Back

AU 0101 Business App

Making complex banking and business financial management into an intuitive, all-in-one digital solution that has empowered over 1+ Mn merchants across India.

App
App

AU 0101 Business Mobile Banking App - Gateway to Business Banking Services

My Role

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, design systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business mobile and web application.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Transfer, QR Collection, Statements, Service Request, BBPS and many more..

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

Team

3 Designer

7 React js Dev

8 React Native Dev

4 Product Managers

Role

Product Designer

Design System Designer

Timeline for Phase 1

Sept 2022 - Dec 2023

Tools

Figma, Lottie, FigJam, Jira

Why was this required?

Small and medium enterprises represent the backbone of India's economy, contributing approximately 30% to the country's GDP and employing over 164 million people. Despite their economic significance, these businesses face systemic challenges in accessing appropriate financial services. Our initial research revealed that traditional SME banking suffers from five critical pain points that create barriers to business growth and operational efficiency.

  1. Fragmented Financial Ecosystem: SME used one tool for invoicing, another for accounting, a government portal for tax payments, and a clunky, desktop-only portal for their banking needs. This fragmentation was inefficient, error-prone, and a major barrier to growth.

  2. Manual and Time-Intensive Processes: Simple banking tasks required multiple branch visits and extensive paperwork

  3. Poor Digital Experience: Despite the digital transformation across industries, business banking digitalization continues to lag behind retail banking, leaving SMEs to navigate inefficient and fragmented services

  4. Complex Compliance Requirements: SMEs struggle with taxation and regulatory compliance challenges, particularly with GST filing and Tax Payments

  5. Limited Credit Access: Working capital access was slow, expensive, and required extensive collateral

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

In 2022, business owners were stuck using multiple apps to manage their company. Fintech apps (Razoray, OpenMoney) were good for payments but lacked full banking features, while bank apps (ICICI insta biz) had all the features but were too complicated to use. This created a lot of inefficiency.

The Goal

To design a single, intuitive mobile and web platform that consolidates all business banking and administrative tasks, empowering business owners to manage their finances anytime, anywhere.

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

In 2022, business owners were stuck using multiple apps to manage their company. Fintech apps (Razoray, OpenMoney) were good for payments but lacked full banking features, while bank apps (ICICI insta biz) had all the features but were too complicated to use. This created a lot of inefficiency.

The Outcome

Following a stealth beta launch mid-last year, the app demonstrated powerful product-market fit through purely organic adoption. We successfully onboarded an initial cohort of 100,000 SMEs, including individual entrepreneurs and sole proprietors, who are now processing millions in monthly transactions. This early traction has directly contributed to a significant uplift in the bank's Current Account deposits, all while achieving a solid 4.0-star App Store rating without any marketing spend or guided onboarding.

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

In 2022, business owners were stuck using multiple apps to manage their company. Fintech apps (Razoray, OpenMoney) were good for payments but lacked full banking features, while bank apps (ICICI insta biz) had all the features but were too complicated to use. This created a lot of inefficiency.

My Process & Strategy

As the sole designer, my approach was to adapt the standard design thinking process to fit our organization's design maturity and make the best use of available resources. This led to a practical, four-step framework that guided the project from initial research to post-launch improvement.

  • Research-Led Foundation: We kicked off with foundational research to create a UX Playbook. This playbook became our north star, guiding all design decisions with user insights.

  • Iterative Design & Cross-Functional Feedback: For each module, I designed and refined solutions iteratively. A key part of this was conducting regular design critiques with the entire team—including PMs, developers, and QA—to gather diverse feedback and ensure alignment.

  • Post-Launch Cycle: After launch, the product enters a continuous loop of improvement. Insights from Analytics & User Feedback are used to Prioritize and Iterate on the live product.

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

In 2022, business owners were stuck using multiple apps to manage their company. Fintech apps (Razoray, OpenMoney) were good for payments but lacked full banking features, while bank apps (ICICI insta biz) had all the features but were too complicated to use. This created a lot of inefficiency.

adapt the standard design thinking process to fit our organization's design maturity and make the best use of available resources

adapt the standard design thinking process to fit our organization's design maturity and make the best use of available resources

UX Reserach Playbook

KEY DESIGN SOLUTIONS

Enabling Discovery- Navigation & IA

With over 100 features planned for the app, our primary challenge was creating a simple and intuitive navigation system. To solve this, we started by analyzing user behavior on our existing platforms—the AU QR App and the AU 0101 Retail App.

The data revealed a clear pattern: business owners logged into the QR app multiple times a day to monitor incoming payments, but accessed core banking features only a few times a week.

This key insight led to two foundational decisions for the app's structure:

  1. Separate "Business" and "Banking": We split the app's features into two distinct categories. Business would house all high-frequency, daily management tools (like checking sales and raising invoices). Banking would contain less frequent financial tasks (like paying vendors or managing loans), recognizing that users rarely need both at the same time.

  2. Prioritize the "Business" Section: We designed the navigation to make the Business section the most prominent and easiest to access. Since users need to monitor their daily operations constantly, this ensures the app immediately addresses their most frequent needs.

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

In March 2022, I joined as the first designer for the Commercial Digital Banking Team at AU Bank, a newly formed unit within the IT & Product Department. I oversaw mobile & web information architecture, scalability, systems, interaction designs, and building design vision for AU 1010 Business.

Few projects that I am particularly proud of are - Merchant Design System, Bank Tranfer, QR Collection, Statements

To create visual distinction, we introduce a distinct visual cue. Business: Purple shades for UI elements. Bank: Orange shades for UI elements.

This color-coding not only helps users instantly recognize the context they're in but also reduces cognitive load, making navigation more intuitive and efficient.

Simplifying Tasks with Progressive Disclosure

Traditional banking apps have a reputation for being cluttered and confusing. For a busy business owner, who is already juggling with at their office or shop, these high cognitive load interfaces add unnecessary stress. We want to change the status quo and create an experience that provides a sense of calm and control.

To achieve this, we embraced the principle of progressive disclosure. Instead of showing everything at once, we designed every task to be a simple, linear journey. This approach breaks down complex tasks into small, manageable steps, guiding the user forward without overwhelming them.

Tranfsering a money to another account

Creating a Staff (Sub Merchant)

Raising a service request of cheque pickup

Secure & Quick Transfer Experience

Traditional account transfers are complex, often requiring 6-7 fields. This complexity pushes users to simpler options like UPI. Our goal was clear: How might we make account transfers as quick and easy as UPI?

Our research uncovered three key insights to achieve this:

  • Instant Name Verification: By using just the account number and IFSC, we could instantly show the recipient's verified name. This builds user confidence and reduces errors.

  • A Modern API: We discovered the IMPS 3.5 API could provide this instant name verification seamlessly, creating a better technical foundation for the new flow.

  • Eliminating the IFSC Code: For the top 16 Indian banks, we found a universal IFSC code could be used, which allowed us to completely remove the IFSC entry step for most users.

Fast, error-free transfers — verify payee details instantly and complete account transfers in just a few steps.

Comprehensive Merchant Services Hub

Offline merchants needed a frictionless way to adopt digital payments but were hindered by a lack of instant, reliable transaction confirmations. As they grew, they also struggled with managing multiple stores and staff securely.

  • Unified Business Dashboard: Created a centralized business overview on the app, enabling owners to monitor real-time transactions and settlements across multiple store locations with ease.

  • Instant Voice Alerts: Provided assured audio feedback via a smart speaker that gives instant voice notifications, building user trust and eliminating the need for manual confirmation.

  • Secure Staff Management: Designed a role-based access control system for staff, allowing owners to delegate payment collection without compromising sensitive financial data.

Unified Business Dashboard

Instant Voice Alerts

Secure Staff Management

WHAT NEXT

Next milestone is launching for corporate users by Q1 2026 with features like Maker-Checker, Bulk Transactions, Corporate UPI and many more..

KEY METRICS

Metrics such as Average Session Time, Time Spent DAUs (Daily Active Users), and MAUs (Monthly Active Users) are kept confidential.

To give an idea of adoption of AU 0101 Business app, metrics like DAUs, MAUs, avg transaction size are near to AU 0101 retail app from which we have migrated the users.