Case 06 / 06Apricot Finance2021 — 2022DeFi · Brand + Product
Playful yet trustworthy — brand, product, and team from zero.
- DeFi
- 0→1
- Brand + Product
- Design Lead
A DeFi trading platform on a new blockchain, designed to earn trust from both first-time crypto users and power traders. Brand, interaction patterns, and design system from zero.
- Role
- Design Lead
- Timeline
- 2021 — 2022
- Team
- 5-person design team I recruited
- Tools
- Figma, Design Systems, User Research
The deeper cut
Most of my work lives behind NDAs and embargoes. The walkthrough that matters — the why, the things I cut, the calls I'd make differently — happens in conversation, not on a page.
The design problem
How do you design a DeFi trading platform that earns trust from both first-time crypto users and power traders — while building brand, interaction patterns, and a design system from zero on a new blockchain?
Outcome at a glance
30,000+ users · $20M peak monthly volume
Shipped end-to-end swap, limit order, portfolio, and market trade flows from wireframes to production UI. Facilitated 10+ investor demos.
30,000+Users
$20MPeak monthly volume
10+Investor demos
02My contributions
Where I made the calls.
- 01Mapped user flows and edge cases with engineering, and ran rapid-prototype testing on swap confirmation, gas visibility, and transaction states across user segments.
- 02Facilitated stakeholder sessions to define a 'playful yet trustworthy' positioning, then built a flexible identity system (logo, color, typography) that scales across light and dark modes.
- 03Designed end-to-end swap, limit order, portfolio, and market trade flows from wireframes to production UI, and built the component library and design system.
- 04Recruited and mentored a 5-person design team. Ran weekly design-thinking workshops and established cross-functional rituals with engineering and leadership to maintain velocity.
