Designing Symba: A Smarter, Simpler Crypto Wallet

Wole Ojo

Completed work

UI Designer

UX Designer

Figma

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

Designing Symba: A Smarter, Simpler Crypto Wallet — A UI/UX Case Study

Ojo Oyewole

7 min read

Mar 1, 2025

Introduction

When designing Symba Exchange’s crypto and NFT wallet, I set out to solve a key problem: making crypto simple. Many existing wallets are frustrating to use — long and confusing wallet addresses, clunky onboarding, and complicated transaction flows make it difficult for both new and experienced users. Managing NFTs adds another layer of complexity, often requiring multiple platforms just to track collections.

I wanted to eliminate these pain points by creating a secure, intuitive, and user-friendly wallet. This case study walks through my UX design process, branding decisions, and design system, highlighting how Symba evolved into a cohesive and accessible product.

Project Overview

Role: UX/UI Designer

Timeline: 2 Weeks

Tools Used: Figma

Methods Applied: Heuristic Evaluation, Competitive Analysis, User Testing

I approached this project with a structured design process, ensuring that every decision was backed by user research and industry insights. My goal was to streamline crypto transactions, enhance security, and integrate NFTs seamlessly into a single platform.

Step 1: Defining the Product & Goals

Before diving into design, I needed to establish a clear vision. I started by researching user pain points and market trends, ensuring that the design aligned with real-world needs.

Five Key Goals:

Simplify transactions — Buying, sending, receiving, and swapping crypto should be effortless.

Introduce human-readable wallet addresses — Replace long, complex wallet strings with sb.eth usernames (e.g., yourname.sb.eth).

Seamlessly integrate NFTs — A built-in NFT marketplace should eliminate the need for external platforms.

Enhance security while simplifying onboarding — Implement email, social media, or mobile number sign-ups as the primary method while offering a recovery phrase as an optional backup.

Abstract unnecessary crypto complexities — Merge gas fees and transaction fees into a single, user-friendly concept to avoid overwhelming users with blockchain terminology.

These goals shaped every step of my design process, ensuring that Symba Wallet prioritized usability, security, and efficiency while making crypto more approachable.

Step 2: Branding Symba — Creating a Strong Visual Identity

Strong branding is essential for any great product, and Symba needed to stand out in the competitive crypto space while building trust and reliability. The name Symba, derived from the Swahili word for lion, was chosen to symbolize strength, leadership, and security — core qualities of the wallet.

Color Palette

I selected a bold and modern color scheme to enhance trust, innovation, and usability. The deep purple (#40196D) symbolizes security and reliability, reinforcing the wallet’s strength and credibility. The vibrant green (#48D38A) represents financial growth and accessibility, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience. This combination creates a strong visual identity that makes crypto transactions feel intuitive and secure.

Typography — Urbanist Font

I chose Urbanist as the primary typeface for its clean, modern design, high readability, and balanced tone — professional yet approachable. This typography enhances trust and accessibility while maintaining a sleek, tech-forward identity.

Logo Design

I designed the Symba logo with simplicity and recognition in mind. The lion-inspired icon conveys strength and security, while the typography keeps it clean and professional.

Step 3: Talking to Real Users

To build a wallet that truly addressed user frustrations, I gathered real feedback from both experienced crypto users and beginners. Their insights directly shaped my design decisions:

Wallet addresses are difficult to manage. Users found copying and pasting long strings of numbers and letters frustrating. A single mistyped character could result in lost funds.

Onboarding was too complex. Many users abandoned the process because setting up a wallet felt overwhelming.

Swapping tokens is frustrating. Users wanted a simple, one-tap swap feature, but existing wallets made the process too complex.

Gas fees are confusing. Most users did not understand blockchain transaction fees and preferred a single, simplified fee structure.

Dark mode was in high demand. A significant number of users preferred dark mode for a better nighttime experience.

These key pain points influenced every aspect of my design, ensuring a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.

Competitive Analysis — Addressing Market Gaps

A detailed analysis of major crypto wallets — MetaMask and Trust Wallet — identified several shortcomings. The findings underscored where Symba could improve upon existing solutions.

Key Differentiator

Symba enables users to send and receive crypto using a sb.eth username instead of long, complex addresses — a major improvement over traditional wallet experiences.

Step 4: Designing a Scalable Design System

I built a component-based design system for Symba to ensure consistency and scalability. It included distinct button styles, readable input fields, custom minimal icons, and uniform card and modal layouts. This approach kept the wallet cohesive, accessible, and easy to scale as the app evolved.

Step 5: Easy & Intuitive Wallet Transactions

With research and branding finalized, I focused on designing a seamless transaction experience that eliminates common pain points and simplifies the way users interact with crypto.

Streamlined Onboarding

One of the biggest barriers for new crypto users is the complicated wallet setup process. To reduce friction, I replaced the traditional recovery phrase setup with email, social media, or mobile number sign-ups while keeping the 12-word recovery phrase optional for advanced users. This prevents wallet loss while making onboarding faster, more intuitive, and accessible to a broader audience.

Solving the Long Wallet Address Problem

A major frustration in crypto transactions is dealing with long, unreadable wallet addresses like:

0x3F5CE5FBFe3E9af3971dD833D26BA9b5C936F0bE

Users often have to copy and paste these addresses, increasing the risk of sending funds to the wrong recipient due to a simple mistake in one character. To fix this, I introduced sb.eth usernames, allowing users to send and receive crypto using a short, human-readable address (e.g., yourname.sb.eth). This dramatically improves the user experience by removing unnecessary complexity and making transactions as easy as sending a message.

Abstracting Crypto Complexity

Blockchain transactions often come with fluctuating gas fees, which confuse users and create uncertainty around transaction costs. Instead of exposing users to raw blockchain fees, I merged gas fees and transaction fees into a single, clear cost.

No more gas fee confusion — The app calculates the total transaction cost upfront and presents it as one transparent charge.

Simplified decision-making — Users don’t need to understand blockchain mechanics to complete a transaction.

Better cost predictability — Helps users plan transactions without worrying about unpredictable fee spikes.

By hiding unnecessary complexities, Symba ensures a smooth, user-friendly transaction experience for both beginners and experienced crypto users.

Buying, Sending & Swapping Crypto

I created a step-by-step transaction flow that simplifies crypto transactions. Users can buy crypto instantly using a bank card, send and receive funds with a sb.eth username or QR code, and swap tokens effortlessly in just a few taps.

Browsing, Buying & Selling NFTs

I designed an intuitive NFT marketplace for easy transactions, featuring a visually engaging browsing experience, detailed NFT listings with high-resolution images and auction timers, and seamless purchasing with one-tap bidding.

Step 6: Security First — Protecting Users’ Assets

Security remained a top priority throughout the design process. To ensure users could safely store and manage their assets, I implemented multiple layers of protection. The Secret Recovery Phrase was made optional, allowing advanced users to manually back up their wallets while enabling a simpler recovery method for those who preferred email or social login.

To enhance account security, I integrated biometric authentication, allowing users to log in with Face ID or fingerprint recognition for quick and secure access. Real-time transaction alerts were added to notify users of every activity, reducing the risk of unauthorized transactions. Additionally, end-to-end encryption was applied to safeguard all data and transactions, ensuring privacy and protection against security threats.

Step 7: Testing & Iteration

After finalizing the designs, I conducted usability tests with real users. The tests revealed several key insights:

Users appreciated the sb.eth usernames, eliminating the need to copy and paste long addresses.

Onboarding was faster and more user-friendly compared to competitors.

Transaction flows were intuitive, allowing users to complete tasks in fewer steps.

NFT management was seamless, with users valuing the built-in marketplace.

Step 8: What’s Next?

Crypto is constantly evolving, and Symba Wallet is designed to grow with it. The next steps include expanding multi-chain support, optimizing transaction speeds while reducing gas fees, and introducing staking and DeFi features for passive income. Ongoing improvements, guided by user feedback, will ensure the wallet remains simple, secure, and powerful.

Final Thoughts

Designing Symba Wallet meant solving real-world problems, not just creating another crypto app. By focusing on simplicity, security, and accessibility, I built a wallet that is intuitive and powerful for both beginners and experienced users.

And this is just the beginning. 🚀

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