From MVP to core product: over 10x additional revenue in 18 months
Company:
Pagaleve
Year:
2024-2026
My role:
Product Designer (UX, UI and UX Researcher)
About the company
Pagaleve, payment intermediary focused on Pix installment payments.
Executive summary of the case
Pagaleve's Pix installment payment expansion, moving from a model restricted to partners to an open solution via any QR Code.
I led the creation of the MVP and its evolution into a scalable experience, reducing commercial dependency.
The result was a product that came to represent more than 50% of the company's revenue , with growth exceeding 10x in additional revenue in 18 months.
Opening
Pagaleve's growth was limited by a Pix installment payment model restricted to commissions from partner stores, with a strong dependence on commercial integrations.
This created a structural barrier: scaling revenue required closing deals with new partners. A slow, costly process outside the direct control of the product.
In this context, I led the creation of PAQ (Pay Any QR Code) , starting with PAQ Stores as a validation MVP outside the partner ecosystem. Based on the lessons learned, I guided the evolution to PAQ Open, transforming the model into a scalable and independent experience.
Context
I worked as a Product Designer responsible for the PAQ, leading end-to-end UX/UI decisions in partnership with Product, Engineering, and Risk teams.
The project involved clear tensions:
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Product pressing by scale;
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Risks requiring control;
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Engineering dealing with real technical limitations.
My role was to transform these conflicts into viable decisions, knowing that each choice would directly impact revenue and default rates.
Business Problem
Pagaleve's revenue was structurally limited by a closed model, dependent on partner stores.
This restricted scale, increased the cost of growth, and placed the product outside of direct expansion control.
The issue has shifted from being incremental to being structural: how to unlock installment payments via Pix outside of the partner ecosystem, without compromising risk and operations?
First solution: PAQ Stores
To unlock revenue quickly, I led the development of PAQ Lojas as a validation MVP. The decision was intentional, but uncomfortable:
Prioritize speed of learning over quality of experience.
This meant launching a system with significant friction, which generated internal resistance, mainly from teams concerned about friction in payment and technical consistency.
Pit stop for usability testing
To mitigate the risk of launching a high-friction experience, I conducted a usability test with 13 users in two rounds.
The goal wasn't to determine whether to proceed or abandon the project, but to identify potential friction points and refine the UX further. The biggest risk was spending too much time refining a solution hypothesis with low user adoption.
First screens of PAQ Stores
After quick adjustments to the copy and hierarchy, comprehension in the tests increased from 7.5 to 8.5, indicating viability for the next step.
PAQ Stores - BEFORE vs AFTER
Despite clear signs of friction, we proceeded with the launch, which confirmed the main points:
Indirect navigation within the app
Bottom sheet dependency at a critical moment.
Inconsistency between websites
Errors and missed attempts when copying and pasting Pix
Initial result
In just 7 months (March to October 2024), PAQ Lojas became Pagaleve's main revenue driver, with exponential month-on-month growth. Furthermore:
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It doubled the company's revenue;
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It attracted nearly 50,000 new customers;
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It expanded the use of the product beyond the traditional flow;
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The default rate remained stable, even with a significant increase in volume.
The data revealed counterintuitive behavior:
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Users accepted significant levels of friction in exchange for financial benefit;
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Demand outside the partner ecosystem was consistent.
The main lesson learned was uncomfortable:
The experience was bad, and yet the product grew.
This made it clear that the problem wasn't a lack of interest, but rather the barriers we were creating between the user and something they already wanted to do.
Insight
The turning point came when we reframed the problem:
The user doesn't need help to buy; they need a better way to pay.
This change seems simple, but it was structural, as it took us away from a "journey intermediary" model and led us to something closer to being present precisely at the moment of the payment decision.
The evolution: PAQ Open
Based on the lessons learned from the PAQ Stores, I led the evolution to the PAQ Open. The proposal was radical precisely because of its simplicity: to remove virtually the entire previous layer and transform the product into a direct action.
The new process was simple: 1) Open the app; 2) Scan a QR code; 3) Pay in installments.
This decision brought a new level of tension to the project, because by opening its use to any QR Code:
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We were losing control over the context of the transaction;
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We were increasing exposure to fraud (risk of significant financial loss);
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introduced specific error scenarios into the flow that were not fully mapped.
There was a real moment of doubt: proceed with the reopening and take the risk, or halt the progress to preserve control.
We chose to move forward, but it wasn't a reckless decision; it was a decision to change where the control was located.
Instead of restricting the experience, we adjusted:
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Transaction value limits;
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Rules such as prohibiting payments to betting sites, utility bills, and individual taxpayer IDs (CPFs);
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Eligibility criteria based on the user's CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID).
That was the point of no return for the product.
Design Decisions
The main decisions involved gains, but also significant losses:
Remove store navigation
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Economies of scale
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Loss of context and predictability
Centralize the scan
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Reducing human error
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Dependence on consistent technical reading
Keep option via copy/paste
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Increased complexity
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Coverage of real-life scenarios
Minimize steps
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Direct gain in conversion
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Fewer validation points
The most sensitive decision was accepting less control in exchange for growth, and if this were calibrated incorrectly, it could directly impact default rates and financial results.
Furthermore, there were trade-offs that required ongoing adjustments after launch:
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Reduced visibility into the context of the transaction;
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Use outside of intended scenarios;
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Greater complexity in anti-fraud measures;
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Technical challenges in reading QR codes.
Impact (Oct/2024 - Mar/2026)
It came to represent more than half of Pagaleve's total revenue and 20% of the transaction volume.
Growth exceeding 10x in additional revenue in 18 months.
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Over 800,000 unique customers have already used the product;
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Consolidation as a core product;
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Initial exponential growth + consistent adoption;
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High monetization efficiency (% revenue > % TPV).
To conclude
This project changed the way I make product decisions. Friction isn't always the problem; sometimes it's just hiding obvious value that the product hasn't quite captured yet.
PAQ Stores made this clear: even with a bad experience, the behavior existed. And it was precisely by not ignoring this signal that we were able to evolve. The biggest change wasn't improving the flow, it was having the courage to remove entire parts of the solution.
And in some cases, this means making uncomfortable decisions, relinquishing control in the short term, and relying more on actual behavior than on perfectly designed flows.
I've come to take this as a principle: if the user already wants to do something, my job isn't to guide them; it's to not get in the way.