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CASE STUDY

Brought clarity to EBITDA by simplifying it's structure making it easier for founders to track performance and make decisions.


Brought clarity to EBITDA by simplifying it's structure making it easier for founders to track performance and make decisions.

Timeline :

Nov 25 - Jan 26

Platform :

Web application

Role :

Product designer

Industry :

Finance

What is EBITDA?

Running a business is not just about making sales, it’s about knowing if you’re actually making money. EBITDA is a simple way to understand this, as it shows how much profit a business makes from its core activities, without getting into financial complexities.


But for many people, calculating this can feel confusing and overwhelming. To make it easier, Razorpay has built a simple EBITDA calculator that helps anyone quickly understand how their business is performing.

EBITDA calculator

Prototype:

Razorpay dashboard

EBITDA Calculator - Live working product

Storyboard

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Early-stage founders and business owners lacked a simple, reliable way to understand and calculate their EBITDA, often relying on manual calculations or fragmented tools, leading to confusion and poor financial decision-making.

Early-stage founders and business owners lacked a simple, reliable way to understand and calculate their EBITDA, often relying on manual calculations or fragmented tools, leading to confusion and poor financial decision-making.

Key Insights

#1

Users don't care about EBITDA, they care about are they profitable or not

#2

Financial jargon create more anxiety than clarity

#3

Existing tools assume that user's have financial knowledge

Core Problems

#1

Too complex for non-finance users existing tools felt intimidating and unclear

#2

Missed opportunity to capture hight intent users helpful entry point for people searching EBITDA

#3

Lacked clarity and feedback most calculators were static, with no visualization

#3

Overwhelming financial data cluttered numbers with no clear hierarchy

Goals alignment

BUSINESS GOALS

Drive user acquisition

Attract founders and SMBs searching for financial insights through a simple, SEO-friendly tool.

Build trust in financial ecosystem

Position Razorpay as a reliable platform by simplifying complex financial concepts.

USER GOALS

Understand business performance quickly

Help users easily know if their business is making money without needing financial knowledge.

Reduce confusion in financial data

Present inputs and results in a clear, structured way to make numbers easy to understand.

Overall

impact

Overall impact

Delivered production ready experience

Stable prod.

For 2 years+ indicating a strong adoption and minimal usability friction.

Improved clarity in complex workflow

15 - 25%

Faster task completion and reduced dependancy on support for key actions.

Consistent patterns across features.

20% efficiency

Helped reduced design inconsistencies and improving development efficiency.

Onboarding and learning curve

Onboarding and learning curve


Improved

New users by streamlining key flows, likely improving first-time task success rate.

Process

01.

Understand current usage and business context

Aligned with Razorpay’s internal inputs, data points, and problem framing to understand the opportunity space.


Evaluated how existing EBITDA calculators are used and where Razorpay could create an edge.

Aligned with Razorpay’s internal inputs, data points, and problem framing to understand the opportunity space. Evaluated how existing EBITDA calculators are used and where Razorpay could create an edge.

02.

Audit existing experiences and identify gaps

Analyzed multiple EBITDA calculators in the market to study patterns, interactions, and usability issues.


Mapped friction points and areas where users are likely to drop off or feel overwhelmed.

Analyzed multiple EBITDA calculators in the market to study patterns, interactions, and usability issues.

Mapped friction points and areas where users are likely to drop off or feel overwhelmed.

03.

Iterate towards a simplified and scalable solution

Explored multiple design directions to simplify complex financial inputs and make the experience easier to understand.


Focused on reducing cognitive load by improving hierarchy, minimizing unnecessary information, and guiding users through the flow more clearly.

Understood audit insights to improve hierarchy and clarity. Rapidly iterated on layouts to reduce noise & maintain consistency all across. Created a prototype to simulate end-to-end experience for smooth handoff.

EBITDA Dashboard

Making a simplified EBITDA calculators for our users to help them understand about there business profitability, It should be unique in terms of usage and value.

Iteration 1

(Rejected)

  • Users enter their details and scroll down to click "Calculate EBITDA", then scroll back up to view the results.

  • Inline descriptions are added for complex financial terms like Depreciation and Amortization, helping users who may not be familiar with such terminology.

Iteration 1

Gaps, challenges and problems

  • Too Many Input Fields - That's a high cognitive load upfront with no progressive disclosure.

  • Confusing Dual Entry System - Do I enter the total OR the breakdown? Do they add up automatically?

  • All or nothing experience - There's no indication of which fields are optional vs truly required

  • Reset is too prominent - Having a full width reset button right below Calculate is a dangerous placement, easy to accidentally wipe all entered data.

Iteration 2

(Rejected)

  • To eliminate the scrolling issue, the form was redesigned so that all input fields are visible upfront in a single view. Users can fill in their details and see the results directly below, without needing to scroll up or down at any point during the interaction.

Iteration 2

Gaps, challenges and problems

  • No Logical Order of Fields - The fields are not arranged in a natural sequence, there is no clear flow guiding the user on what to fill in first.

  • Fields scattered across the screen - Forcing the user's eye to jump left, right and across columns

  • Unrelated fields placed right side by side - This grouping feels arbitrary and confusing.

  • No visual grouping - making it hard for users to understand the structure of the form

Iteration 3

(Rejected)

  • Version 3 attempted to surface important information upfront rather than hiding it behind tooltip icons, adding inline descriptions and bullet points to help users better understand what each field required.

Iteration 3

Gaps, challenges and problems

  • Long descriptions and bullet points scattered throughout the layout made the form feel very text heavy

  • The additional text competed for attention alongside the input field

  • While the intent to educate users was right, the execution made the form feel overwhelming and cluttered

Version 4

(Final Direction)

  • No text heavy design yet communicating the info when the text field is clicked.

  • Highlighting the EBITDA results, EBIT and margin.

  • Added small details - how did we calculate and interlinked in the left side.

Final- Iteration 4

Solutions implemented

  1. Clean and structured form

  • All fields are neatly stacked in a single column within a card, creating a clear top-to-bottom flow that is easy.

All fields are neatly stacked in a single column within a card, creating a clear top-to-bottom flow that is easy.

  1. Smart visual grouping

  • The dashed divider with a "+" sign elegantly separates the base income fields (Net Income, Interest, Taxes) from the add-back fields (Depreciation, Amortization), helping users understand the formula structure without overwhelming them with text.

The dashed divider with a "+" sign elegantly separates the base income fields (Net Income, Interest, Taxes) from the add-back fields (Depreciation, Amortization), helping users understand the formula structure without overwhelming them with text.

  1. Information without clutter

  • The "i" tooltip icons are used sparingly next to each field label, keeping the form clean while still giving users access to additional context when they need it solving the text-heavy problem from version 3.

The "i" tooltip icons are used sparingly next to each field label, keeping the form clean while still giving users access to additional context when they need it solving the text-heavy problem from version 3.

  1. Formula shown in results

  • The results panel now shows the formula being used, like [NI + I + T] and [EBIT] + D + A, giving users confidence that the calculation is transparent and accurate.

The results panel now shows the formula being used, like [NI + I + T] and [EBIT] + D + A, giving users confidence that the calculation is transparent and accurate.

  1. Progressive disclosure for margin

  • The Sales/Revenue field for EBITDA Margin is hidden behind a "Calculate EBITDA Margin" expandable link, keeping the form minimal by default while still offering the option for users who need it.

The Sales/Revenue field for EBITDA Margin is hidden behind a "Calculate EBITDA Margin" expandable link, keeping the form minimal by default while still offering the option for users who need it.

Additional sections added

  1. Downloadable EBITDA result

  • Gave the users an option to download the details in a PDF and keep it recorded.

Gave the users an option to download the details in a PDF and keep it recorded.

  1. Discover other products

  • Turned the experience into a discovery layer for razorpay ecosystem. nudging users toward exploring and adopting additional products.

Turned the experience into a discovery layer for razorpay ecosystem. nudging users toward exploring and adopting additional products.

EBITDA report

Discover other products

Mobile version

Since a significant portion of users access the calculator on mobile, a responsive mobile version was designed alongside the desktop. Key adaptations included:

  • Form stacks into a single column layout for easy top to bottom filling

  • Results appear directly below the form showing EBITDA, EBIT and EBITDA Margin at a glance

  • Show full breakdown link opens a bottom sheet overlay with the detailed chart

  • Bottom sheet can be dismissed with a close button keeping the interface clean.

  • "i" tooltips icons carried over from desktop for contextual help on complex terms

EBITDA Calculator - In mobile

What i'd improve

  1. Make it more outcome driven

  • Go beyond "your EBITDA is X" — Add insights like "this is healthy / below average" benchmarks

Our team uses Cassini to collaborate with clients, we observed real usage to understand how workflow is handled.

  1. Leverage this as a growth surface more intentionally

  1. Leverage this as a growth surface

    more intentionally

  • Instead of passive discovery, recommend relevant Razorpay products based on user inputs / results.

Audited key screens and user flows to identify breakdowns in real usage. Reviewing and documenting friction points in FigJam,

Key learnings

#1

Breaking EBITDA into simple fields made a complex calculation feel approachable

#2

Instand calculation + Visual output can reassure user that they are in the right track

#3

Clean layout, spacing and structure directly impact credibility.

#4

Small info icons and labels can help users understand terms without leaving the flow.

5:46:10 AM - 9 May 2026

Created by - Rohit Koppula

5:46:10 AM - 9 May 2026

Created by - Rohit Koppula

5:46:10 AM - 9 May 2026

Created by - Rohit Koppula