Overview

In 2019, I had planned to launch BillTurtle, a bills payment startup aimed at solving the issue of missed bills payment. At that time, before the pandemic, I personally faced the inconvenience of receiving paper bills, which often led to missed payments due to delayed courier deliveries. Additionally, carrying multiple paper bills to payment centers was also a hassle. BillTurtle was intended to address these challenges and streamline the bills payment process.

Research and Preparation

Prior to commencing any work, I conducted extensive research on bills payment that lasted for several months. This research involved studying existing billers, their methods, and the current state of the payments industry. At that time, online bills payment had not been widely adopted, and I saw an opportunity for the startup to find its product-market fit.

Once my research was complete, I began the initial phase of the project. This involved creating sitemaps and defining the intended user flows for the app.

Wireframes

At the time when online bills payment was not widely adopted, I designed the wireframes for the app based on my own personal pain points and the solutions I envisioned for an online bills payment platform. To gain further insights, I also sought input from family and friends about their experiences with bills payment and incorporated their feedback into the wireframe creation process.

Ideaspace Foundation

While working on the wireframe creation, I made the decision to participate in a local startup accelerator called Ideaspace Foundation. In collaboration with two developers, we formed a team to assist in developing the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

The feedback we received during the application process proved to be highly valuable, as it helped us refine and enhance the wireframes. Throughout the various stages of the application, we received both challenging questions and encouraging remarks, which contributed to our progress.

High-fidelity Mockups

The final mockups for the mobile app were finished before the last phase of the accelerator program. Although we didn't make it to the final round, it didn't deter us from pursuing our startup idea.

We were fortunate to secure our first client, a local gym, and we were in discussions about implementing the mobile app and dashboard for them. Unfortunately, our plans were disrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19. Many businesses had to slow down or cease operations, making it unfeasible for us to continue with the startup. As a result, the team made the difficult decision to part ways.