PayPal Media Insights UX/UI
PayPal needed a better way to track and respond to media events that could influence public perception and stock performance. I was hired to design a media intelligence tool that would give executives real-time insight into sentiment, coverage, and business impact.
My Role
Strategy
UX Research
UI/UX Design
Visual Design
Timeline
3 Months
The tool extended positive press by 51 hrs and cut negative coverage by 43 hrs, helping PayPal shape perception and stabilize stock value.
“Without a doubt, working with Ian is a professional experience. Through the various projects I have worked on with him, his team has always gone above and beyond to produce and deliver outstanding creative work. He put emphasis on punctual delivery, while still being flexible to last minute changes. Plus, he’s fun to work with!”
Laura WardThe Opportunity
PayPal wanted to improve how they tracked and responded to press, PR, and product-related events. As a publicly traded company, these moments directly affected brand perception and market value. They needed an internal tool that would synthesize data from media, customer support, and business metrics to help them react faster and more effectively.
Final design solution
The Process
Working closely with the product manager, I led the UX and UI design of the platform and contributed at the product strategy level—ideating features and prioritizing use cases. Drawing on my deep knowledge of PayPal’s design system and organizational goals, we worked in a highly agile and collaborative cadence, meeting daily to refine flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes.
Research
- Define User Goals
- Stakeholder Interviews
Create
- Flows
- Visual Design
- Prototype
Test
- Usability Testing
- Track usage
- Design Refinements
Executive-Centric Design
This platform was built specifically for PayPal’s executive team. They requested a high-density interface that allowed for quick scanning as well as deep dives, answering two key questions: What’s important? Where are the problems? We solved this through a strategic use of color coding, combined with intuitive visual hierarchy to spotlight emerging issues and wins.
Visualizing Complex Data
To support high information density, we incorporated spark lines, trend markers, and mini-charts throughout the interface. These elements offered context without requiring additional clicks, enabling execs to see correlations and patterns at a glance. This wasn’t a consumer-facing UI, it was a data-forward design optimized for speed, clarity, and insight.
Storytelling Through Metrics
When expanded, each data row revealed a story: spikes in call center volume aligned with social media sentiment, mapped against stock price and news cycles. The design brought together fragmented data sources into a cohesive narrative, helping leaders understand not just what happened, but why it mattered.
The Solution
We delivered an internal-facing dashboard that allowed executives to monitor events across product launches, media coverage, brand campaigns, leadership changes, and more. Beyond real-time analytics, the tool also identified key media influencers and offered direct access to their profiles, enabling execs to take action and influence the narrative.
The Results
The tool extended the visibility window of positive press by +51 hours and shortened the lifespan of negative press by -43 hours, giving PayPal critical leverage to shape public perception and stabilize stock movement.
