About the project
A self-directed case study for a mobile app that merges everyday banking with crypto investing — built out through personas, competitor research, and a calm, focused interface.
Self-directed concept
2021
UX research, Competitive analysis, Mobile UX/UI, Visual system
Financial technology
Design question
How can dense financial information feel calm, immediate, and easy to scan?
Ripple is a self-directed 2021 case study for an app that merges everyday banking with crypto investing — built out through personas, competitor research, and interface screens, not a commissioned client engagement.
Sending money abroad still costs too much.
Sending $1,000 from Estonia to Kenya through traditional rails can cost $50 or more in fees. The concept's goal: cut the average transfer fee by at least 95% by settling through the XRP Ledger instead of SWIFT.
User research
Two personas, one shared need.
Tim, 32 — crypto expert. Already trades crypto and wants regular banking and crypto investing merged into one app, with strong security and FaceID or QR payments.
Maria, 28 — regular user. Checks her banking app once or twice a week for bills and transfers. Wants simplicity, not crypto jargon or advanced features.
Shared ground. Both personas wanted the same underlying speed and low fees, delivered at two different levels of complexity.
Research artifacts
The personas behind the design decisions.
Benchmarked against five competitors.
PayPal, Revolut, Swedbank, LHV, and Coinbase were compared on fees, speed, and reach — surfacing an opening for lower fees, faster settlement, and an offline-payment feature (xPoP) none of the five offered.
One balance view for cash and crypto.
The Cryptocurrencies screen puts market cap, a Fear & Greed index, and held assets like BTC and ETH inside the same navigation as everyday banking, rather than a separate bolted-on tab.
Sending money reads like a receipt before you confirm.
The Send Money flow shows the recipient, network, fee, and total cost — down to $0.0002 in network fees on the XRP Ledger — before a single tap confirms the payment.
Visual system
Void
#0A0D13
Base surface — keeps the interface quiet so numbers and state carry the attention.
Navy Graphite
#10161F
Secondary surface for grouped content, one step above the base.
Signal Blue
#72B7FF
The concept's single accent — reserved for the primary balance and active state.
Frost
#AEBDD3
Secondary text and muted values.
Paper
#F0F4F8
Primary text on dark surfaces.
What changed
Before. Managing everyday banking and crypto holdings usually means switching between a bank app and a separate exchange, each with its own login and fee structure.
Now. This concept keeps both inside one balance, one login, and one confirmation flow, with the network and fee shown upfront instead of buried at checkout.
Current state
A concept case study, not a shipped product.
This presentation covers a self-directed 2021 UX case study — personas, competitor research, and interface screens for a banking-plus-crypto concept. It does not represent a commissioned engagement, a live product, or measured user outcomes.
Allecto
Identity / Web Design / Product Design
