An inclusive banking experience
The opportunity
The challenge wasn't simply designing a banking app. It was creating a product structure that could support a broad set of financial services while keeping the experience approachable and easy to navigate.
ChangeFi products provide inclusive financial services to help low-income communities grow and prosper financially.
Turning a broad vision into a product
Early conversations with leadership surfaced a wide range of potential products and services. Through competitive research, stakeholder workshops, and journey mapping, I helped translate that broad vision into a clear product hierarchy. We prioritized the experiences that mattered most to users while balancing business and technical constraints.
From ideas to structure
I explored different ways to organize the experience through sketches, flows, and early wireframes, using these artifacts to work through navigation, hierarchy, and the relationships between financial services.
This was an important part of moving from a broad product vision to a cohesive experience: defining not just what each feature should do, but how the pieces fit together.
Designing the system, not just the screens
With the product structure established, I developed the design system across onboarding, banking, lending, and account management. Shared patterns for navigation, content hierarchy, and interactions created consistency as the platform expanded.
Making access to credit more approachable
For users who may need to borrow small amounts of money, access to fair credit can be especially important. ChangeFi’s personal loan feature was designed to provide a flexible credit line without fees or predatory interest rates, allowing users to borrow when they need it and pay it back over time.
The first iteration included several confirmations throughout the borrowing process. Testing showed that users wanted fewer screens and interactions, so I streamlined the flow by removing unnecessary steps, making it faster to access funds while keeping the borrowed amount and updated loan balance clear.
Building a foundation for financial stability
For users with less financial flexibility, everyday banking needs to be simple, accessible, and easy to control. I designed the core banking experience around the actions users need most, moving money, managing cards, accessing account information, and building healthy banking habits.
Designing for the whole banking relationship
Banking isn't only about transactions. Users also need to manage their accounts, preferences, and personal information.
We explored how account management could stay organized and approachable as the platform expanded with features like spending alerts and document downloads.
Creating a simple start to a complex product
Onboarding set the foundation for the entire ChangeFi experience. I worked through multiple iterations with legal, compliance, and leadership to balance required information with a simple, streamlined flow. The final experience guided users from account creation through funding their account to unlocking their personal loan.
