Receipt Capture

Design Lead  iOS · Android · Tablet · Web

As design lead of the QuickBooks' Receipt Capture team, I created a tool that digitizes expenses from photos using AI and OCR. It extracts and categorizes details, matching them to transactions and securely storing receipts for easy access.

Mockup of the QuickBooks mobile app receipt capture feature, showing a receipt being scanned for data extraction
Design Patent Award 🏅

As part of this work, I invented a new interaction design pattern that was awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Problem

Receipt chaos
Organzing Receipts is a Struggle

Many business owners struggle to save and organize receipts, often tossing them aside or cramming them into a box until tax season.

A bucket filled with old receipts, and a receipt with the ink faded away over time.
Piling old receipts and faded ink is a common problem, especially for first year owners
Receipts Can Easily Stack Up

The sheer volume of daily transactions can be overwhelming, making organizing each receipt seem insurmountable.

The Fear of IRS Audits is Real

Tax time brings missed deductions, incorrect filings, and audits. Businesses risk financial penalties, lost credibility, and closure. The IRS demands organized records, and audits can be financially and mentally devastating.

Shipped solution

From receipt to QuickBooks in 5 seconds

After several iterations, we finally developed a polished version of the app. The user experience proved to be intuitive, making it easy for QuickBooks users to capture, review, and manage their receipts with minimal effort.

Push Notifications with Customer Value

I pushed for not bombarding users with trivial push notifications, as this is incredibly important to avoid alert fatigue and users' disabling app notifications.

A mockup of push notification saying 'New! Upload your receipts anywhere'. A mockup of push notification saying 'Your receipt is ready to review'.
Entry Point to Feature

Since receipt capture is one of the most important and unique features to the QuickBooks app, the feature had to be immediately discoverable.

Receipt capture accessible from initial app open
Capturing the Receipt Image

After the receipt is captured, the image is cropped to make a cleaner image for later use and archiving.

Receipt image is precisely cropped
Confirming Upload of Receipt Image

After confirming, the receipt image is immediately processed for data extraction and automatic expense categorization.

Image is pre-uploaded for faster processing
Adding Receipt After Data Extraction

When the user comes back to the app, the receipts and their deduction amounts are shown for final user review and attaching the receipt.

The receipt now becomes an expense in QuickBooks

Launch & Impact

The most marketable QuickBooks app feature in years
Go-to-Market Strategy

Collaborating hand-in-hand, our marketing team developed a powerful go-to-market strategy for acquiring new customers with the receipt capture feature.

A screenshot of a marketing landing page for the receipt capture feature.
One of many dedicated marketing pages for the receipt capture feature
Cross-Channel Promotion

We leveraged multiple channels including email marketing, social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and in-app notifications to maximize reach and engagement.

Metrics & Performance
  • Speed of Data Extraction: 8 seconds compared to 30+ minutes for competitors.
  • User Engagement: 68% of daily active users engaged with the feature within the first month of launch.
  • Conversion Rate: The feature contributed to a ~4% increase in subscription conversions on the App Store and Google Play Store.
  • Retention Rate: We observed a ~3% reduction in app subscription churn 3 months post-launch.
  • User Satisfaction: In post 3 months after launch, no harm to 4.7/5 rating on App Store and 4.1/5 rating on Google Play Store.
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