Case study · Fintech mobile app · Stocks and crypto · 14 weeks
Investment World is a mobile app for buying stocks and crypto, built for people who have never invested before. I designed how they get verified, fund their account and place their first order, without hiding the rules that protect them.
01 · The problem
New investors face three walls before their first trade: legal onboarding (identity checks and the W-8BEN tax form for non US investors), funding across borders and currencies, and order types full of jargon. Every wall is a place to quit, and every shortcut that hides a rule costs trust later.
02 · What we heard
We spoke with potential users about existing investment apps. Four themes came back:
| What we heard | What it means | Design rule |
|---|---|---|
| Too complex to understand | Jargon and dense charts make people feel lost | Plain words first, terms on demand |
| No guidance for beginners | People don't know where or how to start safely | Teach inside the action, not in a help center |
| Cluttered, inconsistent screens | Hard to track a portfolio or find key numbers | One question per screen, consistent tabs |
| Low transparency, low trust | People hesitate when they can't see where money goes | Show every fee, rate and timeline before payment |
03 · Design decisions
Stocks and crypto share one structure: a Stocks/Crypto toggle, today's price and change on every row. The portfolio leads with one number, current value with today's change, then holdings with quantity and amount invested. The stock page puts today's range on a simple bar before any ratios.
Buying asks for an amount in dollars, not shares, and shows the share estimate and buying power underneath. Three order types sit in tabs: Market, Limit, Stop-loss. The first time someone picks Stop-loss, a one screen visual explains it: the live price, the stop price, and when the sale triggers. Market hours stay visible with a countdown to the open. Buying crypto uses the same tabs and dollar entry, so nothing new has to be learned.
Six ways to add money, each labelled with its speed: card, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay are instant; bank transfer and wire take 2 to 3 business days; a kiosk takes 1 to 2 hours. Before paying, the summary shows the amount, the 1% fee, the total and the converted local amount with its exchange rate (example: $500 + $5 fee = $505 ≈ AED 1854.87). Failed transactions are marked in red in the cash history, so people never wonder where money went. Saved cards and bank accounts can be edited or removed in one place.
KYC and the W-8BEN form are split into short steps with progress, microcopy and inline tips. Identity checks say up front what's needed (one ID and a selfie) and why ("to check it's really you; photos are encrypted"). All six agreements live in one place in Account, next to cash, security, orders, payment methods and statements.
04 · By the numbers
Design facts from the shipped screens, not usage metrics.
| What | Count |
|---|---|
| Funding methods, each labelled with its speed | 6 (3 instant, 3 within 1 hour to 3 days) |
| Order types, each explained in context | 3 |
| Costs shown before payment | fee %, total, local amount, exchange rate |
| Agreements, all in one place | 6 |
05 · Expert walkthrough
Rated on Nielsen's severity scale. Expert review of static screens, not a usability test.
| Screen | Issue | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto list | Apple logo used as the icon for Yearn Finance, Binance Coin, Litecoin, Avalanche and Dash | 3 misleading in a finance app |
| Enter amount | Pay button shows AED 1854.50 while the summary says ≈ AED 1854.87 | 3 a mismatch on the payment screen erodes trust |
| Sell stop-loss | Share count field shows 0 with no default or hint | 2 |
| Cash history | "Failed" shown only in red text | 2 colour alone (WCAG 1.4.1) |
| Explore | "Popular" and "Top gainers" sort by excitement, not suitability, for beginners | 2 worth testing |
06 · What I'd test next
| Task for 5 first time investors | Measure |
|---|---|
| Buy $100 of a stock | Completion, time, do they understand shares vs dollars |
| Explain what a stop-loss does after the explainer | Correct explanation |
| Add $500 by card | Can they say the total and fee before paying |
| Find the account agreement | Success, taps |
07 · Reflection