Permissions are part of the experience
The person affected by a problem is not always authorized to solve it.
Zipcar
Paying overdue balances in app
An unpaid balance can block a booking. I designed Zipcar’s in-app recovery so members can understand the charges and find the right next step for their account role.
Pay the balance and get back to booking
The shipped flow lets account owners review and settle a balance in the app. Driver-only members are directed to the owner for payment.
My role and collaboration
I designed the balance explanations, charge breakdown, payment, and failure states with Product and engineering.
The person blocked is not always the person who can pay
Account owners can review and pay the balance. Driver-only members cannot. I gave owners a payment action and drivers an explanation directing them to the account owner, so the same restriction did not lead everyone into the same dead end.
Explain the restriction where the action is blocked
A blocked booking or extension opens the appropriate balance explanation. In engineering follow-up, I clarified that the same role-based sheet should appear wherever an overdue balance blocks an action, replacing inconsistent older sheets.
Ready to checkout
Blocked action
Show the charges before asking for payment
The owner can expand the balance details, review the payment method, and confirm payment. Loading and success states make the outcome visible. A failed charge leads to updating the card and retrying, rather than an unexplained return to the blocked screen.
First look
Expand details
Successful payment
Recovery needs an end to repeated retries
I specified the less successful paths too: a failed card update, another payment attempt, and a 24-hour lockout after repeated failed updates. At that boundary, the next step becomes support rather than another attempt with no explanation.
Email alone could not explain a blocked booking
Someone who missed a reminder email could first discover the balance while trying to book or extend. I brought the explanation into those moments, instead of asking them to leave the app to work out what was wrong.
Charges were difficult to understand
Public Zipcar reviews
"I had been receiving emails to update card details and showing a £6 overdue balance, which was wrong... I updated the card, but it still shows £6 as overdue... It's impossible to see other account information on the app, so I went to the website and logged in..."
An unexplained balance blocked access
Public Zipcar reviews
"I hadn't logged into or used my Zipcar account for several years... When I needed to use it again, I found my account had been disabled. I reached out to support (it took several weeks for them to respond)... They informed me of an outstanding balance... Long story short, my account balance was cleared as it had not been adequately explained."
What I learned
A disabled action should explain itself
A disabled action needs a reason and a practical next step.
Recovery continues after the error
Failed charges, failed card updates, and lockouts each need a clear next state.
More projects
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Adobe · Generative AI
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Make late returns less painful
Help members report delays and recover when their car is late.
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Build a reusable design foundation for teams across more than 50 markets.
Zipcar
Paying overdue balances in app
An unpaid balance can block a booking. I designed Zipcar’s in-app recovery so members can understand the charges and find the right next step for their account role.
Pay the balance and get back to booking
The shipped flow lets account owners review and settle a balance in the app. Driver-only members are directed to the owner for payment.
My role and collaboration
I designed the balance explanations, charge breakdown, payment, and failure states with Product and engineering.
The person blocked is not always the person who can pay
Account owners can review and pay the balance. Driver-only members cannot. I gave owners a payment action and drivers an explanation directing them to the account owner, so the same restriction did not lead everyone into the same dead end.
Explain the restriction where the action is blocked
A blocked booking or extension opens the appropriate balance explanation. In engineering follow-up, I clarified that the same role-based sheet should appear wherever an overdue balance blocks an action, replacing inconsistent older sheets.
Ready to checkout
Blocked action
Show the charges before asking for payment
The owner can expand the balance details, review the payment method, and confirm payment. Loading and success states make the outcome visible. A failed charge leads to updating the card and retrying, rather than an unexplained return to the blocked screen.
First look
Expand details
Successful payment
Recovery needs an end to repeated retries
I specified the less successful paths too: a failed card update, another payment attempt, and a 24-hour lockout after repeated failed updates. At that boundary, the next step becomes support rather than another attempt with no explanation.
Email alone could not explain a blocked booking
Someone who missed a reminder email could first discover the balance while trying to book or extend. I brought the explanation into those moments, instead of asking them to leave the app to work out what was wrong.
Charges were difficult to understand
Public Zipcar reviews
"I had been receiving emails to update card details and showing a £6 overdue balance, which was wrong... I updated the card, but it still shows £6 as overdue... It's impossible to see other account information on the app, so I went to the website and logged in..."
An unexplained balance blocked access
Public Zipcar reviews
"I hadn't logged into or used my Zipcar account for several years... When I needed to use it again, I found my account had been disabled. I reached out to support (it took several weeks for them to respond)... They informed me of an outstanding balance... Long story short, my account balance was cleared as it had not been adequately explained."
What I learned
Permissions are part of the experience
The person affected by a problem is not always authorized to solve it.
A disabled action should explain itself
A disabled action needs a reason and a practical next step.
Recovery continues after the error
Failed charges, failed card updates, and lockouts each need a clear next state.
More projects
1 to 4 of 6
Adobe · Generative AI
Create music that fits your scene
Create music that fits your scene with clear, editable generation controls.
Adobe · Generative AI
Bring silent footage to life
Turn visible action into editable layers of ambience and sound effects.
Zipcar
Make late returns less painful
Help members report delays and recover when their car is late.
Zipcar
Evolve memberships to meet drivers’ needs
Introduce Zipcar’s first tiers for occasional and frequent drivers.
Zipcar
Keep payments moving with a flexible wallet
Make payment choice, backup charging, and recovery clear across app and web.
MetLife
Build a shared design foundation for MetLife
Build a reusable design foundation for teams across more than 50 markets.
Zipcar
Paying overdue balances in app
An unpaid balance can block a booking. I designed Zipcar’s in-app recovery so members can understand the charges and find the right next step for their account role.
Pay the balance and get back to booking
The shipped flow lets account owners review and settle a balance in the app. Driver-only members are directed to the owner for payment.
My role and collaboration
I designed the balance explanations, charge breakdown, payment, and failure states with Product and engineering.
The person blocked is not always the person who can pay
Account owners can review and pay the balance. Driver-only members cannot. I gave owners a payment action and drivers an explanation directing them to the account owner, so the same restriction did not lead everyone into the same dead end.
Explain the restriction where the action is blocked
A blocked booking or extension opens the appropriate balance explanation. In engineering follow-up, I clarified that the same role-based sheet should appear wherever an overdue balance blocks an action, replacing inconsistent older sheets.
Ready to checkout
Blocked action
Show the charges before asking for payment
The owner can expand the balance details, review the payment method, and confirm payment. Loading and success states make the outcome visible. A failed charge leads to updating the card and retrying, rather than an unexplained return to the blocked screen.
First look
Expand details
Successful payment
Recovery needs an end to repeated retries
I specified the less successful paths too: a failed card update, another payment attempt, and a 24-hour lockout after repeated failed updates. At that boundary, the next step becomes support rather than another attempt with no explanation.
Email alone could not explain a blocked booking
Someone who missed a reminder email could first discover the balance while trying to book or extend. I brought the explanation into those moments, instead of asking them to leave the app to work out what was wrong.
Charges were difficult to understand
Public Zipcar reviews
"I had been receiving emails to update card details and showing a £6 overdue balance, which was wrong... I updated the card, but it still shows £6 as overdue... It's impossible to see other account information on the app, so I went to the website and logged in..."
An unexplained balance blocked access
Public Zipcar reviews
"I hadn't logged into or used my Zipcar account for several years... When I needed to use it again, I found my account had been disabled. I reached out to support (it took several weeks for them to respond)... They informed me of an outstanding balance... Long story short, my account balance was cleared as it had not been adequately explained."
What I learned
Permissions are part of the experience
How to collaborate and problem solve with Product teams
A disabled action should explain itself
Proper Engineering handoff and if-then thinking for happy and unhappy paths
Recovery continues after the error
The importance of proper documentation in Figma
More projects
1 to 4 of 6
Adobe · Generative AI
Create music that fits your scene
Create music that fits your scene with clear, editable generation controls.
Adobe · Generative AI
Bring silent footage to life
Turn visible action into editable layers of ambience and sound effects.
Zipcar
Make late returns less painful
Help members report delays and recover when their car is late.
Zipcar
Evolve memberships to meet drivers’ needs
Introduce Zipcar’s first tiers for occasional and frequent drivers.
Zipcar
Keep payments moving with a flexible wallet
Make payment choice, backup charging, and recovery clear across app and web.
MetLife
Build a shared design foundation for MetLife
Build a reusable design foundation for teams across more than 50 markets.