GRADUATE RESEARCH DISSERTATIONS
CHAIR: MIA PLACHKINOVA, PH.D. | SECOND: ACE VO, PH.D. | READER: SOLOMON NEGASH, PH.D.
BUSINESS IMPACT
SCHOLARLY ABSTRACT
Within the context of global mobile money providers (MMPs) like Western Union, bill payment has become a prominent offering with a transaction volume of $88 billion between MMPs and service providers like utility companies. There are, however, currently no MMP offer - ings or remittance services that specifically allow Zambi - ans in the US diaspora (remitters) to make direct bill pay - ments to service providers in Zambia for essential goods and services like food, education services, or utilities con - sumed by their friends and families still living in Zambia. To address this gap, the study introduces OneMoney, a mobile application prototype developed to facilitate direct bill payments from remitters in the US diaspora to service providers in Zambia. The scope of the study is focused on the remitter’s usability experience with the prototype, of which the study identified seven key usability attributes that enhanced their user experience. Overall, users found the prototype intuitive and easy to use and gave it a usabil - ity score of 92.95 out of 100. The study used the Cognitive Walkthrough and System Usability Scale evaluation meth - ods to evaluate the usability of the prototype. The design science research (DSR) methodology guided the develop - ment and evaluation of the prototype through the Mental Modal theoretical lens. This study is significant because it provides a proof of concept that remitters in the US dias - pora can utilize the prototype to make direct bill payments to service providers in Zambia for goods and services consumed by their beneficiaries. Future research will ex - amine the usability of the prototype from the beneficiary’s perspective. Keywords : Remittances, Mobile Money Application, Payment Assistance Requests, Service Provider Integration, Design Science Research, Usability, Prototype
Direct bill‑pay remittances solve a trust and misuse problem in traditional cash remittances. Fintechs, banks, and MMPs can differenti - ate by offering purpose‑tied remittance products (tuition, utilities, healthcare) that pay providers directly. This reduces misuse risk, increases remitter trust, and can open new fee‑generating B2B integrations with local ser - vice providers. Seven usability attributes (clear login purpose, data/billing/cost/receipt visibility, partial payments, clear icons/text) drove an SUS ≈ 93. Product teams working on financial or cross‑border apps can use these specific attributes as a design checklist to re - duce abandonment and improve adoption—especially in low‑trust, high‑stakes use cases like international bill pay. Design Science Research + Mental Model Theory ensured the UI matched users’ prior experience with remittance apps. When building new financial services for diaspora or emerging markets, reusing familiar metaphors and flows (icons, navigation, task structure) shortens onboarding, lowers support costs, and increases conversion—critical for pilots and scale‑up.
ONEMONEY: A DESIGN SCIENCE RESEARCH ARTIFACT FOR MOBILE REMITTANCES FROM THE USA TO ZAMBIA
OWEN CHILONGO, PH.D.
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