About the Project
NextPay is a mobile app designed to help small sports academies manage their finances and player subscriptions more efficiently. Many academy owners struggle with tracking dues, managing reminders, and having awkward conversations around payments. NextPay solves this by offering a simple digital ledger, automated nudges, and team management features—allowing owners to focus on coaching, not collecting.
Problem Statement
Small sports academies often rely on manual tracking (notebooks or spreadsheets) and verbal reminders in social chat groups to collect monthly fees. This creates emotional discomfort for owners and leads to inconsistent payments, strained relationships, and hours lost on follow-ups.
“I hate reminding people in the group... it feels embarrassing, but we also can’t keep letting payments delay.” — Academy Owner
What Problem Does It Solve?
NextPay provides a professional and non-confrontational way for academy owners to manage payments. It automates fee tracking, sends polite reminders, and gives a real-time overview of pending dues. By reducing the emotional and manual burden, it improves cash flow, saves time, and strengthens trust between owners and players.
Product Vision & Strategy
Vision
To create a financial assistant tailored to the needs of academies—simple enough to use without training, but powerful enough to handle recurring dues, missed payments, and bulk reminders.
How I Solved the Problem
Research
Conducted stakeholder interviews with 4 academy owners
Did a market scan—found no tailored apps serving this niche
Design Process
Defined core user flows: Add player → Assign plan → Auto-track dues → Send reminders
Built a UI system focused on clarity, ease, and professionalism
Added smart touches like:
“Due soon” and “Overdue” labels
Ledger filters (Paid / Unpaid / Missed)
Reflection
What I Learned:
This project taught me that solving small, real-world problems with empathy can create a big impact. Designing for emotional ease—especially in sensitive areas like money—requires deep listening and thoughtful UX writing.
What I’d Do Differently:
Include more insights from end payers (parents or players)
Explore monetization models earlier to guide roadmap decisions