Orientation
On the back I placed a screenshot from the app to further connect the card and app experience in the cardholder's mind.
Digital wallets
I also placed QR codes for both Apple and Google Wallet's guide on how to add a card to those respective wallets. We knew that the more expenses were charged on the company card, the fewer lengthy reimbursements there would be clogging up real-time visibility.
CASE STUDY
Speedchain fintech platform
Speedchain is a fintech startup specializing in issuing debit and credit cards to companies that come with with real-time insights and controls.
Integrating digital cards
and physical cards
The challenge
When I joined Speedchain as the founding Product Designer, I was tasked with solving a critical problem for finance teams: streamlining employee expense management. Traditional corporate card solutions were riddled with inefficiencies—lacking real-time controls, providing minimal spending visibility, and relying on manual reconciliation processes. These gaps led to wasted time, frustration, and heightened risk of unauthorized transactions.
The challenge was to design a fintech app that transformed these workflows. Admins and cardholders needed an intuitive platform to assign cards, track transactions, and enforce spending policies—all seamlessly integrated with existing financial systems.
While Speedchain’s engineers had built a working prototype to move money between checking accounts, it lacked any designer input. This prototype established the foundation for the core functionality of issuing debit and credit cards but left two major hurdles: the app required a complete design overhaul, and nuanced card issuing processes and controls needed to be developed on an aggressive timeline to meet a promised investor launch date.
Working backward from this fixed deadline posed unique challenges. Design milestones were dictated by engineering timelines, leaving limited time to refine solutions. With a wide scope and tight constraints, I would need to navigate an intense environment where coordination and rapid decision-making were paramount to ensure a successful launch.
My role
As the founding Product Designer at Speedchain, my role encompassed shaping the product vision, defining user workflows, and designing an intuitive, scalable interface that addressed the unique needs of Admins, Group Admins, and cardholders.
To build a user-friendly and future-ready platform, I conducted in-depth user research to identify pain points and goals, developed personas and journey maps to inform the app’s design, and created a mobile-first UI that balanced powerful functionality with simplicity. Additionally, I established a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency as we expanded the app’s features and integrated seamlessly with third-party accounting and banking tools.
Throughout the process, I collaborated closely with engineering to align on implementation, validate designs through user testing, and deliver a solution that met both user needs and business objectives.
Customer insights & ideation
I conducted user research, empathy mapping, and journey mapping to uncover pain points and motivations for Admins, Group Admins, and cardholders. These insights shaped features like receipt compliance, real-time transaction tracking, and customizable spending policies.
Experience strategy & vision
I developed frameworks and prototypes to articulate the product vision and design principles, guiding the team in balancing powerful functionality with simplicity. These tools helped align cross-functional teams and ensure decisions were centered on user needs.
Admin
Goals:
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Achieve full control over employee spending and permissions in real-time.
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Streamline account and transaction management with seamless third-party integrations.
Pain points:
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Time-consuming permissions setup and complex manual reconciliation tasks.
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Limited real-time visibility, increasing the risk of unauthorized spending and potential fraud.
Needs:
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A centralized dashboard for managing permissions, setting limits, and tracking transactions efficiently.
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Security features like multi-factor authentication and instant alerts to prevent misuse proactively.
Group Admin
Goals:
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Enforce spending policies by setting receipt requirements and transaction limits for the team.
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Approve and monitor team expenditures efficiently to maintain budget control and compliance.
Pain points:
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Balancing oversight with efficiency; approving every transaction can be time-consuming without streamlined tools.
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Managing varied spending needs across team members, which requires flexible but clear spending policies.
Needs:
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Tools to set customized spending policies, receipt requirements, and approval workflows that scale with team size.
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A user-friendly interface to review and approve expenditures quickly, with notifications for urgent requests or high-priority transactions.
Cardholder
Goals:
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Easily access funds for job-related expenses without delays or unexpected restrictions.
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Quickly understand and comply with company spending limits and policies.
Pain points:
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Confusion around spending policies, leading to unexpected transaction denials.
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Tedious reconciliation processes, including receipt management, especially when on the go.
Needs:
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A simple interface showing real-time balance, spending limits, and compliance guidelines at a glance.
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Secure, user-friendly expense tracking features with easy receipt uploads and instant transaction summaries.
Design principles and approach
In designing the Speedchain app, I applied three core principles that guided every phase of development:
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User-Centered Design: By prioritizing user needs and behaviors, I crafted interfaces that felt intuitive and user-friendly. Admins could easily navigate complex financial settings, while cardholders could view their balances and restrictions at a glance.
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Simplicity and Clarity: Keeping interfaces minimal and focused, I removed all unnecessary elements to create an experience that felt effortless and direct. This “clean and minimal” approach reduced cognitive load, allowing users to accomplish their goals without confusion.
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Consistency and Familiarity: I designed a set of uniform UI patterns that employed familiar symbols and flows, helping users navigate naturally and effectively.
BUILDING KEY FEATURES
Integrations, and real-time controls
With Speedchain’s focus on real-time control and seamless integrations, I tackled several complex UI challenges:
Key findings
Through interviews, surveys, and empathy mapping, I uncovered some key user insights. These insights shaped the app’s core functionality, from granular permission settings to real-time notifications and intuitive reporting.
1. Centralized dashboard
A hub for Admins and Group Admins to oversee all spending, adjust limits, and track transactions in real-time.
2. Customizable spending policies
Flexible rules allowed teams to set universal restrictions as well as nuanced restrictions for card groups that could be edited collectively as needs changed.
3. Banking connections and money movement
Working with platforms like Finicity, Plaid, Dwolla, and Highnote, I crafted an interface that allows Admins to connect bank accounts and manage transactions securely. This feature required balancing functionality with security, ensuring users felt confident handling financial data within the app.
4. Accounting software integration
Speedchain connects to accounting tools like Procore and Vista, allowing businesses to synchronize transactions effortlessly. I designed an integration flow that simplifies connecting accounts and visualizing synced data without overwhelming the user.
Laying the Foundation
User research takeaways
To understand our users’ needs, I kicked off the project with detailed research, which brought my focus to three personas:
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Admins: Responsible for managing all card accounts and overseeing usage controls.
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Group Admins: Responsible for receipt management and approval of a smaller group of cardholders.
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Cardholders: Employees who need quick access to funds and clear guidance on their spending limits.
Iterative prototyping and user testing
To ensure Speedchain’s features met the needs of its diverse user base, I embraced an iterative design process centered on rapid prototyping and usability testing. Each prototype focused on key functionalities, such as real-time transaction tracking, card assignment workflows, and policy enforcement, which were critical for Admins, Group Admins, and cardholders.
One of the most significant insights from testing was the need to streamline time-sensitive workflows. For example, cardholders expressed frustration with uploading receipts—a task that felt cumbersome and time-consuming. To address this, I simplified the upload process, adding auto-detection for images and allowing bulk uploads. These refinements not only improved efficiency but also enhanced the overall user experience, ensuring that Speedchain felt fast, seamless, and responsive to its users’ needs.
By testing these designs with real users, I gathered invaluable insights into how they interacted with the platform, identifying both successes and pain points. This feedback shaped each subsequent iteration, allowing me to fine-tune the interface and ensure that the most important features were accessible, intuitive, and aligned with user expectations.
Fast follow
Enhancing user onboarding with friendly setup states
Financial tools often feel intimidating to new users, particularly when they involve complex processes like setting up card controls or managing integrations. To ease adoption, I designed a guided onboarding experience with a clean, approachable interface that welcomed users and simplified initial setup tasks.
This included friendly, conversational prompts, interactive tutorials, and empty states that provided clear instructions for connecting accounts, assigning roles, and configuring policies. By focusing on reducing first-use friction, the onboarding flow helped users quickly familiarize themselves with Speedchain’s capabilities, building confidence and encouraging engagement from the start.
A. Stepper
When we tested the stepper, it absolutely did its job. Users felt less overwhelmed by the onboarding process when they could see their progress.
B. Flexability
Users were more comfortable deciding on settings when we assured them they could change them at any point in the future.
C. Abstract, friendly images
After surveying a lot of other apps, we went with abstract, friendly figures to accompany the onboarding process.
D. Status at a glance
We wanted to make it highly scannable for users to review what settings they had turned on and what setting they had turned off.
E. More flexability
We wanted to speed up the time it took users to get to their first purchase. But we made sure to allow flexibility for users who were setting up their account in a different order or with unique priorities.
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5. User-friendly mobile interface
Cardholders could view balances, upload receipts, and resolve issues quickly, even on the go.
Growing our product’s features
As Speedchain continues to evolve, the next phase of development focuses on scaling our design capabilities and introducing features that address deeper user needs. To support this growth, we’ve brought on a second designer to enhance our team’s ability to tackle complex problems and deliver innovative solutions more rapidly. With this expanded capacity, we’re excited to push forward on two transformative features that will enhance the value of Speedchain for both companies and their employees.
BEYOND THE APP
Connecting users to the product
We knew that card delivery and activation had to be welcoming and easy. And I wanted to make sure we had a card that did more than just look good.
The time Support spent on the phone with new clients was almost cut in half after the implementation of our onboarding flow.
The timeline from the first Admin getting invited to the app to the first purchase on a card decreased from 11 to 7 days on average.
Call to action #2
I also placed a QR code to make the connection between their phones and the card.
Practical design choices
I went with the largest font that would fit for the card numbers, and put two spaces between each group of numbers to make them easier to read.
The end result was far more readable
Than standard card designs
TACTILE INTEGRATION
High end materials
Printing with spot gloss on a matte card and stamping with silver foil gave me a chance to dust off my print skills.
Another significant outcome has been Speedchain’s invitation to join the Mastercard World Elite program, a testament to the platform’s innovative solutions and customer-centric approach.
This inclusion allows Speedchain to offer exclusive premium benefits to cardholders, such as concierge services, travel perks, and purchase protections, further enhancing the cardholder experience. Additionally, Speedchain is upgrading to the premium metallic Mastercard logo, elevating the perception of our cards and positioning the brand as a leader in the fintech space.
“The Speedchain platform differentiates itself with enhanced data, visibility, AI driven spend controls, and insights.
We have an extreme level of confidence that Speedchain is delivering the best commercial card solution in the marketplace.”
Regina Tureman
Director of Business Development
Mastercard
Key Takeaways
Launching our card program I learned firsthand the tension between delivering quickly and delivering well. Working within an aggressive timeline promised to investors, we faced constant pressure to prioritize speed over refinement. While this approach ensured we met deadlines, it sometimes came at the expense of deeper design exploration and the opportunity to fully validate features. The question of "Can we meet the launch date?" often overshadowed the more critical question of "Are we solving the right problems for our users?"
This experience reinforced the importance of design evangelism—not just advocating for the user, but also educating stakeholders about the long-term costs of short-term decisions. Some trade-offs, like simplified receipt workflows or a more intuitive approval process, became clear priorities through testing. Others, like deeper card customization options, had to wait for future iterations. These compromises underscored a key lesson: a product's viability should be defined by its ability to meet user needs, not just by the constraints of a schedule.
I’m proud of what Speedchain achieved—launching a scalable, user-friendly app that empowers finance teams to take control of their card expenses. But as a designer, I’m equally proud of the foundational conversations this project sparked within the team about balancing speed with quality. Launching is rarely the finish line; it’s the starting point for learning, iteration, and building something truly exceptional. Today, Speedchain continues to process billions in transactions, proving that the effort to balance functionality, usability, and business needs was worth it.
What's next?
The first is a cardholder rewards system that companies can opt into, providing traditional perks like airline miles or other bonuses directly to employees. This initiative addresses a key friction point: many cardholders currently prefer to use personal cards for purchases to earn rewards, opting for reimbursement later. This delays company visibility into expenses and adds layers of complexity to financial workflows. By incorporating rewards into company cards, we aim to incentivize cardholders to use Speedchain, giving businesses real-time expense visibility while increasing our transaction volume and boosting Speedchain’s bottom line.
Additionally, we’re introducing an eco-footprint tracking tool that will be leveraging MasterCard’s robust Carbon Calculator data. This feature will allow companies to monitor how their spending impacts carbon levels, set baseline measurements, and establish policies or goals to reduce their environmental footprint. Paired with dynamic tips on shifting purchases toward more sustainable options, this tool empowers businesses to align financial decisions with their sustainability goals. It’s a step toward integrating social responsibility into corporate finance, helping Speedchain lead the way in blending innovative financial tools with environmental consciousness.
These forward-looking features represent our commitment to meeting user needs while driving positive change, ensuring Speedchain remains a trusted and progressive partner for our customers.
Our largest client saw a 40% reduction in reimbursement requests, enabling Group Admins to manage expenses more effectively
One of our pilot customers saw cardholder adherence to receipt policies increase by 60%, streamlining workflows for finance teams and reducing audit risks.
So far speedchain analytics have prevented over $10 million dollars in duplicate payments, providing a massive, tangible value to our customers.
Outcome and impact
Speedchain has grown to become a viable and competitive option for business’ modern corporate card management, processing billions of dollars in transactions annually. The platform’s clean, user-friendly design and efficient workflows have not only driven high user retention but also garnered widespread client satisfaction, making Speedchain a trusted partner for businesses of many sizes. These successes have been instrumental in securing critical funding rounds and strengthening relationships with key industry partners.
Focus on frequently used features
Admins and Cardholders: Most users rely on a small subset of key features—like viewing balances, assigning cards, or uploading receipts—while ignoring more complex tools. Ensuring these primary functions are easily accessible is critical.
Spending to save
Finance Teams: Cost-conscious users look for opportunities to cut costs, such as optimizing spending limits or customizing where cards could be used. Features that highlight savings potential and prevent overspending are highly valued.
Power users persuade
Admins and Group Admins: Users who invest more time in customizing rules, tracking trends, or analyzing reports are more likely to see value in the app and advocate for its use within their organization.
Show me you understand my needs
All User Types: Speedchain users expect the app to anticipate their needs and provide context-aware affordances—inline editing, bulk card creation, or using one card type as a template to create a new card type.
Active and passive admins
Admins: Some admins prefer "lean-back" automation, and would use pre-set spending limits and automated alerts, while others require "lean-forward" tools to customize how they monitor transactions, adjust permissions, or approve spending requests in real time.
Expense tools match context
Cardholders and Group Admins: Users need features tailored to specific scenarios, such as streamlined workflows for routine expenses (e.g., travel or office supplies) versus more detailed approvals for high-value or policy-exception purchases.
Planning & scope definition
Collaborating with product managers, I defined and prioritized the app’s feature set, balancing user goals with business objectives. I negotiated scope and phased releases to deliver a high-impact product on schedule.
Oversight & coordination
I worked closely with engineering and business stakeholders to ensure design requirements were met across all integrations, including accounting software and banking platforms. I also partnered with leadership to align on the product’s evolving roadmap.
Design execution & validation
I led the creation of user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes, and detailed design specs, which were tested with real users to validate assumptions. This iterative process reduced onboarding friction and improved usability across all touchpoints.
Leadership
I championed user-centered design by bringing thoughtful solutions to stakeholders, investors, and internal teams, advocating for the needs of Admins, Group Admins, and Cardholders. Through clear communication and engaging presentations, I aligned leadership around realistic timelines and the importance of balancing user experience with Speedchain’s ambitious strategic goals.
Initial launch
Speedchain launched our card program on time, allowing our pilot users to begin issuing cards as promised. Beta-testing the card program in house let us iron out the bugs before actual users were spending in the field, ensuring a smooth experience for early clients. Within a month we extended our card program to the general public, confident in our ability to scale the offering.
Call to action #1
I placed a reminder to activate the card that would appear once it was removed.
Personal interaction
I wanted to add a human element to our card mailer, so I placed a photo of a hand behind where the card was glued in, "holding" the card for the customer.
