2021 • Kikoff • Principal Product Designer
Design Kikoff’s mobile app for credit-building and credit education for low-score users
I stepped in as Kikoff’s founding product designer to shape and launch multiple product initiatives, including a credit-building mobile app.
Beyond designing core features, I guided junior and contract designers, balancing hands-on design work with mentoring and strategic direction to deliver a successful, user-focused credit tool.
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How might we design an intuitive, engaging experience that helps low-credit-score users build credit and improve financial literacy — while balancing speed to market, usability, and scalability for a rapidly growing startup? -
Individuals with low or limited credit scores
Young adults or recent graduates
People recovering from past financial hardship
Financially underserved users
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Create a user-centered credit-building tool that helps underserved users raise their credit scores, understand credit fundamentals, and feel confident managing their financial future. -
Product Manager
Developers
Chief Product Officer
Research
My research approach combined user interviews with past Kikoff customers, competitive analysis of existing credit-building tools, and in-depth exploration of credit and banking industry dynamics.
To translate insights into actionable design decisions, I facilitated collaborative workshops with product and engineering teams, driving ideation and prioritization of features that balanced user needs with business goals.
Ideation workshop with the Kikoff team to rethink our core product
Ideation
In the ideation phase, I led story mapping sessions to define user flows and edge cases, while collaborating closely with engineering to align design solutions with both front-end feasibility and back-end requirements. This process culminated in rapid wireframing and prototyping, enabling the team to validate concepts early and ensure a cohesive, scalable product vision.
Quick wireframe sketches to visualize user flow
Storymapping with team to capture front-end and back-end
Detailed mapping of user flows with inputs and outputs
Challenges
Building trust
Overcoming skepticism and financial anxiety among users who may have had negative past experiences with credit products.
1.
Clarity & transparency
Designing flows and content that clearly explain complex credit concepts and fees, while keeping language simple and accessible.
2.
User motivation & engagement
Keeping users motivated to build credit responsibly in the absence of immediate, tangible rewards.
3.
Developing a mobile app from scratch
Navigating complex app store policies required in-depth research and creative problem-solving to design compliant solutions — ultimately protecting revenue streams and minimizing potential fee-related losses.
4.
Select Explorations
I explored multiple design directions to craft a solution that not only introduced our new core credit-building product with clarity and impact, but also seamlessly aligned with Kikoff’s existing brand identity.
Through iterative prototyping and visual refinement, I balanced usability with brand expression—ensuring the experience felt both intuitive to first-time users and distinctly “Kikoff” in tone and style.
Final designs
*with new brand styles applied
I led iterative user testing to validate and refine design concepts.
Through multiple test cycles, I identified the flows and messaging that best resonated with users, ensuring the experience felt intuitive, approachable, and easy to understand despite its unfamiliar nature.
Launch / Impact
$1M in gross sales within 2 months of launch
The public launch of Kikoff Credit was successful with 60k+ new customers onboarded within the first 2 months.
1.
Over 100k app downloads
The Kikoff app was successfully launched on iOS and Android, achieving over 100k downloads and a 5-star average rating - securing a spot in the Top 10 Finance Apps within just 3 months of release.
2.
30% increase in conversion rates
Kikoff Credit’s store testing and iterations resulted in a nearly 30% increase in conversion rates.
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