Role: UX researcher and writer
Key skills: User research and UX writing (microcopy)
Tools: Instagram and Figma
5 weeks (May - June 2025)
Project Background:
As a long-time Chevron Federal Credit Union (CFCU) customer, I noticed that I was unaware of my daily, weekly, or monthly Zelle transfer limits. This motivated me to explore whether this issue affects other users across different payment platforms.
Problem statement:
Users often lack clear visibility of their Zelle sending limits, leading to transfer errors and frustration. Improving transparency and guidance around these limits can help users send money more confidently and seamlessly.
Research:
I polled an audience of 132 people and found out that 77% of them don't know their daily limit. Here are the questions I asked:
Do you send money to people through an online account?
99% - yes
1% - no
Do you use a peer-to-peer payment account to send it? Peer-to-peer account e.g. Zelle, Venmo, Revolut, Paypal etc
98% - yes
2% - no
How long does it take you to send money on the platform you use?
82% - 'Less than 2 minutes'
12% - 'More than 2 minutes, less than 5 minutes'
1% - 'More than 5 minutes, less than 10 minutes'
5% - 'More than 10 minutes'
Are you aware of your daily transfer limit without checking?
23% - yes
77% - no
If you answered no to the previous question, is it easy to find the limit when you check?
69% - yes
31% - no
What app(s) or website(s) do you use to send money?
Based on the information above, it is clear that 77% of respondents do not know their daily sending limit. Among those who check, 69% find it easy to locate the limit, while 31% do not.
So I conducted a competitor analysis with Chase, Bank of America, Chevron Federal Credit Union (CFCU) and Revolut, here are some of my findings:
Competitor | Observation | Screenshot |
|---|---|---|
Chase | Clearly states the daily limit ($10,000), promoting transparency. |  |
Bank of America | Limits are hidden until an exceeded amount triggers an error, which may hinder user awareness. |   |
Chevron Federal Credit Union (CFCU) | Limits are hidden until an exceeded amount triggers an error, which may hinder user awareness. Even after the error is triggered, the spending limit is still not shared with the user. |    |
Revolut | No visible limits; users must consult FAQs, possibly causing confusion. |  |
The proposed solution:
Based on the research done on multiple peer-to-peer payment platforms, I updated the Chevron Federal Credit Union payment pay with new microcopy.
Current error screen:
Suggested update to error screen:
Notes:
I included the word 'daily' to let the user know the timeframe of the limit
The limit amount is also clearly listed to avoid any confusion
The original recommendation of 'Please try a smaller amount…' was left there to provide a solution to potential user problems
I decided to use the error trigger approach because CFCU is a much smaller organization than Chase and Bank of America, so users may not get as many errors relating to their spending limits
Next steps: I will validate my changes to the microcopy with the respondents of the initial survey to ensure that this solves their concerns.