Top 10 Crypto Exchange · Neo-Banking · 0→1 Launch · 2025

Crypto
Neo-Bank
Launch

A top 10 global crypto exchange wanted to move beyond trading and build a bank for a new generation of wealth builders. I led the design from blank canvas to global launch, defining the vision, running research across five markets, and sweating every interaction until it shipped. $7M+ transaction volume in eight weeks. 30,000+ card orders. A validated product across five continents.

Role

Head of Design

Timeline

2025

Scope

0→1 Neo-Bank across 5 global markets

Early Impact

$7M+ transaction volume in 8 weeks

$7M+
Revenue in first eight weeks
30K+
Card orders at launch
Average weekly transactions per customer
Krak Debit Card
Research Synthesis Board, 5 Markets · 100+ Participants · 47 Sessions
DURATIONSep – Nov 2024
METHODSModerated interviews, In-app testing
DEMOGRAPHICSAges 18–65, Crypto-native to Traditional
Primary Research Clusters
UK Market (12 participants)
Confidence: 94%
Europe (16 participants)
Confidence: 88%
US Market (11 participants)
Confidence: 91%
MENA (5 participants)
Confidence: 76% (smaller N)
Key Themes Across All Markets
1. Unified View
Fiat + crypto in one place
2. Context Matters
Location-aware product behavior
3. Trust First
Regulatory visibility non-negotiable
4. No Surprises
Fee transparency critical
5. Asset-First
What I own > how I access it
Validated Design Directions
Incumbent Bank Pattern
  • Familiar tab navigation
  • Fiat-first hierarchy
  • Regulatory transparency
Tested: 12 sessions • 84% comprehension
Neobank Convention
  • Card-centric home
  • Spending insights
  • Crypto as feature
Tested: 19 sessions • 71% preference
Product-Native (Selected)
  • Unified fiat + crypto
  • Asset-first hierarchy
  • Context-aware actions
Tested: 16 sessions • 94% validation
Research Confidence
92%
Based on 47 validated sessions across 5 geographies, 100+ participants

Vision
to
shipped
product.

I owned the product design vision from zero. Before a single screen was designed, I defined what the product should be, and just as importantly, what it shouldn't.

01

Five-market research programme, Conducted research with 100+ participants across the UK, Europe, US, Middle East, and Africa. Tested IA patterns from incumbent banks to neobank conventions to product-native concepts. The findings gave us conviction to respect familiar patterns where needed, and break from them where our customers demanded something new.

02

Product vision and positioning, Partnered with Brand, Marketing, and PMM to define go-to-market positioning before designing flows. This wasn't a handoff relationship, I was in the room shaping what the product stood for alongside commercial partners.

03

End-to-end product design, Onboarding, payments architecture, debit card lifecycle, account management, transaction history, P2P transfers. Every screen, every state, every edge case. I led a designer on interaction design, illustration, motion, and animation while maintaining craft standards across the entire surface.

04

Premium metal card experience, Designed a deliberately elevated tier with bespoke animations and interactions engineered to make premium customers feel the value of their status. The unboxing moment, activation sequence, and ongoing card management were crafted as a cohesive luxury experience.

05

Engineering partnership for pixel accuracy, Worked directly with engineers to ensure every interaction behaved exactly as designed. Animation curves, response states, micro-transitions, pixel accuracy was the baseline, not the aspiration.

"Research told us customers didn't want crypto to feel like crypto. They wanted their money, all of it, to feel like it belonged in the same place. That insight shaped everything."

Global
launch.

The product launched simultaneously across five markets, and the early numbers validated every design decision.

Revenue

$7M+ transaction volume generated in the first eight weeks, validating both the product proposition and the experience design.

Card Demand

30,000+ card orders at launch, with the premium metal tier significantly over-indexing on initial projections.

Engagement

Customers transacting an average of 6× per week, indicating genuine utility, not novelty.

Market Validation

$10M+ assets on platform within eight weeks, alongside high early retention signalling strong product-market fit across five global markets.

Krak app home screen — accounts, vault, activity

Next Case Study

Careem Plus:
Subscription Growth

Want in?

Score 100% on the Design Eye test to earn access. Or enter the password if you have it.

4 rounds. No partial credit.