Payvanta: Project Overview Merchant Registration · UX Flow

Onboarding Flow

Merchant onboarding requires collecting extensive business, identity, and compliance information before an account can be approved. The challenge was making 18 mandatory steps feel like a coherent process rather than an expanding form.

RoleProduct Designer
ProductPayvanta
TypeMerchant Onboarding (PSP)
Year2026
Choose account type, step 5 of 18 Company documents, step 11 of 18
Design in Practice

The UX behind each step

Each screen shows the actual prototype with pre-filled data. The rationale explains the sequencing decision behind that specific step.

The prototype is fully interactive. Try it here →

Step 1 of 18

Apply for a merchant account

Intro · Before step 1

Sets expectations before the applicant commits to the form.

  • Estimated time: 15 to 20 minutes
  • Documents required for each path, separated by type
  • Applicants see what to prepare before the first field appears

Your contact details

Step 1 · Zone 1 Lead Capture

Name, mobile, and email collected first, before registration type selection.

  • Lead is captured before the path diverges
  • Users who drop off remain contactable

Verify your phone number

Step 2 · Zone 1 Lead Capture

SMS OTP confirms mobile ownership immediately after the contact form.

  • Verification happens before the flow continues, not at the end
  • Lead is verified before the applicant invests time in remaining steps

Verify your email

Step 3 · Zone 1 Lead Capture

Completes the lead capture sequence with both channels verified.

  • Applicant is fully reachable before progressing
  • Last step before the terms gate
  • Commitment ahead is made by a verified person

Terms and conditions

Step 4 · Zone 2 Commitment

Placed after verified lead capture, not before it.

  • The system already has a contact record at this point
  • Placing it earlier forces commitment from an anonymous user

Choose your account type

Step 5 · Zone 2 Fork point

Registration type selection sits at step 5, after lead capture and verification.

  • Earlier placement risks losing users who need to consult an accountant
  • Lead is secured first, then the path diverges

Privacy preferences

Step 6 · Zone 2 Commitment

Three PDPA consent toggles: analytics, marketing, and partner data sharing.

  • All optional, declining any does not block progression
  • Biometric consent separated to step 15, where it becomes directly relevant

Shop profile

Step 7 · Zone 3 Business

Identical for both paths, placed before the Zone 4 divergence.

  • MCC code and sales channels feed into risk scoring downstream
  • Shared zone avoids duplicating the step across both paths

Sales volume and shop photos

Step 8 · Zone 3 Business

Monthly sales, order count, average order value, and shop photos in one step.

  • Photos serve as evidence of business existence for compliance
  • Volume and evidence describe the same thing from different angles

Payment setup

Step 9 · Zone 3 Business

Service type selection presented alongside fee cards for each option.

  • Showing pricing at the moment of selection prevents surprises later
  • Applicants have what they need to choose the right setup

Refund policy

Step 10 · Zone 3 Business

Kept as a separate step from bank account, even though both could share a screen.

  • Two distinct decisions: how returns are handled, and how money is received
  • Merging reduces step count but increases cognitive load when both need attention

Company documents

Step 11 · Zone 4 Juristic only

Documents uploaded before the company profile, not after.

  • The spec placed uploads at the end; this order was reversed
  • Step 12 (company profile) can now be pre-filled from OCR
  • Changes the framing from "fill from scratch" to "review and correct"

Individual profile

Step 12 · Zone 4 Applicant

Content differs by applicant type.

  • Juristic: company details pre-filled from step 11 OCR
  • Individual: collects occupation, industry, and income
  • Any edited field is flagged for manual review

Company directors

Step 13 · Zone 4 Juristic only

Director list pre-filled from the Bor Jor 5 uploaded in step 11.

  • eKYC links sent to the applicant after submission, not collected inline
  • Directors are rarely present when the form is being filled
  • Routing through the applicant is more reliable than sending to unverified addresses

Settlement bank account

Step 14 · Zone 5 Settlement

Account name validation rule differs by applicant type.

  • Individual: name must match the applicant
  • Juristic: name must match the company or any listed director
  • Rule applied after OCR extraction from the uploaded bank book photo

Identity verification consent

Step 15 · Zone 6 Identity

A separate gate immediately before the ID scan, not bundled with PDPA at step 6. Applicant understands what they are consenting to at the relevant moment.

Scan your ID card

Step 16 · Zone 6 Identity

Front and back captured in a paired camera session with inline verify.

  • OCR runs during capture and pre-fills the review screen at step 17
  • Laser-encoded data used for DOPA verification
  • Not stored after the check completes
Camera capture runs natively on device and can't be previewed here. See the full eKYC flow →

Review extracted ID details

Step 17 · Zone 6 Identity

OCR-extracted fields are editable by the applicant.

  • Corrections flagged for manual review, not blocked or rejected
  • Keeps the flow moving while preserving accuracy signals for the reviewer

Take a selfie

Step 18 · Zone 6 Final step

Does not auto-advance after the selfie passes.

  • User sees a success state inside the camera overlay
  • Must tap Continue to proceed
  • Auto-redirect removed so the user consciously acknowledges the result
Camera capture runs natively on device and can't be previewed here. See the full eKYC flow →
Try the prototype →
Form Content

What information is collected?

Fields by category

Identity
  • Full name in Thai and English
  • National ID number
  • Date of birth
  • ID issue and expiry dates
  • Registered address
  • Selfie for liveness check
Business
  • Shop name and statement display name
  • Business category (MCC)
  • Sales channels
  • Storefront and product photos
  • Estimated monthly sales and order volume
  • Company name, registration number, and type
  • Authorized directors (up to 5)
Financial
  • Source of income
  • Estimated monthly income
  • Average order value
  • Payment setup type
  • Refund policy
  • Settlement bank account
Compliance Documents
  • National ID card, front and back
  • Bank book or account statement
  • Company registration certificate
  • Shareholder list (Bor Jor 5)
  • VAT certificate (Por Por 20)
  • Power of attorney, if applicable

Full documentation

IA Diagrams

Swimlane across actor lanes, content tree by category, and step-by-step field matrix.

Business Rules

What is collected, how document fields are matched to form data, and document requirements by applicant type.

Application Types

Individual vs. Juristic paths

Steps are grouped into seven zones based on the type of data being collected, as shown in the table below. Zone 4 is the only point where the two paths diverge.

Individual applicant: 16 screens
Zone 1
Lead Capture		 Zone 2
Commitment		 Zone 3
Business		 Zone 4
Applicant		 Zone 5
Settlement		 Zone 6
Identity		 Zone 7
Completion
1.1
Contact Details
Name TH + EN, mobile, email
2.1
Terms and Conditions
3.1
Shop Profile
4.2
Individual Profile
Occupation, industry, income
5.1
Bank Account
6.1
Biometric Consent
7.1
Confirmation
1.2
Phone Verification
SMS OTP
2.2
Account Type
Fork: Individual
3.2
Sales Volume
6.2
ID Card Scan
1.3
Email Verification
Email OTP
2.3
Privacy Preferences
3 PDPA consents
3.3
Payment Setup
6.3
ID Review
3.4
Refund Policy
6.4
Selfie / Liveness
Juristic applicant: 18 screens
Zone 1
Lead Capture		 Zone 2
Commitment		 Zone 3
Business		 Zone 4
Applicant		 Zone 5
Settlement		 Zone 6
Identity		 Zone 7
Completion
1.1
Contact Details
Name TH + EN, mobile, email
2.1
Terms and Conditions
3.1
Shop Profile
4.1
Company Documents
Cert, Bor Jor 5, VAT, POA
5.1
Bank Account
6.1
Biometric Consent
7.1
Confirmation
Director eKYC links sent
1.2
Phone Verification
SMS OTP
2.2
Account Type
Fork: Juristic
3.2
Sales Volume
4.2
Company Profile
Pre-filled from 4.1 OCR
6.2
ID Card Scan
1.3
Email Verification
Email OTP
2.3
Privacy Preferences
3 PDPA consents
3.3
Payment Setup
4.3
Company Directors
Up to 5 directors
6.3
ID Review
3.4
Refund Policy
6.4
Selfie / Liveness
Fork point (2.2)
Individual only (Zone 4)
Juristic only (Zone 4)
Terminal screen
Form Builder Demo

Built to be reconfigured

Step order, field labels, and options are defined in a config schema, not hardcoded into the flow. This lets compliance or product teams adjust what is collected, how questions are worded, or in what order fields appear, without involving engineering. Try it in the sandbox below.A screenshot of the builder is shown below.

Form builder sandbox screenshot
Usability Testing

Tested with real participants

Before finalizing the flow, the prototype was tested with participants who matched the target merchant profile. Testing covered both moderated and unmoderated sessions. Session data was logged automatically, capturing step timing, validation errors, and completion status for each participant.

Moderated usability testing session
Moderated Session Report

What a participant report looks like

Each moderated session produces a structured report: step-by-step timing, a friction log for every validation error, submitted data (sensitive fields masked), and uploaded attachments. Click to read the full report from one participant in the Juristic path.

Session Report  ·  mqwp2xllazvfm3
Research to Design

What testing changed

The usability sessions produced direct changes to the flow. Below is the link between each finding and the specific design decision it produced or confirmed.

Fixed

Sales channel validation silently blocks on unchecked platforms

Finding: selecting then unchecking a platform (e.g. LINE) left an invalid URL in state. The form blocked on the invisible invalid field with no feedback; Next appeared broken. Fix: hidden sections are now excluded from validation entirely, and unchecking a platform clears its input.

Fixed

Statement display name left short for short shop names

Finding: the 13-character display name is auto-derived from the shop name. Short names transliterated to fewer than 13 characters with no guidance on filling the remainder. Fix: names shorter than 13 characters are now padded with zeros on blur to fill the full character limit.

Confirmed by testing

Privacy consents require an active choice, including to decline

Finding: participants tried to advance without selecting all three consent groups. The validation error did not identify which group was missing. Testing confirmed that the friction is not uncertainty about what to choose; it is that declining is an unexpected required action. The required-choice pattern (must select Accept or Decline explicitly) was already the design intent: testing validated why. Remaining improvement: make it explicit upfront that all three can be declined.

Flagged for next iteration

Delivery address question buried below OCR review panel

Finding (unmoderated session): at step 17, a required radio group ("Is your delivery address the same as your ID card address?") appears after a section divider below the OCR-extracted fields. The participant reviewed all OCR fields and submitted without scrolling past the divider. Proposed fix: move the delivery address question above the OCR review panel so it is seen before any pre-filled data.

Outcome

What the sequencing achieves

The 18 steps are a compliance requirement, not a design decision. The spec defined what to collect. The design work was in ordering those steps so each one follows naturally from the last, rather than feeling like an arbitrary extension of a form that never ends.

1

Zones declare scope. Each zone has a name and a subject. Applicants know where they are in the process without counting steps, and can see that the end is structural, not open-ended.

2

The fork at Step 5 routes applicants to the path that applies to them. Individual and Juristic registrations share the same shell but show different subsequent steps. Neither path surfaces fields that are irrelevant to that registration type.

3

eKYC is placed last. The handoff from keyboard to camera happens once, at the end, after all data entry is complete. Applicants are not asked to switch back and forth mid-form.

Explore the work

Modules of the ecosystem

This case study covers registration and identity verification. Each module was designed independently and built to hand off cleanly to the next.

Overview → eKYC →