Skydo · Invoicing tool for Indian exporters
Problem statement
In December 2022, Skydo founders observed that Indian service exporters face numerous challenges in creating and managing invoices, especially for international clients, due to complexities with currencies, regulatory compliance, and data security, leading to payment delays, increased administrative burden, and potential compliance issues.
Project summary
My responsibility
UX research, UX and UI design, design process, goals setting, designops, design systems and design hiring. Managed a design team of 2 designers. Coordinated with product mangers, ios engineers and android engineers.
My role
Design lead
Timeline
2 months from 0 to launch (Feb 2023)
The MVP solution
Within a two-month timeframe, we developed an MVP invoicing tool featuring pre-defined templates compliant with Indian and international standards, multi-currency support with real-time exchange rate updates, automatic INR conversion for accounting, real-time invoice status tracking, detailed payment reports, secure data storage with encryption, compliance with data protection laws (e.g., GDPR), customizable invoice templates, and custom fields for specific business needs.
Persona
Interviewed 10 service exporters, to understanding the invoicing process
Research
Top level journey
- Tools: Excel/Invoicely/Zoho books/ Quickbooks
- Who creates invoice? Accountant/Founder
User journey affinity map with pain points
Pain points identified
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Client payment schedule
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Trigger when invoice is to be created
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Invoice number
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SAC Code
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Recurring invoices
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T&M - hourly
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LUT and bank acccount note is a manual process
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Recon can be more efficient
Observation
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No one mentioned transparency issues anymore! The affinity map in Sept had a clear cluster
Interviewed 10 goods exporters, to understanding the invoicing process
Top level journey
- Tools: SSS / Vypar / Zoho Books / Marg
- Who creates invoice? Accountant/Founder
User journey affinity map with pain points
Pain points identified
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Have to create multiple invoices
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USD without GST to customer | USD with GST |
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Upload invoices in system when created manually to track inventory and keep serial number continuous
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E-way bill without GST is a challenge
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Getting FIRA is a challenge
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Bank fees aren’t transparent
Survey to understand which tool is being used the most
Impact of Quickbooks shutting down
Are customers willing to switch?
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Customers whose turnover is reaching 10cr are looking to switch to incorporate e-invoicing. “Will shift in the next financial year or in 6 months"
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Customers are willing to switching if the product is simple to use, help them save time and reduce human error
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Older companies are reluctant to switch. Seems to have a fear of process change, even if it would be simpler to use. Will switch only if absolutely needed.
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Zoho book user (Accountant) will switch only if we have a a full-fledge accounting feature.
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Goods exporter wants a tool that streamlines each countries complexity (regulations and fees)
Gathering invoices to determine possible use cases
MVP checklist
✅ Target service exporters only
✅ Cater to international transactions only
✅ USD, CAD and EUR currency only
✅ Pre-defined templates that comply with Indian and international standards
✅ Automatic conversion to INR for accounting and reporting purposes.\
✅ Real-time tracking of invoice status (sent, viewed, paid, overdue).
✅ Reports on invoice history, payments received, and outstanding amounts.
✅ Payment gateway integration for easy online payments.
✅ Compliance with data protection laws (e.g., GDPR).
✅ Add logo in invoice templates to match branding
✅ Custom fields for specific business needs.
❌ No domestic transactions because GST is far too complex to complete in 1 month time constraint.
❌ Do not target goods exporter because the information changes based on type of goods.
❌ Ability to create invoices in multiple currencies with real-time exchange rate updates.
❌ Built-in support for GST and other applicable taxes. Detailed tax breakdowns on invoices.
❌ Integration with popular accounting software like Tally, QuickBooks, and Zoho Books.
❌ Add brand colour in invoice templates to match branding
A discussion if we should design it the conventional way...
Design exploration
But we realised it would be overwhelming to new users, so we designed it as 'progressive disclosure'
Like what you see?
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