Role: Founding Designer / Design Lead Focus: Product Design, Brand Identity, Design System, User Flows

Finna Protocol is a comprehensive web3 wallet that bridges the gap between cryptocurrency and traditional finance. The platform enables users to send and receive Stablecoins, swap between crypto and fiat currencies, and withdraw directly to their bank accounts. It also offered virtual cards so that people can pay for stuff in local currency while shopping, directly using the Stablecoins in their wallet, all within a seamless experience across mobile and web platforms.

In summary, these are the features i worked on at Finna:

Wallet - Send and receive Stablecoins across multiple networks (ETH, BSC, TRX & Base).

Over-collateralized Fiat lending solution using Stablecoin as collateral.

Crypto-to-Fiat and Fiat-to-crypto swap.

Finna Virtual cards.

Crypto On/Off ramps. Deposit and Withdraw Fiat to/from local bank account in seconds.

Finna Waya (USD Acquiring service).

Building a financial product from the ground up requires solving complex problems across multiple domains: establishing trust through brand identity, creating intuitive flows for sophisticated financial operations, and ensuring regulatory compliance while maintaining a delightful user experience.

As the founding designer, I needed to:

Establish the brand identity and visual language from scratch

Design intuitive user flows for complex financial operations (loans, swaps, KYC)

Balance regulatory requirements with user experience

Create a scalable design system to support rapid product development

Virtual Cards Users can spend their Stablecoins directly as cash at any shop or POS through integrated virtual cards, eliminating the friction between crypto and everyday purchases.

Fiat-Crypto Swaps Seamless conversion between Stablecoins and fiat currency with direct bank account withdrawals, making crypto accessible for real-world use.

Overcollateralized Loans Lock Stablecoins as collateral to access fiat loans (up to 90 days) with competitive interest rates (4% monthly on Finna, compared to 12% with local banks and 18% with regulated loan sharks in the country). When loans are repaid, Stablecoins are released back to the user - providing liquidity without selling assets.

Brand Foundation As founding designer, I led the brand identity development from concept to execution, including color palette selection and logo conceptualization. The visual language needed to communicate trust and accessibility while standing out in the web3 space.

Design System Architecture Built a comprehensive design system from the ground up to ensure consistency across the platform and enable scalability as the team grew from 1 to 2 designers.

Research-Driven Flows For the loans feature, I conducted competitive analysis of traditional loan apps and fintech services, identifying recognizable patterns and adapting them to Finna's web3 context. This ensured users could leverage their existing mental models while exploring new financial primitives.

Regulatory Compliance Design Designed the KYC and settings flows to meet Nigerian regulatory requirements while minimizing friction in the user journey. The challenge was making mandatory compliance feel like a natural part of the experience rather than a burden.

Intuitive Swap Mechanics Created user flows for crypto-fiat swaps that simplified complex blockchain operations into familiar, easy-to-understand interactions.

As founding designer and eventually design lead, I established the design direction and vision that shaped Finna's product identity. The design system and flows I created became the foundation for the team's continued growth and product development. Our numbers are staggering:

We have over 25,000 registered users on the platform (as of Nov 2025)

An average monthly volume $5M USD (Not bad for a startup in Nigeria 🥳)

Won 2 grants [on Celo (Prezenti) and Avalanche Retro 9000] worth $500k in 2024.

We also got shortlisted as an official member to the Circle USDC grant program See announcement grant.

Making Web3 Accessible I learned that bridging crypto and traditional finance requires stripping away jargon and complexity. The key was designing familiar patterns that users already trusted from banking apps, then gradually introducing web3 concepts in context.

Building Trust Through Transparency Complex financial operations can feel risky. I discovered that showing users exactly what's happening at each step (especially with loans and swaps) builds confidence. Clear visual feedback and plain language explanations turned anxiety into understanding.

Designing for Local Context Working with Nigerian users taught me that one-size-fits-all doesn't work in fintech. I had to balance global web3 standards with local expectations, regulatory requirements, and payment behaviors. Cultural context shapes financial decisions.

Scaling Design Systems Early Starting with a solid design system wasn't just optional but essential. I initially tried to wing it at first but we hit a lot of roadblocks. So we had to take a step back and reapproach our Product Thinking in a systematic way, rebuilding reusable components and patterns that could evolve as the product and team grew. This foundation saved countless hours as we expanded features.