Checkout and payments¶
Purpose: Reduce abandonment and build trust at the highest-stakes UX moment.
Harvest / review: 2026-05
Principles (Baymard-aligned summaries)¶
| Principle | Practice |
|---|---|
| Show costs early | Shipping/tax estimates before final step when possible |
| Minimize steps | Each step needs a reason |
| Inline validation | Errors at field level, plain language |
| Payment trust | Recognizable methods, security cues, no sketchy redirects |
| Mobile checkout | Single column; large inputs; autofill-friendly |
Patterns¶
- Progress indicator for multi-step checkout.
- Order summary persistent or reviewable on every step.
- Error recovery preserve cart and form data.
- Idempotent payment on retry (backend concern — document for full-stack).
Anti-patterns¶
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| Surprise account creation | Friction |
| Coupon field dominating layout | Minority use case; collapsible |
| Disabling browser autofill | Hurts speed and a11y |
Pre-ship checklist¶
- [ ] Guest path tested end-to-end
- [ ] Mobile checkout thumb-tested
- [ ] Error states for declined card / network
- [ ] Confirmation email mentioned on success page
Sources¶
- Baymard — Checkout research — 2026-05
- Baymard Learn — 2026-05
Agent hint: Nonprofit one-time gifts → donations-nonprofit.md