Square, Block Inc.
Outage Mode
A critical fallback feature for when payment services are disrupted.
The Project
Design an experience that shifts sellers who are being impacted by a Square service outage into offline mode so they can continue taking payments with minimal disruption until the issue is resolved.
My Role
- Lead UX Designer
- Lead Content Designer
When systems fail, clarity becomes the lifeline.
My Process
Step 01
Understand the journey
Used a user journey map to pinpoint areas for improvement and discovered users were attempting to leverage offline mode during outages.
Step 02
Conduct an audit
Audited the offline experience to identify improvements for outages and reviewed competitor offline flows to gain deeper insights into industry standards.
Step 03
Map the user flow
Created a flowchart by considering possible variants and technical feasibility. Intentional and thoughtful flow of information was the focal point.
Step 04
Partner with design
Partnered with product design to nail down content and determine UI, such as banner placements and color, modal layouts, and the right amount of friction.
Partner with Product Design
I partnered with product design to nail down content and determine UI, such as banner placements and color, modal layouts, and determining the right amount of friction. We went through several rounds of iterations until landing on our final solution.
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Iteration 1
Surface disablement toggle & field to edit limits
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Iteration 2
Deep link to feature management in settings
Iteration 3
Offline mode auto-enabled if settings already on. Feature management deeplinked.
Collaborate Cross-Functionally
We partnered with product and engineering to refine the design, tackling edge cases, country-specific limitations, and platform differences between iOS and Android. We also collaborated with localization, legal, and communications teams to align on broader stakeholder needs.
Post-Launch Iterations
After the next outage, we gathered data and feedback on the experience. While it was successful, we identified small but impactful opportunities for design improvements. To enhance the experience and address confusion, we iterated on the designs.
Impact
- Increase in user trust
- Described as "the smoothest outage we've ever had."
- Rated highly in usability & feature usefulness
- Prevents payment loss during an outage