The Problems
The reward wasn't worth it
There was nothing to come back to
It wasn't built how Xflow users actually work
I reviewed 12 platforms, ranging from B2C products like INDmoney and Uber to B2B competitors including Skydo - a direct parallel to Xflow in the cross-border payments space. Three patterns stood out:
Key Takeaways
Sell it, don't just show it: Every platform that drove high referral adoption used bold illustrations and prominently displayed the reward amount — large, impossible to miss. The referral section wasn't treated like a feature; it was treated like an ad. This was true even on platforms whose core product UI was minimal or utilitarian - including Skydo.
Show "How it works": Every platform included a clear step-by-step section explaining how to earn. The copy was doing heavy lifting here - efficient enough that users wouldn't skip it, specific enough to remove doubt about when and how they'd get paid. The goal wasn't to be thorough, it was to be trusted quickly.
Most Competitors just showed totals earnings: Across both B2C and B2B platforms, the pattern was the same: total earned, total successful referrals. A reasonable baseline — but it doesn't answer the questions users actually have. Who specifically referred someone? Which referrals are still active? Which ones expired before hitting the threshold?
Before Successful Referral
“How do I refer my friend?”
“How do I know my friend signed up?”
“How do I know that I’ve earned a reward?”
After Successful Referral
“How do I know which friends led me the rewards?”
“How do I know the Payment Method?”
“How do I change the Payment Method”
“How do I change the email id for Amazon Gift Card?”
“How do I know, when will my Payment will be Processed?”
“How do I know, if my rewards have initiated?”
“How do I know, if my rewards have processed?”
After Rewards are Processed
“How do I know how much I have earned in previous month?”
“How do I know which friends led me the rewards in previous month?”
“How do I know, through which method I got paid?”
Information Architecture
Refer a Friend
Referral Link
Email Input Field
How Referrals Work
Terms and Conditions
Earnings Details
Total Earnings
Processed Earnings
To-be Processed
Referral Metrics
Referrals Signed up
Referrals Earned
Referrals Expiring Soon
Referral Expired
Friends Details
Friends Nick Name
Friends Email
Signed up Date
Earned on Date
Status
Monthly Earnings Metrics
Month Cycle
Month Drop-down
Monthly Earning
Current Payment Method
Update Payment Method
Rewards Processing Date
Initiated Date
Processed Date
Wireframes
Users can refer a friend and discover how the referral process works. There's also a dedicated area for an illustration to encourage users to make referrals.
A dedicated tab for tracking referrals and earnings supports the transparency and scalability of the program. Users can view their current and past monthly earnings, along with their payment destinations.
Since rewards accumulate month-wise, users needed a way to see which referrals drove their earnings in a given month - without manually configuring multiple filters. Clicking the earnings amount for any month simultaneously applies two filters to the referrals table: status set to "Earned" and date range set to that month's cycle. One tap, full context.
For Providing Referral Reward to the Individual Level of an Organization and to Organization, there are options of Pocessing via Direct Payout and via Amazon Gift Card.
In the monthly earnings section, users can track the current status of the payment, supporting the transparency of the program.
While wireframing the monthly earnings screen, it became clear the 25th–25th cycle would create a disconnect for users. Month was changing in the product while the calendar month had not.
The original design showed ₹3000 as the reward value. Mid-way through, the business team flagged a constraint - maintaining real-time INR valuations wasn't feasible. Reward shifted to $30 USD.
Unlike the rest of the Xflow dashboard, this tab deliberately breaks the design language - a prominent illustration and reward amount upfront create a marketing surface within a B2B product. Users can share via a referral link or direct email invite. A "How it works" section below answers the two questions users actually have: what do I need to do, and when do I get paid.
The feedback loop the old program never had. Every referred friend shows their current status - Active, Earned, or Expired - so there's no ambiguity about which referrals are still in play. Aggregate stats at the top double as motivation, and a month selector lets users drill into past earnings as the program matures. An empty state handles first-time visitors cleanly. All on the new calendar-month cycle.
Accessible via the "Update Payment Method" CTA, this modal lets each individual - owner or employee - choose between a direct bank payout or an Amazon Gift Card. The choice isn't locked in and can be updated before any cycle closes.
Two states — Earnings Initiated and Earnings Processed - make the backend payout process visible to users. Cycle dates are shown alongside each status so users always know which month they're looking at and when to expect their payout. Transparency as a feature, not an afterthought.
