E-invoicing
Guiding users to a new feature, to increase early adoption.
Introduction
Qonto offers online banking solutions for small and medium European enterprises. Among others, their web and mobile app allows users to send, receive, and pay invoices.
As European legislation moved toward mandatory e-invoicing, Qonto wanted to encourage early adoption among its users.
The challenge
Although many users had signed up for e-invoicing, most continued sending traditional invoices. User research showed that:
- Users didn't understand how e-invoices worked.
- There was no clear explanation of the differences between invoice types.
- E-invoicing benefits were not communicated effectively.
Guiding users towards e-invoicing
To increase adoption, the product team wanted to introduce a new toggle on the page where users typically sent invoices. I was involved to define this feature's content strategy and UX writing.
The tone needed to be reassuring and helpful, addressing users' confusion, while fitting into a very limited space. I recommended focusing on three essential points:
- Where e-invoices are sent
- Ease of use
- Real-time delivery tracking
Image description
The toggle is labelled “Send via e-invoicing” and marked “Available”.
Supporting copy: “Your client receives the invoice directly in their platform. You can track delivery in real time.”
Refining the UX content
The initial draft by the product designer introduced "platform". To avoid using new concepts, I suggested "e-invoicing address" instead, which was already established. To address ease of use, I mentioned that users didn't need to take any extra steps.
The original page had a lot of visual clutter, especially the unnecessary "Available" tag, and the repeating word "Send". To clean it up, I removed both.
Image description
Before: “Send via e-invoicing”, with an “Available” tag. “Your client receives the invoice directly in their platform. You can track delivery in real time.”
After: “E-invoicing”. “Automatically send to your client’s e-invoicing address. Track delivery and status in real time.”
To make sure I wasn't breaking any rules, I used GenAI to check our design system's content guidelines. It confirmed that my approach was the right move, and perfectly aligned with our UX goals.
The not available state
When and why e-invoicing is not available wasn't very obvious. In this case, a tag could make things clear. I proposed using a tag only for this case, explaining the reason in the subtitle.
Image description
The option is marked “Not available” and explains: “This client has no active e-invoicing address.”
Adjusting for mobile
Analytics showed that only a few users sent invoices from the mobile app. However, localisation was still a key consideration: German and French strings tend to run significantly longer than English, which risked crowding the interface after translation.
To prevent this, I shortened the subtitles proactively. This meant the toggle remained compact and readable across all six languages Qonto supported, without requiring separate design fixes per market.
Impact
The feature reached significant success. Over a period of 30 days, almost all invoices were sent via e-invoicing. Only 2% of users who had signed up for e-invoicing kept sending PDF invoices.
98.7% increase
sent as e-invoices
This rollout happened well before e-invoicing became mandatory. By introducing it early and effectively, Qonto reduced the risk of users seeking alternative solutions.
