The hidden cost of one bad design

I once worked on a project where users wanted to pay using PayPal. We designed this:

Payment choice page
Payment options page

The business blocked the design because it was too easy to select PayPal. This is because we received a 50p transaction fee when users paid by card.

We we’re asked to put the PayPal option behind a click-to-reveal pattern encouraging users to choose card.

But, the hidden costs of doing this add up to way more than 50p per order.

Unhappy users use the service less or use competing services instead. They also stop recommending the service to their friends and family.

So, if you’re going to introduce a feature and make it hard to use, don’t bother.