As the first design hire at Chime, a leading fintech unicorn, I embarked on a journey to redefine the modern banking experience. I had the unique privilege of crafting a mobile-first banking experience from the ground up, establishing a design foundation that remains in use today as the company soared to a $25B valuation.
Period
Contribution
User Experience
Design Systems
Team
Chris Britt, Ryan King, Kyle Daley,
Zack Smith, Eric Lewis, Shane Steele
At Chime, I had the dream job of building a product from scratch that I would actually want to use. In 2015, mobile banking was still painfully obtuse, and I was eager to create a better banking experience.
During my nearly four-year tenure at Chime, I held the unique position of being the sole product designer at the company. This allowed me to work closely with the executive team to bring their vision to life, with a primary goal of crafting an elegantly simple user flow on top of a complex technical infrastructure.
Product Design
I conceived and developed the initial user interface and UX flows for native web, iOS, and Android app experiences. Collaborating closely with front- and back-end engineers, I ensured strict compliance with federal banking guidelines. Notable features I built include new user on-boarding, identity verification, detailed transaction views and history, spending summaries, transaction dispute flows, card activation and freezing, and the move money ecosystem.
User Research
My role allowed me to spearheaded the user testing program, enhancing the experience design to achieve best-in-class status. In collaboration with product managers, I developed high-fidelity prototypes for testing new features and user flows, minimizing impact on developers' time.
Design Systems
In partnership with our creative agency, I translated our rebranding efforts into the visual elements of the app's architecture and layout. I established the foundation for iOS and Android design systems, tailoring them for each operating system. The design system I created remains in use today, nearly six years later.
As the lead product designer, I had the privilege of reimagining how users could feel in control of their finances and even inspire trust in their bank.
I relished the opportunity to tackle smaller projects that challenged the traditional bank-client relationship. In pursuit of enhancing user control over their finances, I led the development of more meaningful push notification guidelines. My contribution to work on innovative identity verification methods, a critical requirement for our compliance team, enabled us to provide banking services to individuals historically excluded by larger banks due to insufficient identification. Additionally, I helped take on the formidable task of creating a chatbot for Chime, capable of handling diverse tasks, from address updates to generating direct deposit forms for users to present to their employers. While chatbots have become more common today, this project presented a hearty challenge that exemplified our commitment to enhancing user experiences at Chime.
I take immense pride in Chime's remarkable journey toward creating a bank that empowers those who have traditionally been overlooked and exploited by big banks. It's a testament to the founder's commitment to making banking more accessible and equitable for all.
