# Research summary
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/bill-pay-experience-design-guide/documentation/research-summary/index.md
### What we learned was invaluable {#what-we-learned-was-invaluable}
With Mastercard Bill Pay, we set out to create an easy, convenient way to pay bills. In order to make the experience true to the mission, we asked hundreds of consumers, who regularly pay bills online, to test the Bill Pay solution and provide feedback. Using the insights from the research, we updated the flows and tested again. We completed this process three times throughout the design process. **To learn more, we provide a consolidated summary below that includes the criteria and results from three rounds of testing.**
### Round 1 {#round-1}
**2 unmoderated tests, 197 participants total** , U.S. only, checking account holders familiar with e-billing.
##### What we tested {#what-we-tested}
* **A low-fidelity onboarding flow for first-time users of Bill Pay.**
##### What we learned {#what-we-learned}
* Participants liked the addition of a launch screen to explain the benefits, and they liked the tone of the messaging.
* However, participants let us know that they found some of the terminology confusing so we updated where necessary. For example, **"I hate the word 'biller',"** said one participant.
* Setting up e-billing within the flow was an easier, smoother process than we initially thought. Most testers understood the benefits with no confusion.
* **Participants were adamant about transparency** , and whether, for example, **"there are fees"** associated with paying using Bill Pay, or whether the action they took was executed correctly, like adding a bill.
##### Overall impressions {#overall-impressions}
* **80% of users said they were "very confident"** they could use Bill Pay to set up their bills and **20% said they were "confident."**
### Round 2 {#round-2}
**4 unmoderated tests, 319 participants** , U.S. only, checking account holders familiar with e-billing.
##### What we tested {#what-we-tested-1}
* **Multiple bill payment and management flows including: e-billing enrollment, scheduling, editing and paying from a new high-fidelity main screen or dashboard.**
##### What we learned {#what-we-learned-1}
* Participants found the new bills screen **"overwhelming"** on first impression, despite being **"organized."**
* On the other hand, participants found managing bills on a dashboard to be **"super easy"** and **"fun."**
* **However, adding a new bill from the bills screen or dashboard was not intuitive** and was redesigned
* **Also, the option to pay the bill immediately from the revised "Add a biller" flow needed to be changed** since users were either confused by the option or misinterpreted next steps.
##### Outcomes from Round 2 {#outcomes-from-round-2}
* As a result of our research, we identified **the primary Bill Pay user** as having three main characteristics: many bills to pay, using revolving payment methods and very selective about using AutoPay.
* Once identified, we refined the pool of participants to these specific attributes for the remainder of testing.
### Round 3 {#round-3}
**6 unmoderated tests, 882 participants** , U.S. only, checking account holders familiar with e-billing, who have 8 or more bills to pay a month and who rarely use AutoPay to pay bills.
##### What we tested {#what-we-tested-2}
* **A revised first-time user flow, including**: adding a bill, sorting bills and paying a bill.
##### What we learned {#what-we-learned-2}
* From the Round 3 tests, we were able to refine our primary user even further to 18-35 year-olds who are familiar and comfortable with digital payments.
##### Outcomes from Round 3 {#outcomes-from-round-3}
* We simplified the bills screen, navigation and made it easier to add and edit bill categories.
### Bill Pay's target audience {#bill-pays-target-audience}
Based on our research, we gathered information to help us shape our designs and highlight the demographics of a key user:
**Age and lifestyle** : Bill Pay's key user is between the ages of 18-35 and could be less prosperous than their parents due to heavy college loans and other debt. To seek greater happiness and stronger financial independence, they are expected to switch careers thoughout their working years.
**Behaviors** : The target audience is comfortable and familiar with digital banking and currently pay their bills online. They have 8 or more bills to pay each month and are sensitive to transaction fees and selective about which bills they pay automatically. On occasion, they may pay a bill late.
**Pain points** : Our key user has several pain points, including: juggling or changing passwords, navigating clunky web portals and creditor websites, feeling anxiety about fraud, delayed payment delivery and keeping up with a long list of bills with varying due dates.
**How Bill Pay can help**: Bill Pay provides an easy, trustworthy way to pay bills from the main screen or dashboard helping users save time, organize their bills and better manage their due dates and amounts.
Next: [Resources](https://developer.mastercard.com/bill-pay-experience-design-guide/documentation/resources/index.md)