Gaia

Automatic digital receipts and sustainability insights powered by secure transaction data

Role

UX Researcher · Systems Designer · Product Designer

Industry

Sustainability · FinTech · Retail Innovation

Duration

10 Weeks (in progress)

Understanding Receipt Behavior, Waste, and User Trust Gaps

To understand the scale of receipt waste and identify what users expect from a digital alternative, I surveyed 44 participants and conducted interviews with peers, professors, industry professionals, and business owners. The survey revealed that 75% of respondents were between the ages of 18 and 24 and made frequent in-person purchases. More than 94% reported declining or immediately discarding receipts, yet only 25% knew thermal receipts could not be recycled due to BPA and BPS coatings.

Participants were already familiar with digital receipts. Over 96% had used email or app-based receipts before, and 90% felt comfortable using modern payment methods. When introduced to the idea of an automatic digital receipt system, 95% said they would likely adopt it if it worked seamlessly and securely. They valued easy access (81%), warranty tracking (41%), and sustainability insights (46%) as the most useful features.

Interviews revealed consistent frustrations. Users described losing warranty dates, forgetting subscription renewals, and having receipts scattered across email inboxes, apps, and physical spaces. They wanted a system that required no additional effort yet organized everything clearly.

These insights shaped Gaia’s vision:
Transform receipts from disposable paper into an automated, sustainable, and insight-driven experience that activates the moment a purchase is made.

Designing a Zero Effort and Privacy First Receipt System

Early insights showed users want trust, automation, and clarity. Privacy and simplicity were essential. This led to three core design pillars:

Zero Effort Capture

Instead of relying on NFC, Gaia integrates directly with banks and card networks to receive real-time transaction data. This allows receipts to be created automatically for every purchase, regardless of whether users pay with a physical card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or online.

Privacy and Trust

Many users expressed concerns about spam or unwanted emails. Gaia eliminates email-based receipts. Instead, receipts are generated securely on-device and synchronized only with user permission.

Meaningful Feedback Loops

Users want visibility into their environmental impact. Gaia provides personalized Eco Insights that show paper saved, CO₂ prevented, and sustainability progress over time.

To ensure feasibility, I mapped how transaction pipelines work within existing payment infrastructures. This systems thinking approach allowed Gaia to fit naturally into the financial ecosystem without requiring changes from users or retailers.

Translating Transaction Data into a Low Friction Mobile Experience

I translated Gaia’s strategy into a functional prototype in Figma. The goal was to create a smooth, trustworthy experience while minimizing cognitive load.

Automatic Receipt Generation

After each payment, Gaia retrieves transaction metadata through secure bank connections. It then creates a structured digital receipt that users can access instantly.

Smart Reminders

Gaia identifies purchases that include warranties, return windows, or subscriptions, and automatically schedules reminders before deadlines. Users receive only relevant and timely notifications.

Interface and Visual Language

The interface follows a minimalist aesthetic built around dark green and off-white tones. Clean typography and simple iconography support readability and convey a sense of calm and trust. The Eco Insights dashboard visualizes environmental progress in an intuitive and motivating way.

Understanding Receipt Behavior, Waste, and User Trust Gaps

These insights shaped Gaia’s vision:
Transform receipts from disposable paper into an automated, sustainable, and insight-driven experience that activates the moment a purchase is made.

Designing a Zero Effort and Privacy First Receipt System

Early insights showed users want trust, automation, and clarity. Privacy and simplicity were essential. This led to three core design pillars:

Zero Effort Capture

Privacy and Trust

Many users expressed concerns about spam or unwanted emails. Gaia eliminates email-based receipts. Instead, receipts are generated securely on-device and synchronized only with user permission.

Meaningful Feedback Loops

Users want visibility into their environmental impact. Gaia provides personalized Eco Insights that show paper saved, CO₂ prevented, and sustainability progress over time.

Translating Transaction Data into a Low Friction Mobile Experience

I translated Gaia’s strategy into a functional prototype in Figma. The goal was to create a smooth, trustworthy experience while minimizing cognitive load.

Automatic Receipt Generation

After each payment, Gaia retrieves transaction metadata through secure bank connections. It then creates a structured digital receipt that users can access instantly.

Smart Reminders

Gaia identifies purchases that include warranties, return windows, or subscriptions, and automatically schedules reminders before deadlines. Users receive only relevant and timely notifications.

Interface and Visual Language

Improving Clarity and Trust Through Usability Testing and Iteration

I tested the prototype with peers and professionals to evaluate clarity, trust, and overall intuitiveness. The feedback revealed key opportunities for refinement.

The original My Receipts page felt text-heavy and overwhelming. Users preferred a cleaner layout with visual cues, so I iterated on the UI using brand logos and simplified summaries to support fast scanning. The Receipt Details page also evolved. Users wanted a familiar structure that resembled a traditional receipt, so I reorganized the layout to highlight key transaction elements in a more readable format.

I also introduced a Home page that combines recent receipts, reminders, and sustainability progress in one easy-to-read dashboard. This addition made the prototype feel more complete and aligned with user expectations.

With each iteration, Gaia became more intuitive, consistent, and trustworthy, bringing the concept closer to a usable product.

Scaling Secure Bank Integrations and Long Term Adoption Strategy

Gaia is an ongoing project. The next phase involves refining how Gaia connects with banks and payment networks securely and efficiently. This approach avoids the limitations of NFC and ensures that Gaia works across all payment types, including physical card payments, mobile wallets, and online transactions.

On the design side, I plan to expand the prototype with richer sustainability visualizations, more detailed receipt views, and smoother micro interactions. I will also use tools like Framer to simulate real transaction flows.

Future testing will explore long-term trust and adoption. I want to understand how quickly users develop confidence in automatic receipt saving, how often they rely on reminders, and whether sustainability insights influence behavior over time.

This project strengthened my perspective on sustainable UX. I learned that true impact comes from removing friction and creating systems that work quietly in the background. Gaia reflects that philosophy and continues to evolve with each iteration.

Design Lessons from Building an Invisible Sustainability System

Designing Gaia has shown me how automation and sustainability can intersect in everyday interactions. I learned that users value invisible convenience and they want sustainable solutions that require no extra steps or cognitive effort. Moving forward, my focus is on making the NFC-based integration even smoother and expanding how Eco Insights visualizes real environmental impact.