Rewiring Venmo’s Send Flow for Privacy — a UX Case Study
Improving the way users control visibility when paying and requesting money
Simplifying peer-to-peer payments by putting privacy and personalization at the center of the Venmo experience. This case study explores how small UX shifts like visibility toggles and user confirmation prompts can make a big difference in user trust, safety, and overall usability. The redesign aims to empower users to control who sees their transactions without disrupting the natural flow of payment.
What this sprint aimed to improve: visibility, speed, and user trust.
The gap in Venmo’s current experience: privacy controls that are too easy to miss.
Insights from real users about how they use Venmo and where they feel exposed.
Two real-world situations that reveal the impact of hidden privacy settings.
Key Pain Points & Journey Map
Where users feel exposed, and what their experience looks like step by step.
Table of Contents
A quick look at what this case study explores and why it matters.
Meet Chris and Joannie—two very different users with the same privacy frustration.
User Flows (Current vs. Improved)
A side-by-side comparison of Venmo’s existing flow and the redesigned experience.
Brainstorming & Initial Concepts
Rough sketches exploring layout, flow, and privacy-first ideas.
Wireframes & Mid-Fidelity Screens
Screens showing how the redesign prioritizes privacy without slowing users down.
Hi-Fidelity Prototype & Interaction Preview
A working mockup of the new flow, built to simulate key tasks and privacy controls.
Reflection & What’s Next
Looking back on the sprint, key takeaways, and what I’d do next with more time.
Venmo is a go-to app for peer-to-peer transactions, but its default public social feed and hidden privacy settings often create friction—especially for users who prioritize discretion, clarity, and speed.
During a 3-day solo UX sprint, I explored how a more privacy-conscious, flow-friendly Venmo experience could empower users without disrupting the app’s casual, social tone. Many users don’t realize their payments are public by default, or they forget to adjust privacy settings in the moment—especially when they’re trying to move fast. That small detail can make a big difference in how confident people feel using the app.
“How can users send payments quickly without feeling exposed to public sharing?”
The Privacy Gap
After mapping out the existing flow and observing real user frustrations, it became clear that privacy often takes a backseat. Users rarely realize their payments are public until it’s too late—and by then, the damage is already done.
Venmo’s default-to-public transaction model leaves many users feeling unnecessarily exposed. From busy moms to business owners, users often avoid the platform altogether—citing concerns about privacy, cluttered social feeds, and the lack of real-time control during core actions like sending and requesting money.
My Role | Solo UX Designer (Research, Strategy, IA, Wireframes)
Industry: Fintech, Payments
Duration: 3 days (April 2025) - (Sprint)
Project type: UX audit + product redesign.
Tools: Figma, FigJam, Canva, Notion, iPhone (app testing)
What This Sprint Aimed to Fix
Sprint Priorities:
Maintain speed and ease-of-use for users in a rush
Surface privacy settings earlier in the pay/request flow
Reduce accidental public transactions by adding timely cues
Design a low-friction privacy toggle that fits into Venmo’s existing layout
Build user trust through visibility and clear feedback before and after payment
This sprint focused on improving Venmo’s peer-to-peer payment flow by making privacy more visible, accessible, and intuitive. The goal was to create a faster, more confident experience for users, without disrupting the app’s casual, social feel.
Survey & Interview Insights
To validate my assumptions and uncover common frustrations, I conducted a quick survey targeting frequent Venmo users, from casual payers to small business owners. The goal was to understand how real people experience Venmo’s pay/request flow and whether privacy concerns or accidental transactions were part of their everyday use.
I surveyed 10 participants, mostly working millennials, and asked:
How often do you use Venmo?
Have you ever sent money by accident or selected the wrong person?
Do you notice or adjust the privacy setting before sending money?
How would you rate your confidence while using the pay/request feature?
Key Findings
60% admitted they rarely notice the privacy setting before tapping “Pay.”
40% had sent money to the wrong person or selected the wrong action (pay vs. request).
80% wanted a more visible or consistent privacy option before confirming payment.
Several users described the interface as “fast, but risky.”
“It just feels like once I hit pay, I’m locked in. I wish there was a double-check for privacy.”
— Survey participant
These findings confirmed that the core interaction flow could benefit from clearer, more visible privacy controls, not just tucked away in hidden settings.
Digging Into the Privacy Problem
I had a hunch that Venmo’s privacy settings weren’t cutting it, but I didn’t want to make assumptions. So I talked to 5 people who regularly use the app—friends, classmates, and professionals—to hear how they actually use Venmo and how they feel about privacy while sending or requesting money.
Instead of focusing on edge cases, I kept it simple:
Do they change privacy settings?
Have they ever forgotten to?
Do they know what their default is?
Most of them didn’t. Some didn’t even realize Venmo defaults to public.
Real-World Test Prompts
To go deeper, I gave each person two small tasks:
Send $100 to a friend, but make sure no one else can see it.
Request $100 from someone, and keep it off the public feed.
I didn’t explain anything—just observed what they tapped, where they looked for privacy settings (if at all), and how confident they felt by the end.
What I Learned
Even though they knew the transactions should be private, most users either forgot to check or didn’t know where to look. A few backtracked to change the setting after tapping "Pay." One person just shrugged and said,
“I’m sure it’s fine—I’ve never looked at that part.”
Those little moments helped me understand how Venmo’s current design isn’t failing on purpose—it’s just not helping when it should.
Personas
To better understand user needs and frustrations, I developed two core personas that reflect Venmo’s privacy pain points across very different lifestyles. While one is a tech-savvy traveler and the other a busy stay-at-home parent, both encounter the same issue: privacy controls are either hidden, easy to overlook, or just unclear.
These personas grounded every design decision during this sprint, from visibility placement to micro-interactions. Each persona was built from direct user insights and designed to highlight what happens when privacy settings don’t match real-world use. The full process, research notes, and raw persona maps can be viewed in this FigJam file →.
Chris is a fast-moving rodeo rider who needs visibility and control over privacy settings while on the road, without interrupting his workflow.
Joannie is a busy stay-at-home mom who makes casual payments on the go. She wants privacy to be an easy choice—not something buried in settings.
Scenarios | How Users Interact with Privacy in Real Time
To better understand how Venmo’s interface supports (or fails) real-world privacy decisions, I ran two short, guided scenarios with each participant. These were intentionally simple, reflecting everyday use cases that still carry privacy implications.
I didn’t coach them—I just watched what they did, where they tapped, and whether they noticed or adjusted the privacy setting along the way.
Scenario 1 — Paying Money Privately
Prompt: “Send $100 to a friend, but make sure the payment isn’t visible to anyone else.”
This scenario tested whether participants noticed or used the privacy setting before sending money. It highlighted how easy it is to miss that small toggle in a rush.
Scenario 2 — Requesting Money (With Awareness of Privacy)
Prompt: “Request $100 from a friend. If that request gets accepted, do you know what the visibility will be?”
Here, I wanted to test whether users assume requests are private by default, and whether they understand what happens after the request becomes a payment.
Most users completed the task without fully checking their privacy setting. Some tapped through quickly and didn’t realize the payment would post publicly. A few assumed Venmo would “just remember” their last setting. Others didn’t know there was a toggle at all, especially when making a request, not realizing what would happen once it’s accepted.
These scenarios confirmed a key insight: even when users want privacy, Venmo doesn’t make it easy, or obvious.
Pain Points | When Privacy Takes a Backseat
After interviewing users and walking through real-life scenarios, four key issues stood out. These weren’t edge cases, they were everyday moments where Venmo’s current flow left people feeling confused, exposed, or unsure.
1. Privacy settings are too hidden
Most users didn’t notice the toggle until it was too late—if they noticed it at all. It’s small, low-contrast, and easy to overlook when you’re in a rush.
2. Default-to-public feels invasive
Several participants were surprised that Venmo defaults to public. Some were embarrassed after seeing their payment in the feed. Others said they just hope no one’s looking.
3. No real-time confirmation
There’s no built-in moment to double-check your privacy before tapping “Pay.” One user compared it to “sending a screenshot to the wrong group chat.”
4. Pay/Request confusion makes things worse
A few users sent money when they meant to request it. Combine that with no clear privacy cue, and now their mistake is public.
These patterns made one thing clear: Venmo isn’t ignoring privacy—it’s just not prioritizing it when users need it most.
Journey Map: Current Venmo Experience
After talking to users and testing real-world tasks, a few things became obvious: privacy isn't just overlooked—it’s buried. This section outlines the key frustrations users face, from missed settings to accidental oversharing, and maps out exactly where those breakdowns happen in the flow.
The journey map below highlights the emotional arc and missed opportunities across a typical Venmo payment, from launch to regret.
Visualizing the user’s experience during a typical Venmo payment—highlighting where privacy settings are missed, and where frustration begins.
User Flow
Before opening Figma, I began sketching quick ideas to explore how Venmo’s payment flow might surface privacy controls more clearly, without adding friction. These rough concepts helped me think through placement, visual hierarchy, and how to remind users about privacy at the right time.
I explored different UI directions for a privacy toggle, confirmation screen, and even a post-send privacy edit. While not all of these ideas made it into the final prototype, they shaped the design decisions that followed.
Brainstorming
Wireframes & Mid Fidelity Screens
Hi-Fidelity Prototype & Interaction
Reflection