advance that a symbolic payment would be requested for signature.
Understanding the payment process during the process could generate doubts and insecurity, even if the transaction itself were easy to complete.
Post-launch results
+3 thousand
Signatures with PIX
This result was poor in relation to adoption because it considered 5 months.
+95%
Success Rate
The success rate for attempts to sign up using Pix remained stable, considering it's a solution that requires more friction with the user.
6 thousand
Impressions on social media
The goal of gaining visibility in the national media and consolidating the brand as innovative was relatively achieved.
28
Participation in Articles
A notícia saiu em diversas grandes mídias como Valor Economômico, G1 e Exame.
Lessons learned by the team
We achieved the company's goal of gaining visibility in the national media and consolidating the brand as innovative, but we believe we did not meet all user objectives. After further evaluation, we understood that customers needed stronger authentication for certain operations, but PIX was not legally accepted, making a Digital Certificate signature the necessary option, which we were not addressing at that time.
Usability testing was essential to ensure a high success rate in the process.
We learned to test quickly, evaluate the results, make adjustments, and test again.
Design was a powerful tool for the successful use of the solution.
Content design was fundamental in providing greater user security.
We would need to offer alternatives if the user did not want to or could not use Pix.
We would need to improve the sender's experience with the document to prevent risks associated with the use of PIX authentication.