2024
Fintech
UI/UX Design
Project Introduction
Immigrants often arrive in new countries with ambition, savings, and a desire to belong, but they usually face limited access to trusted financial opportunities. MigrateVest was created to empower them by making it easier to invest locally, safely, and purposefully.
The goal was to build a platform that goes beyond financial transactions—one that bridges economic inclusion, community connection, and user trust.
Project Overview
MigrateVest is a mobile app platform that enables immigrants to invest in vetted local businesses and real estate opportunities within their new communities. It combines intelligent matching, transparent project storytelling, and a frictionless onboarding experience to simplify investing for first-time and experienced users alike.
The product was designed with a focus on:
Trust-first UX/UI
Simplified financial flows
Emotional connection to projects
From onboarding to project discovery, every step was designed to give immigrants the confidence to take ownership of their financial future in a new environment.
Challenges
Investing as a migrant is hard, not because immigrants lack capital or willingness, but because they face serious barriers: unfamiliar regulations, lack of access to credible networks, and a deep need for financial security and trust. Traditional investment platforms are often designed with locals in mind, leaving newcomers behind.
MigrateVest set out to solve this by building a platform where immigrants can safely invest in vetted local businesses and real estate projects, while gaining visibility, education, and social connection through their financial contributions.
We tackled several core challenges:
Building Trust in a High-Risk Perception Environment
Migrants are often the targets of scams. We needed a design that immediately communicates legitimacy through content, UX clarity, and secure flows.Simplifying Complex Investment Frameworks
Investment regulation varies by country, and most users aren't familiar with terms like “equity-backed projects” or “crowdfunded real estate.” The platform had to hide the complexity behind a user-friendly experience.User Onboarding Across Cultures & Literacies
From tech-savvy users to first-time investors, onboarding had to be accessible, friendly, and confidence-boosting for all demographics.Intelligent Investment Matching
Users weren’t just looking for any investment—they wanted opportunities that aligned with their values, interests, and risk tolerance. A matching engine powered by user profiling and project scoring was essential.Bridging Emotional & Financial Value
Immigrants often want to support small businesses or communities similar to their own. The platform needed to connect numbers with narratives—to make investments feel purposeful.
Solutions
To turn the idea into a trusted and scalable product, we designed a responsive, investor-focused web platform with a deep emphasis on clarity, trust-building, and intuitive navigation.
Here’s how we addressed each challenge:
1. Trust-Centric UI/UX
We prioritized visual clarity and credibility throughout the platform:
Minimalist design with clean typography and calm color schemes
Verified project tags, founder bios, and investor reviews
Visible compliance stamps and legal notices for transparency
Face-forward founder and team profiles to humanize the platform
Impact: First-time users were more likely to complete onboarding and explore investments without hesitation.
2. Simplified Investment Journeys
We broke down complex flows into clear steps:
Investment types (equity, debt, revenue share) explained in plain language
Transparent project cards with risk ratings, funding goals, and FAQs
Progress bars and timelines on each project to guide user confidence
Optional deep dives for users who want to explore metrics and documentation
Impact: Increased conversion from “browsing” to “investing” by simplifying decision-making steps.
3. Inclusive and Guided Onboarding
We created a welcoming onboarding flow with:
Step-by-step profile setup with visual cues
Risk appetite questionnaire to customize the experience
Optional language toggles and simple terminology throughout
Educational snippets during setup to build trust and knowledge
Impact: Reduced drop-off during onboarding and broadened platform accessibility.
4. AI-Powered Investment Matching
We built a recommendation engine that matched users to high-fit investment projects:
Matching logic based on user interest tags, location, investment range, and risk profile
Curated “Recommended for You” section
“Support Local” feature that filters projects within the user’s region or community
Impact: Increased user engagement with opportunities and raised the average time spent per session.
Results
While the MigrateVest platform has not yet been developed, the research, strategy, and design phase yielded strong indicators of product–market fit, user resonance, and business viability. Here’s what was achieved and validated during this stage:
Validated core problem-solution fit through discovery sessions with immigrant users, confirming a real need for accessible, secure, and local investment opportunities tailored to their unique experiences and goals.
Successfully aligned stakeholders on a clear product vision focused on building trust, simplifying investment flows, and fostering economic inclusion for underserved communities.
Developed a responsive, user-centered product prototype that demonstrates the core functionality, including onboarding, investment matching, and project storytelling.
Tested the prototype with early users, receiving highly positive feedback on the simplicity, clarity, and emotional tone of the platform. Users particularly appreciated the guided onboarding, clear language, and trust-driven design elements.
Built investor confidence through well-structured pitch materials and a transparent product roadmap that highlights how MigrateVest can scale with compliance, localization, and partner integrations.
Established design systems and scalable UI components that will accelerate development once build begins, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and cross-device performance from day one.
Identified critical success metrics for post-launch tracking, including onboarding completion rate, user retention, funding volume, and return visits, all informed by design goals and user journey mapping.
Positioned the brand as a purpose-driven platform focused not just on financial growth, but on helping immigrants build belonging and impact in their new communities.
Key Learnings
Users struggled with investment terms
During user testing, many didn’t understand basic financial jargon. We learned to reframe terms like "equity" or "ROI" into simple, relatable language and added short tooltips or examples in key areas.Trust was earned through visual cues
Users said they trusted projects more when they saw real photos of founders, badges for verification, and transparency around how funds would be used. This shaped how we designed the project detail pages.People cared about impact, not just money
Users were more drawn to projects when they saw the social or community benefit. This led us to include story-driven elements like founder backgrounds, business missions, and impact indicators.Guided onboarding reduced drop-offs
When onboarding was structured into small, clear steps (with progress indicators and helpful prompts), users were more likely to complete it, even those with low tech literacy.Diverse user backgrounds required flexibility
Testing with migrants from different regions showed that no single design approach worked for everyone. We added optional help layers and designed flows that didn’t overwhelm users with too much upfront.
