A fintech startup needed a complete digital product to manage micro-loans, track repayments, and give both lenders and borrowers real-time visibility into their portfolios. We designed and prototyped the entire platform from zero.
FinTrack had secured seed funding and a working backend API, but they had no user-facing product. Their team of three engineers had built the logic for loan origination, repayment scheduling, and risk scoring, but everything was being tested through Postman and spreadsheets. They needed a production-ready interface that could handle both the borrower experience and the internal lender dashboard.
The tricky part was that they were targeting two very different user groups. Borrowers needed a simple, mobile-first application process that felt trustworthy and took under five minutes. Lenders needed a data-rich dashboard with portfolio analytics, risk metrics, and batch approval workflows.
We ran a compressed discovery sprint over four days, mapping out user journeys for both personas. We studied competitor products in the micro-lending space, from Kiva to Kabbage to local credit union portals. We identified a gap that most competitors missed. The borrower experience was almost always disconnected from the lender experience, forcing both sides to use completely different tools.
Our design principle became "one platform, two perspectives." Same data, same system, but tailored interfaces that speak each user's language.
For borrowers, we designed a three-step application flow that collects essential information through a conversational, card-based interface. No long forms, no jargon. Each step gives the user immediate feedback on their eligibility, estimated rates, and expected timeline. The status tracker after submission shows exactly where their application sits, with plain-language updates instead of internal status codes.
For lenders, we built a dashboard that surfaces the metrics that matter most. Portfolio health at a glance, overdue repayments flagged with smart alerts, batch approval queues with risk scores, and exportable reports for compliance. Everything is filterable, sortable, and designed to handle thousands of active loans without performance issues.
We also designed the brand identity alongside the product. FinTrack needed to feel modern and trustworthy without looking like just another neobank. We went with deep greens and neutral tones, rounded but not childish typography, and illustrations that communicate security without resorting to padlock cliches.
We delivered a complete Figma design system with 120 components, fully responsive layouts for both web and mobile, interactive prototypes for investor demos, and a brand guidelines document. The engineering team started building the same week we finalized designs, using our component specs as the single source of truth.