The Goal
Design a simple and rewarding way for people to replace paper receipts with digital ones. The app aims to reduce unnecessary paper waste, make receipts easier to manage, and encourage more sustainable everyday habits through meaningful rewards and community impact.
The Problem
Over 300 billion paper receipts are printed globally every year, contributing 10-25 million trees being cut down annually. Over 90% of receipts are quickly lost, damaged, or thrown away, and many cannot be recycled because of their toxic chemical coatings which can be absorbed into the skin.
At the same time, managing receipts can be frustrating. Keeping track of purchases, returns, and warranties often means searching through piles of faded paper or missing receipts entirely.
The Solution
A digital receipt app that automatically collects receipts whenever a connected payment card is used. Users can easily store, search, and filter receipts in one place while still managing returns and exchanges as normal.
To encourage sustainable behaviour, the app rewards users for going paperless. For every 10 digital receipts collected, a tree is planted, and users can redeem local community rewards such as yoga classes, independent café items, and other small business offers.
The Users
Sophie Walker
“I want sustainable choices to feel effortless for my business”
Age: 31
Education: Business Graduate
Hometown: London
Occupation: Cafe Owner
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Sophie runs an independent coffee shop and prints out receipts for every order she gets as this process is automated.
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Reduce receipt paper costs
Improve customer experience
Make his business more sustainable
Modernised checkout interactions
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Expensive paper roll replacements
Waste from unused receipts
Complicated POS systems
Meredith Jackson
“Technology should feel clear and reassuring”
Age: 63
Education: Psychology PHD
Hometown: Boston, USA
Occupation: Psychologist
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Meredith goes to the supermarket and receives a receipt when she pays for her groceries. She has a visual impairment so she cannot check her receipt.
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Discover the top exhibitions efficiently
Book tickets in advance to avoid queues
Get opening hours and directions
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Incomplete/confusing visitor information
Not knowing peak times
Difficulty navigating through museums
Alex Henderson
“I want sustainable choices to feel effortless”
Age: 27
Education: Economics Graduate
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Occupation: Finance Analyst
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Alex goes to his local independent café before he heads to work and orders a coffee and croissant. He pays for her order using Apple Pay and gets asked if he would like a receipt. He declines but a printed receipt is automatically printed and thrown away.
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Reduce unnecessary waste
Keep purchases organised
Track expenses effortlessly
Use thoughtful, well-designed digital tools
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Losing receipts
Clutter from paper receipts
Brands using manipulative sustainability messaging
Overcomplicated finance apps
Competitive Audit
Summary
The audit explored how data-heavy platforms present complex information in ways that feel simple, clear, and easy to navigate. Brands such as Monzo and Revolut demonstrated how minimal interfaces, strong visual hierarchy, and approachable language can make financial data feel more engaging and understandable.
The research also highlighted the importance of accessibility, personalisation, and focused data visualisation within mobile experiences. It supported the research in simplifying navigation, prioritising key information, and creating motivating ways to display user data.
Storyboard
The storyboard illustrates the end-to-end experience of using Trace in everyday shopping. After connecting a payment card, users can shop as normal and instantly receive a digital receipt in the app after checkout.
Receipts are automatically organised in one place, making them easy to search, filter, and manage. The app also simplifies returns by providing clear instructions and access to purchase history whenever needed.
By replacing paper receipts with digital ones, users are rewarded for making more sustainable choices. Every 10 digital receipts contributes to planting a tree, while unlocking rewards that support local businesses and community initiatives.
Wireframes
The main goal was to make key information immediately visible while keeping the experience simple and approachable.
The designs highlight three core metrics: the number of digital receipts collected, trees planted, and the global number of paper receipts avoided. Showing this impact directly on the homepage helps reinforce the positive environmental contribution users are making and encourages continued engagement with the app.
Recent receipts were also prioritised within the layout to allow users to quickly access, search, and manage purchases without unnecessary navigation.
Low Fidelity Prototype
To avoid overwhelming users with too much information, key impact statistics rotate through a looping animation on the homepage. This keeps the interface clean while drawing attention to the user’s environmental contribution through subtle movement.
Navigation was intentionally kept minimal, with only three main destinations to make the app feel straightforward and accessible. Features such as a monthly calendar, search functionality, and filters were introduced to help users quickly find purchases and manage receipts with ease.
The prototype also mapped the main user journeys, including viewing receipt details, managing refunds, and redeeming community rewards, helping to test how users would move through the app in a clear and natural way.
Usability Test
Usability testing highlighted that users found the app simple and intuitive to navigate. Participants responded positively to the minimal navigation, recent receipts being accessible from the homepage, and the search and filter system, which made receipts easy to find without feeling overwhelming.
Users also valued the environmental impact statistics, sharing that the visible data helped reinforce the positive difference they were making by going paperless.
One of the main suggestions was the introduction of an onboarding experience. Feedback showed that users wanted a clearer introduction to the purpose of the app, how key features work, and the wider environmental impact of replacing paper receipts with digital ones. Additional recommendations included clearer wording around returns and exchanges, along with more guidance on how rewards and processes work throughout the app.
Design System
The visual design for Trace was centred around creating a clean, sleek, and modern experience that felt simple to navigate and approachable for everyday use. Since the app focuses on reducing clutter through digital receipts, the interface itself was designed to feel lightweight and uncluttered. The warm orange accents highlight important actions, rewards, and progress moments without overwhelming the user. Large, bold statistics help communicate environmental impact instantly. The typography system was kept minimal and easy to read so users can quickly scan receipt information, filters, and navigation elements.
Glass-inspired cards and soft transparency effects were introduced to give the interface a more modern and refined feel. These components help separate information clearly while maintaining a minimal visual style. Rounded corners, subtle borders, and consistent spacing were used throughout the design system to create a more approachable experience.
Visual Branding
A vibrant gradient background was introduced to create a strong visual identity and give the app a more engaging and energetic feel. Combined with the dark interface and glass-inspired cards, the branding creates a sleek and polished experience that feels contemporary without becoming overwhelming.
Large typography and minimal layouts were used throughout the interface to make key information instantly readable and easy to scan. Environmental statistics, recent receipts, and rewards are given clear visual hierarchy to help guide the user’s attention naturally through the app. Imagery within the rewards section also helps create a stronger emotional connection by showcasing real community experiences and local businesses users can support through sustainable habits.
High Fidelity Prototype
A simple onboarding journey was introduced to explain the purpose of the app, highlight the environmental impact of paper receipts, and guide users through connecting their card and setting up their account. Keeping onboarding concise helped make the experience feel approachable while still educating users on the value of going paperless.
Key interactions throughout the app were designed to feel clear and intuitive. Features such as search, filters, and calendar navigation help users quickly manage receipts, while pop-up return information provides accessible guidance without disrupting the overall experience.
Second Usability Test
Users found the receipt experience simple and intuitive, particularly the calendar view and the ability to quickly locate receipts and view refund or exchange information. The overall visual style was also received positively, with participants describing the interface as clean, modern, and more approachable than traditional finance-based apps.
Feedback also highlighted several opportunities for improvement. Users suggested showing the live status of refunds and exchanges to make the process feel more transparent and reassuring. The rewards icon was sometimes mistaken for a settings icon, indicating the need for a clearer visual distinction within the navigation. Participants also wanted to see more progression towards unlocking rewards, as visualising progress would help make the sustainability and reward system feel more motivating and engaging over time.
Refinements
Receipt Status Updates
To make returns and exchanges feel clearer and more transparent, a status feature was added to receipts within the app. Users can now quickly see updates such as “Return pending” or “Exchange complete” directly from their receipt history. This refinement helps reduce uncertainty during the returns process and gives users more confidence when managing purchases digitally.
Improved Search and Filtering
The receipt search experience was refined to make navigation feel clearer and less overwhelming. When users select a custom date range the selected timeframe is displayed prominently at the top of the screen to provide better context while browsing receipts. The filter options were also hidden behind a filter icon and only appear when needed, helping create a cleaner and more focused interface.
Reward Progression and Icon Refinement
The rewards experience was updated to feel more motivating and visually engaging. A progression bar was introduced to show how many digital receipts a user has collected, how many trees they have planted, and how close they are to unlocking their next reward. This creates a clearer sense of achievement and encourages continued sustainable behaviour. The rewards icon was also redesigned to resemble a rosette, making it easier to distinguish from the settings icon within the navigation bar.
Outcome
Trace reimagines the everyday receipt experience by replacing paper receipts with a digital alternative that is both practical and environmentally conscious. Through user research, usability testing, and iterative design improvements, the final prototype creates a simple and rewarding experience that helps users manage receipts more efficiently while encouraging more sustainable habits.
The project combines functionality with environmental impact by making receipts easier to store, search, and manage, while motivating users through tree planting and community rewards. The final outcome is a clean, modern, and intuitive mobile experience designed to make ethical sustainable behaviour feel effortless within everyday life.
Key Takeaways
Throughout the design process, usability testing showed that users valued clear navigation, minimal layouts, and immediate access to important information such as recent receipts and environmental impact statistics. The project also reinforced how thoughtful visual design and small motivational features can encourage more sustainable behaviour in everyday experiences.
Working iteratively through wireframes, prototypes, and user feedback helped strengthen both the usability and clarity of the app. It showed how rewarding it can be to design a product that is both ethical and purposeful. It was valuable to create an experience that not only solves a practical problem for users, but also contributes positively to the environment and local communities.
Next Opportunities
Future iterations of Trace could explore deeper integrations with banks and retailers to create a more seamless receipt experience across different payment methods. Additional personalisation features, such as custom sustainability goals and spending insights could also help increase long-term engagement.
There is also an opportunity to expand the environmental impact features by showing users more detailed data around paper saved, carbon reduction, or community impact over time. The statistics and spending habits could be presented as a yearly recap which can be shared on social media. Further usability testing and accessibility improvements would continue to refine the experience and ensure the app remains inclusive and easy to use for a wide range of users.
