Here at Splick–it we believe in creating great mobile experiences for brands and users alike.  Achieving that means concentrating on optimizing UX design to facilitate transaction enablement.

As you may have noticed from our previous pos

t,  it really grinds our gears when we see incumbent transaction providers doing it all wrong.   By that same token, though,  we feel the need to call out and give praise to the companies that are innovating, disrupting the status quo, and kicking ass with their consumer and merchant experience.

Square is just such a company.  You may have heard of them by now.  They’ve hit the mobile payment scene like a well-oiled machine. While Square is currently in the process of eating the incumbent POS providers’ figurative lunches, one of our favorite areas of their business is the “Pay with Square” app.

How it Works

The process begins by attaching a method of payment to an account on the Pay with Square app.  Users can then use the app to locate nearby Square-enabled vendors. Pay with Square can be setup to automatically open a “Tab” up when users approach the venue.  The venue is notified via their Square Register app of the user with a Tab and are able to see details about the approaching user.  Users get what they want and pay via Pay with Square when they are done.

Why We Like it

• It’s an innovative integration of a mobile payment system with geo-locative properties.
• The ability of vendors to recognize their customers creates a sense of familiarity and improves the quality of the interaction in real life.
• The app is slick. The interface is clean, well thought-out and responsive
• Square boasts integrated loyalty functionality—saving regulars money and helping business owners increase retention
• Users can use Pay with Square to discover new businesses that are Square-enabled
• The app is fairly ubiquitous—compatible around iOS and most Android devices
• Tabs make for a frictionless transaction experience

More than anything, Square’s new app is a shining example of how we can leverage technology to improve a real world experience.  Once you get past the gimmick value of most apps you may find that they actually add complexity to the intended function.  Pay with Square does the complete opposite, and they do it in style.