Horizontal Payments on Alexa

Overview

Solution

I designed one flexible payment template for every partner on Alexa+'s ambient displays. It adapts to each partner's line items, legal disclosures and hold timers without losing a consistent look and feel, and pairs voice confirmation with clear on-screen proof.

Focus on flexibility

One scalable checkout pattern standardizing hands-free commerce across ticketing, food delivery, and more.

Anticipated Impact

The template is designed to be the one payment surface across every Alexa+ vertical, rolling out in September 2026. The goals:

Faster partner onboarding: standard API mapping replaces custom, per-partner payment flows.
No forks: one adaptive layout every vertical can adopt as-is.
Faster checkout: from a typical 45–90 seconds down to 15–20 with express voice and one-click payment.

Jump to final design

Design Process

Background

Every Alexa+ partner, from ticketing to food delivery, needs a secure checkout step. The existing payment screen hadn't kept up with expanding legal requirements, so partners bolted on one-off fixes that fragmented the experience.

Current

Existing Vagaro spa booking deposit checkout screen on Alexa+

Existing Ticketmaster resale seat checkout screen on Alexa+

Existing Uber Eats delivery checkout screen on Alexa+

The Problem

Voice is fast, but people get anxious paying without seeing an itemized breakdown. And every partner brings different constraints:

Vertical Disparity
Ticketing needs seat holds, food delivery needs tipping, rideshare needs surge disclaimers, and so on.
Legal & Compliance Rules
Mandatory disclosures, deposit terms, itemized fees, age checks and local tax rules.
Distance & Ambient Constraints
Totals must be readable from 8–10 feet away, by voice or touch, on every screen size.

Multi-Vertical Flexibility

The template was architected as a universal component system, supporting dynamic data models across 8 core commercial verticals:

Event Ticketing

Real-time inventory hold timers
Itemized service and delivery fees
Seat-tier price breakdowns
Refund and exchange policies

Movie Ticketing

Reserved-seat hold timers
Concession add-on pricing
Ticket types
Age-rating purchase disclaimers

Food Ordering

Tipping calculation and quick-select amounts
Delivery and service fee breakdowns
Order total confirmation before checkout
Special instruction surcharges

Local Booking

Time slot hold timers
Deposit and cancellation windows
Capacity-based pricing
Instructor or provider fee disclosures

Home Services

Estimated cost by service duration
Deposit terms
Arrival window confirmation
Cancellation and rescheduling fees

Travel & Lodging

Nightly rate and occupancy pricing
Resort and service fee breakdowns
Cancellation and refund window disclosures
Check-in and check-out date confirmation

Transit & Commute

Fare class pricing
Recurring pass billing
Route-based fare disclosures
Departure schedule confirmation

Ride Share

Dynamic surge pricing disclosures
Vehicle-class fare breakdowns
Route preview cost estimate
Pickup and cancellation fees

Consolidated Feature Requirements

I consolidated partner, legal and CX requirements into one list, which became the reference for aligning teams and defining the modular component system:

Feature

Requirement Type

Description

Notes

Attribution

Partner requirement

Partner logo and branding shown at the top of the checkout surface.

Kept in a fixed position and size across every partner integration.

Line items

Universal requirement

Itemized breakdown of every item or service in the order.

Universal requirement across every vertical.

Payment information

Legal requirement

Displays the card or account being charged.

Card details must be visible before purchase confirmation.

Payment source

Legal requirement

Shows which stored payment method is linked to the account.

Pulled directly from the customer's saved Amazon payment methods.

Fee breakdown

Legal requirement

Expandable tooltip listing delivery, service, and tax fees.

Required disclosure for food ordering partners.

Alcohol disclaimer

Legal requirement

Confirmation prompt before completing an alcohol purchase.

Required for age-restricted purchases.

Tip CTA

CX requirement

Quick-select tipping options shown before order confirmation.

Not strictly required, but a familiar pattern that saves a voice turn.

Legal text

Legal requirement

Authorization language confirming the charge and cancellation terms.

Authorization language, adjustable per partner.

Edit CTAs

CX requirement

Inline controls to adjust quantities or remove items from the cart.

Lets customers adjust items without extra discovery, even by voice.

Change payment method

CX requirement

Lets customers swap the card or account charged mid-checkout.

Reuses the same payment source list surfaced during account setup.

Other fees breakdown

Universal requirement

Extends the fee disclosure pattern to non-food verticals.

Uses the same expandable tooltip pattern as the delivery and service fee breakdown.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

I aligned five groups across 8 verticals: design system leads on far-field type and contrast, vertical designers and PMs on edge cases and content priority, engineers on component props and performance, and legal on which disclosures could move earlier in the flow.

Research

With our UX researcher, I ran usability testing with 14 participants in simulated kitchens and living rooms on Echo Show, covering event tickets with a hold timer, spa bookings with deposits, and food delivery with tips.