Payment Terminal
YEAR
2021
OVERVIEW
Spearheaded the UX/UI design for Rakuten Pay Terminal — a compact, all-in-one handheld payment device supporting every cashless payment method in Japan (credit/debit cards, QR codes, e-money, contactless) with a single tap. Designed for 9.5M+ merchants nationwide, from rural micro-businesses to urban retail chains
Japan's cashless payment landscape is uniquely fragmented — credit cards, debit cards, QR code apps (Rakuten Pay, PayPay), e-money (Suica, PASMO), and more all coexist
Merchants were forced to clutter their counters with multiple separate devices — card readers, QR scanners, receipt printers — each handling different payment types
Existing terminals were bulky, stationary, and expensive, creating barriers for small/medium businesses
Despite growth, Japan's cashless adoption was only ~33% — "cash is king" mentality persisted partly because the merchant experience was too complicated
A few seconds of delay per transaction compounds into major bottlenecks in busy retail environments
PROBLEM
PROBLEM
Japan's cashless payment landscape is uniquely fragmented — credit cards, debit cards, QR code apps (Rakuten Pay, PayPay), e-money (Suica, PASMO), and more all coexist
Merchants were forced to clutter their counters with multiple separate devices — card readers, QR scanners, receipt printers — each handling different payment types
Existing terminals were bulky, stationary, and expensive, creating barriers for small/medium businesses
Despite growth, Japan's cashless adoption was only ~33% — "cash is king" mentality persisted partly because the merchant experience was too complicated
A few seconds of delay per transaction compounds into major bottlenecks in busy retail environments
PROCESS
Defined the design vision — a super-compact, handheld, mobile device that replaces all separate terminals with one unified experience
Designed for dual audiences — merchant-facing flows (processing payments, managing transactions) AND consumer-facing moments (tap, scan, receipt)
Developed within 3 months — rapid design-to-development cycle, aligning with Rakuten's "Speed!! Speed!! Speed!!" principle
Created conversational onboarding — designed an AI chatbot with Rakuten Panda character (graphics, motion, video) to guide merchants through setup without needing support calls
Built scalable design system — Figma icon libraries and component systems shared across multiple Rakuten services
Rigorous testing with mockups — validated hardware + software interaction, security pairing, and bidirectional streaming stability before nationwide deployment
Iterated post-launch — continued developing and integrating new features after initial rollout
KEY DESIGN DESICION
All-in-one over modular — consolidated card reader, QR scanner, receipt printer, and NFC into a single handheld device, eliminating counter clutter for merchants
Contactless-first interaction — designed around a single tap as the primary payment method; even a few seconds saved per transaction eliminates bottlenecks at scale
Hardware constraints shaped the UI — compact screen size meant every pixel mattered; prioritized speed-to-completion and readability in busy, noisy retail environments
Environment-agnostic design — had to work indoors, outdoors, in rural shops, and busy urban chains — one UX system for all merchant types
Conversational AI for onboarding — instead of manuals or call centers, used Rakuten Panda chatbot to make setup feel approachable, reducing support inquiries by 37%
OUTCOME
9.5M+ merchants supported across Japan
37% reduction in support inquiries — within 3 months of chatbot launch
Nationwide deployment — from micro-businesses in rural areas to major retail chains in cities
All payment methods unified — credit, debit, QR, e-money, contactless in one device
Ongoing feature expansion — terminal continues to evolve with new integrations post-launch
Payment Terminal
YEAR
2021
OVERVIEW
Spearheaded the UX/UI design for Rakuten Pay Terminal — a compact, all-in-one handheld payment device supporting every cashless payment method in Japan (credit/debit cards, QR codes, e-money, contactless) with a single tap. Designed for 9.5M+ merchants nationwide, from rural micro-businesses to urban retail chains
Japan's cashless payment landscape is uniquely fragmented — credit cards, debit cards, QR code apps (Rakuten Pay, PayPay), e-money (Suica, PASMO), and more all coexist
Merchants were forced to clutter their counters with multiple separate devices — card readers, QR scanners, receipt printers — each handling different payment types
Existing terminals were bulky, stationary, and expensive, creating barriers for small/medium businesses
Despite growth, Japan's cashless adoption was only ~33% — "cash is king" mentality persisted partly because the merchant experience was too complicated
A few seconds of delay per transaction compounds into major bottlenecks in busy retail environments
PROBLEM
PROBLEM
Japan's cashless payment landscape is uniquely fragmented — credit cards, debit cards, QR code apps (Rakuten Pay, PayPay), e-money (Suica, PASMO), and more all coexist
Merchants were forced to clutter their counters with multiple separate devices — card readers, QR scanners, receipt printers — each handling different payment types
Existing terminals were bulky, stationary, and expensive, creating barriers for small/medium businesses
Despite growth, Japan's cashless adoption was only ~33% — "cash is king" mentality persisted partly because the merchant experience was too complicated
A few seconds of delay per transaction compounds into major bottlenecks in busy retail environments
PROCESS
Defined the design vision — a super-compact, handheld, mobile device that replaces all separate terminals with one unified experience
Designed for dual audiences — merchant-facing flows (processing payments, managing transactions) AND consumer-facing moments (tap, scan, receipt)
Developed within 3 months — rapid design-to-development cycle, aligning with Rakuten's "Speed!! Speed!! Speed!!" principle
Created conversational onboarding — designed an AI chatbot with Rakuten Panda character (graphics, motion, video) to guide merchants through setup without needing support calls
Built scalable design system — Figma icon libraries and component systems shared across multiple Rakuten services
Rigorous testing with mockups — validated hardware + software interaction, security pairing, and bidirectional streaming stability before nationwide deployment
Iterated post-launch — continued developing and integrating new features after initial rollout
KEY DESIGN DESICION
All-in-one over modular — consolidated card reader, QR scanner, receipt printer, and NFC into a single handheld device, eliminating counter clutter for merchants
Contactless-first interaction — designed around a single tap as the primary payment method; even a few seconds saved per transaction eliminates bottlenecks at scale
Hardware constraints shaped the UI — compact screen size meant every pixel mattered; prioritized speed-to-completion and readability in busy, noisy retail environments
Environment-agnostic design — had to work indoors, outdoors, in rural shops, and busy urban chains — one UX system for all merchant types
Conversational AI for onboarding — instead of manuals or call centers, used Rakuten Panda chatbot to make setup feel approachable, reducing support inquiries by 37%
OUTCOME
9.5M+ merchants supported across Japan
37% reduction in support inquiries — within 3 months of chatbot launch
Nationwide deployment — from micro-businesses in rural areas to major retail chains in cities
All payment methods unified — credit, debit, QR, e-money, contactless in one device
Ongoing feature expansion — terminal continues to evolve with new integrations post-launch
Payment Terminal
YEAR
2021
OVERVIEW
Spearheaded the UX/UI design for Rakuten Pay Terminal — a compact, all-in-one handheld payment device supporting every cashless payment method in Japan (credit/debit cards, QR codes, e-money, contactless) with a single tap. Designed for 9.5M+ merchants nationwide, from rural micro-businesses to urban retail chains
Japan's cashless payment landscape is uniquely fragmented — credit cards, debit cards, QR code apps (Rakuten Pay, PayPay), e-money (Suica, PASMO), and more all coexist
Merchants were forced to clutter their counters with multiple separate devices — card readers, QR scanners, receipt printers — each handling different payment types
Existing terminals were bulky, stationary, and expensive, creating barriers for small/medium businesses
Despite growth, Japan's cashless adoption was only ~33% — "cash is king" mentality persisted partly because the merchant experience was too complicated
A few seconds of delay per transaction compounds into major bottlenecks in busy retail environments
PROBLEM
PROBLEM
Japan's cashless payment landscape is uniquely fragmented — credit cards, debit cards, QR code apps (Rakuten Pay, PayPay), e-money (Suica, PASMO), and more all coexist
Merchants were forced to clutter their counters with multiple separate devices — card readers, QR scanners, receipt printers — each handling different payment types
Existing terminals were bulky, stationary, and expensive, creating barriers for small/medium businesses
Despite growth, Japan's cashless adoption was only ~33% — "cash is king" mentality persisted partly because the merchant experience was too complicated
A few seconds of delay per transaction compounds into major bottlenecks in busy retail environments
PROCESS
Defined the design vision — a super-compact, handheld, mobile device that replaces all separate terminals with one unified experience
Designed for dual audiences — merchant-facing flows (processing payments, managing transactions) AND consumer-facing moments (tap, scan, receipt)
Developed within 3 months — rapid design-to-development cycle, aligning with Rakuten's "Speed!! Speed!! Speed!!" principle
Created conversational onboarding — designed an AI chatbot with Rakuten Panda character (graphics, motion, video) to guide merchants through setup without needing support calls
Built scalable design system — Figma icon libraries and component systems shared across multiple Rakuten services
Rigorous testing with mockups — validated hardware + software interaction, security pairing, and bidirectional streaming stability before nationwide deployment
Iterated post-launch — continued developing and integrating new features after initial rollout
KEY DESIGN DESICION
All-in-one over modular — consolidated card reader, QR scanner, receipt printer, and NFC into a single handheld device, eliminating counter clutter for merchants
Contactless-first interaction — designed around a single tap as the primary payment method; even a few seconds saved per transaction eliminates bottlenecks at scale
Hardware constraints shaped the UI — compact screen size meant every pixel mattered; prioritized speed-to-completion and readability in busy, noisy retail environments
Environment-agnostic design — had to work indoors, outdoors, in rural shops, and busy urban chains — one UX system for all merchant types
Conversational AI for onboarding — instead of manuals or call centers, used Rakuten Panda chatbot to make setup feel approachable, reducing support inquiries by 37%
OUTCOME
9.5M+ merchants supported across Japan
37% reduction in support inquiries — within 3 months of chatbot launch
Nationwide deployment — from micro-businesses in rural areas to major retail chains in cities
All payment methods unified — credit, debit, QR, e-money, contactless in one device
Ongoing feature expansion — terminal continues to evolve with new integrations post-launch