Citizen Observation 43 of 777 | Awesome NPCI BHIM Team | No Choice, but to be Back

 Published 15^th September 2026

Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru

https://in.linkedin.com/in/prashantnayakanti

 

The Intro – No choice but to be back on NPCI BHIM

Did you notice the difference in the new NPCI BHIM?

 The Trigger

Sometimes, the most interesting citizen observation is not about what is missing.

It is about noticing what has changed.

In June 2026, I came back to NPCI BHIM as my primary UPI app — simply to use it as an everyday citizen and observe where the journey would lead.

The June Blog Post @ https://prashantnepayments.blogspot.com/2026/06/i-am-back-npci-bhim-where-my-next-upi-journey-begins.html

Then came July.

The July Blog Post @

https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com/2026/07/blog-post.html

 

One very specific observation emerged:

The most-used feature should be the easiest to find.

That observation was about Scan & Pay and its discoverability.

And then came 10 September 2026.

I opened BHIM again.

Something immediately caught my attention.

 

Citizen Observation

Act I — I Was Looking for Scan & Pay

In July, the QR Scan & Pay journey was there.

The large QR button existed.

But for my everyday usage pattern, it did not feel immediately discoverable.

That became the observation.

Not about features.

Not about performance.

Not about cashback.

Not about anything else.

Just one simple citizen question:

Can the most-used payment action be the easiest one to find?

 

Act II — I Am Back

September 10.

BHIM opened.

And this time, the QR Scan & Pay button was visibly larger and more prominent.

That was the only change I wanted to notice.

Everything else on the screen can wait.

The only thing I am looking at here is:

The QR Scan & Pay button.

July → September.

Then → Now.

Something had changed.

 

Act III — Awesome, NPCI BHIM Team

Was this change made because of one citizen's observation?

I don't know.

And I don't need to know.

There could be many reasons behind a product interface changing.

But as a citizen who had written about the discoverability of Scan & Pay in July, opening the app again in September and seeing a more prominent QR Scan & Pay button was worth acknowledging.

So, simply:

Awesome, NPCI BHIM Team.

No demand.

No expectation.

No follow-up.

Just an observation.

 

The Citizen Observation

Sometimes feedback doesn't need a reply.

Sometimes the most interesting reply is simply:

Something changes.

And sometimes, as citizens, we may notice that change only because we were paying attention.

---

Whiteboard

THE QR SCAN & PAY BUTTON IS BIGGER.
I AM BACK.

---

Closing Thought

June:

I am back.

July:

I was looking for Scan & Pay.

September:

I am back again.

The QR Scan & Pay button is bigger.

That's it.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

---

April 11 - Digital Transactions Day

April 11 – UPI Beta Go Live Day

 

Everyday digital payments are often about very small moments.

Open.

Find.

Scan.

Pay.

When the action you need becomes a little easier to find, the journey becomes a little more natural.

Technology helps us stay connected.
Presence helps us stay close.

---

Disclaimer

This is a personal citizen observation based only on comparing the BHIM interface observed in July 2026 with the interface observed on 10 September 2026.

The observation is limited specifically to the increased prominence/size of the QR Scan & Pay button.

It is not a product review, feature comparison, endorsement, criticism, or claim about why the interface changed.

The only Joy is – The Joy of Digital Transactions.

Nothing More - Nothing Less

 

The Joy of Digital Transactions

Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)

Author’s Blogs

https://prashantrandomthoughts.blogspot.com
https://prashantnepayments.blogspot.com
https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com

Citizen Observation 1 of 777 | Dear SEBI, A COMMA Is Not a Special Character

 Published: July 15, 2026

CO 1 of 777

Three Days. Five Responses. Thousands of Characters. One Small Observation.

 

Public consultations are among the most meaningful ways in which citizens can contribute to better public policy.

 

Could enabling secure copy and paste together with commonly used punctuation such as commas make the consultation process more citizen-friendly while preserving appropriate validation and security controls?

 Sometimes, improving regulation begins by improving the conversation around regulation.

 Author: Nayakanti Prashant

3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru

Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)

 Over the last three days, I participated in SEBI's public consultation on the proposed Common Advertisement Code.

 

The consultation itself was thoughtful.

 

It encouraged stakeholders to think deeply about investor protection, virtual characters, digital communication and technology-enabled supervision.

 

The portal experience, however, led me to one small citizen observation.

 

Several commonly used punctuation marks, including the comma , could not be typed directly into the comment fields.

 

Ironically, my grammar tool occasionally suggested corrections and inserted a comma  automatically.

 

I accepted those suggestions sparingly because I genuinely did not know whether the final submission might later be rejected for containing a character that contributors themselves were unable to type.

 

A comma is not merely punctuation.

 

It separates ideas.

 

It improves readability.

 

It reduces ambiguity.

 

Most importantly, it helps the reader understand the contributor's intent.

 

Public consultations invite citizens to spend hours researching, refining and validating their recommendations.

 

The effort should ideally be invested in improving ideas rather than manually reproducing them under avoidable interface constraints.

 

One small enhancement for future consultations could therefore be to permit secure copy-and-paste functionality together with commonly used punctuation marks such as comma s while continuing to block characters that genuinely present security or validation concerns.

 

In many cases, the manual transcription effort may exceed the time spent developing the actual recommendations.

 

That is time that could otherwise be invested in producing better public policy inputs.

 

As someone who advocates Digital Transactions Day on April 11, I often say that Digital Payments are only a subset of Digital Transactions.

 

In the same spirit, a public consultation is more than a web form.

 

It is a digital transaction between a citizen and a regulator.

 

The easier it is to contribute thoughtfully, the stronger that transaction becomes.

 

Sometimes, the smallest improvements create the biggest participation.

 

Disclaimer

 

This article reflects my personal experience while participating in SEBI's public consultation process and is intended as a constructive citizen observation. The views expressed are my own. Artificial Intelligence was used as a research, drafting and language assistance tool. The analysis, observations and responsibility for this article remain entirely mine.

 

Every trusted digital transaction begins with a trusted digital interaction.

All roads lead to April 11 – Digital Transactions Day.

Please note that Digital Payments are a subset of Digital Transactions.

The Joy of Digital Transactions

Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)

 

Author’s Blogs

https://prashantrandomthoughts.blogspot.com
https://prashantnepayments.blogspot.com
https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Rapido – Could "Skip for Now" Make Your Feedback More Honest?

Published: 05 July 2026

By Nayakanti Prashant

3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru

Digital Transactions Day (April 11)

Disclaimer: These are my personal thoughts. The need to act is entirely on Rapido Team.

The ultimate destination is April 11 – Digital Transactions Day.

And, in this ride, maybe Rapido can make it smoother.

Sometimes, the smallest button on a screen has the biggest impact.

Somewhat similar to the Butterfly Effect.

 

 

Sometimes, the smallest button on a screen has the biggest impact.

This isn't about pricing.

It isn't about ride quality.

It isn't about technology.

It is about human psychology.

Over the last couple of days, I have started using Rapido's two-wheeler services in Bengaluru. The experience has largely been positive—quick bookings, professional captains, and an efficient way to navigate the city's traffic.

Like millions of users, I reached the end of my ride and was greeted by the familiar feedback screen.

Then one question caught my attention.

"Would you recommend this captain to other women?"

The available responses were simple.

Yes

or

No

For a moment, I paused.

Not because I didn't want to answer.

But because I wasn't sure whether I was the right person to answer it.

And that made me wonder...

---

The Missing Third Option

Imagine walking into a restaurant.

The waiter asks,

"Was the food excellent or terrible?"

You reply,

"Actually... it was good."

The waiter smiles and says,

"Sorry. You can only choose one."

That is exactly how many digital feedback journeys work today.

Life is rarely binary.

Our experiences usually live somewhere between two extremes.

Sometimes we simply don't know.

Sometimes we don't have enough context.

Sometimes we don't feel qualified to answer.

And sometimes...

we just want to skip the question without affecting the overall feedback.

---

The Most Honest Answer Might Be...

Not Yes.

Not No.

But

Skip for now.

Three simple words.

Yet they acknowledge something every product designer knows:

Users should never be forced to express an opinion they don't genuinely hold.

---

Why This Matters

From a data perspective, forcing binary answers can unintentionally reduce data quality.

When users encounter a question they cannot confidently answer, several things may happen.

Some tap Yes simply to complete the process.

Some tap No because they don't know what else to choose.

Some abandon the feedback altogether.

In all three cases, the collected data becomes less representative of the user's actual experience.

A neutral option helps distinguish between:

• genuine positive feedback,
• genuine negative feedback,
• and no opinion.

Those are three very different signals.

---

Better Data. Better Decisions.

Product teams spend enormous effort analysing customer feedback.

Heat maps.

Dashboards.

Recommendation scores.

Trend analysis.

Machine learning.

But what if the data entering those dashboards is already influenced by a forced choice?

A simple "Skip for now" button could produce cleaner datasets, more meaningful insights, and ultimately better product decisions.

Sometimes improving analytics doesn't require another AI model.

It requires another button.

---

Respecting the User

Good user experience is not only about making users answer quickly.

It is also about respecting their choice not to answer.

That small act communicates something powerful.

We value your honesty more than your response rate.

In an age where every application seeks more feedback, perhaps trust is built by occasionally asking for less.

---

A Small Suggestion

What if the feedback screen looked like this?

Would you recommend this captain to other women?

🟢 Yes

🔴 No

⚪ Skip for now

Simple.

Clean.

Honest.

No lengthy explanations.

No additional screens.

No friction.

Just one extra option for users who genuinely don't wish to express an opinion.

---

The Ripple Effect

The beauty of good UX is that it travels.

A thoughtful improvement in one app often inspires better experiences across many others.

Today, it may be Rapido.

Tomorrow, it could influence food delivery apps, e-commerce platforms, banking applications, travel portals, healthcare services, and government platforms.

Sometimes innovation isn't about introducing something revolutionary.

Sometimes it is about removing unnecessary pressure from a user's thumb.

---

Final Reflection

Every ride does not deserve applause.

Every ride does not deserve criticism.

Some rides simply deserve acknowledgement.

And some questions deserve an honest silence.

Perhaps that silence deserves its own button.

Not because users are indifferent.

But because honesty should always have a place in good design.

---

My Suggestion to Rapido

A tiny enhancement.

One additional button.

Three words.

"Skip for now."

Because the most honest feedback is sometimes the one that isn't forced.

---

The Joy of Digital Transactions

Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)

 

Author’s Blogs

https://prashantrandomthoughts.blogspot.com
https://prashantnepayments.blogspot.com
https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com

 

CBSE Is Listening: When a Student's Voice Finds a Response

 Sometimes the most meaningful digital service improvement is a response.

CBSE - "Please send us a DM. We are listening."

 

Published 06 June 2026

By Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on publicly available information, official communications, media reports, and observations from the ongoing CBSE 2026 post-result services process.

---

Over the past few days, the CBSE verification and re-evaluation process has provided several interesting Digital Transactions Day learnings.

There were discussions around session time limits, payment gateway awareness, bank amplification of important messages, and platform updates.

Yesterday, another observation caught my attention.

As students continued using the CBSE Post Result Services Portal and following updates through the CBSE Official Website, a different support channel became visible.

Social media.

---

Several students raising concerns on X (formerly Twitter) received responses from CBSE requesting them to share details through Direct Messages (DMs) for further examination of their issues.

At first glance, this may appear to be a routine social media interaction.

I think it represents something more.

The portal may be where the application begins.

Sometimes the conversation continues elsewhere.

---

Traditionally, communication from institutions has often been one-directional.

A notice is published.

A circular is issued.

The public reads it.

The process moves forward.

Digital platforms have gradually changed that model.

Today, a student can raise a concern in public.

A response can arrive quickly.

Additional details can be shared privately through a Direct Message.

And the conversation can continue.

---

What makes this particularly interesting is that it complements the broader pattern observed during this year's CBSE post-result process.

Students shared feedback.

Session time limits were extended.

Questions emerged around payment gateways.

Clarifications were issued.

Participating banks amplified those clarifications.

Application deadlines were extended by an additional day.

And throughout the process, communication continued.

Viewed individually, these may appear to be separate events.

Viewed together, they tell a different story.

A story about listening.

---

From a Digital Transactions Day perspective, this is an important reminder.

Digital journeys are not defined solely by portals, applications, and payment systems.

They are also shaped by support channels.

A student completing a verification request or re-evaluation application is not thinking about organizational structures.

The student simply wants guidance when a question arises.

That is why visible responsiveness matters.

Not every issue will be resolved through social media.

Nor should social media replace official channels.

However, when students see questions acknowledged and responses provided, confidence in the overall process can increase.

---

One of the recurring themes from this CBSE observation series has been that successful digital journeys depend on more than technology.

Infrastructure matters.

Security matters.

Reliability matters.

But responsiveness matters too.

Sometimes the most reassuring message is not a new feature or a new portal enhancement.

Sometimes it is simply:

"Please send us a DM. We are listening."

For me, that is the latest and perhaps most human learning from the CBSE 2026 post-result services journey.

---

Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)

 

The Joy of Digital Transactions - Nayakanti Prashant
Author’s Blogs

https://prashantrandomthoughts.blogspot.com
https://prashantnepayments.blogspot.com
https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com