All workCase study 03 / 10

VendStack

A personal banking app for Nigerians whose money moves across borders, designed from the ground up and used by more than 70,000 people.

My role
Product design, from the ground up
Year
2022
Market
Nigeria, with global mobility
Status
Shipped
Outcome
70,000+ users to date
Reading
TL;DR

Local money, global life.

The problemNigerians increasingly earn, spend and send across currencies, but everyday banking still treated anything beyond the naira as an afterthought.
What I didDesigned the whole product from scratch: sign-up and KYC, naira and foreign balances, transfers, conversion, bills, split payments, cards and budgeting.
The resultVendStack shipped and has grown to more than 70,000 users to date.
70k+users to date
18flows designed, from sign-up to settings
190+screens in the product file
Problem & my role

One app for money that crosses borders.

VendStack is a personal banking app for the Nigerian market, built with global mobility in mind: for people who study, work, travel or support family across countries, and need their naira and other currencies to work together.

I designed it from the ground up in 2022, from the first sign-up screen to card settings, and it shipped to a user base that has since passed 70,000 people.

The journey, illustrated

  1. 01Sign up with a BVN, then turn on Face ID: trust before anything else.

  2. 02Naira up front, with dollars and pounds one tap away under Other balances.

  3. 03Convert with the rate and fee shown before you commit: £1 = ₦1,100, ₦10 fee.

  4. 04Send home or abroad: local and international recipients in the same flow.

  5. 05Split the bill with a group, like “Food with the girls”, and everyone pays their share.

  6. 06Pay online anywhere with a virtual dollar card: use globally, pay locally.

Illustrative, drawn for this case study from the flows in the product file.

What I owned
  • Product design end to end: information architecture and all 18 flows
  • Sign-up & KYC: phone and email OTP, BVN, password rules, Face ID
  • Moving money: transfers (local & international), payment links, conversion
  • Everyday money: six bill types, split payments, merchants
  • Cards & insight: virtual and physical cards, analytics and budgets
  • Visual language: 3D object icons, status screens and receipts
How the work ran
  1. 01 · TrustSign-up & KYC
    BVNOTPFace ID
  2. 02 · CoreMoving money
    ReceiveTransferConvert
  3. 03 · EverydayBills & splits
    6 bill typesGroups
  4. 04 · GrowCards & insight
    VirtualPhysicalBudgets
  5. 05 · ShipLaunch
    70k+ users
Research

Who it’s for.

The brief was the Nigerian market, with global mobility. That meant designing for everyday naira banking and for money that moves in and out of other currencies, without making either feel bolted on.

BriefMarket & mobilityNigerian banking basics (BVN, local transfers, bills) plus foreign balances, conversion and international transfers.
ReviewInspirationThe product file keeps an inspiration page of references alongside the designs.
AddUser interviewsAny conversations with early users, and how many.
AddUsability testingAny tests on sign-up, transfers or cards, and what changed.
Insights

What shaped the product.

01

Money is multi-currency now.

Users hold naira but earn, save or spend in dollars and pounds too.

So wemade other balances, conversion and international transfers first-class, not hidden in settings.
02

Trust is won at sign-up.

A banking app asks for a BVN and a password before it has given anything back.

So weexplained each KYC step on its own screen, showed password rules live, and offered Face ID straight after.
03

Money is social.

People split meals, contribute to group purchases like aso ebi, and send to friends constantly.

So webuilt split payments with groups, chat-style transfers, and shareable payment links.
04

People want to see where money is.

A request or a spend you can’t follow feels risky.

So weadded tracking to payment links, plus analytics and budgets by category.
Key decisions

Make the global feel everyday.

1Other balances one tap from the totalEvidence · Insight 01
Options

A naira-only home with foreign currency in a separate area, or every currency visible at once.

Decision

The naira total leads the dashboard, with Other balances a tap below it and Convert as one of four main actions.

Why

Most daily activity is in naira, but foreign money should never be more than one tap away.

Trade-off

The total shows one currency at a time, so the Other balances control has to be obvious.

2Transfers that feel like a conversationEvidence · Insight 03
Options

A form-only transfer flow, or a thread with each person showing what’s been sent and requested.

Decision

Sending to another user opens a chat-style thread with Request and Send side by side, and the history in bubbles.

Why

Money between people is social; seeing past payments in context makes the next one feel safe and familiar.

Trade-off

Two models for transfers (thread vs. bank details) that need to stay consistent.

3Payment links you can trackEvidence · Insight 04
Options

Share a link and leave it there, or show what happens after it’s sent.

Decision

Every link has a tracker (link created, paid, funds received), expires after 7 days, and can be paid by bank or card.

Why

Requesting money from someone else is anxious; a visible status answers “did they pay?” without a message.

Trade-off

More states to design and keep accurate, including expired and cancelled links.

Final design

Dark, warm and unmistakably money.

HomeTotal balance over a warm dark hero, Receive · Transfer · Convert · Bills, split and upcoming payments.
Sign-up & KYCPhone and email OTP, BVN, password rules, Face ID and contact invites.
Receive & requestAccount details, payment links with tracking, receive from card.
Transfer & convertBank, card and user transfers, local and international, plus currency conversion.
BillsAirtime, data, electricity, cable, betting and education.
Split paymentsGroups, members, due dates and reminders.
CardsVirtual and physical cards: skins, freeze, limits and which balance to spend from.
Analytics & budgetsInflow and outflow, spending by category and budget targets.
Home
Home: “Hi Alex”, total balance ₦2,500.00 over a dark hero with a red swirl, Other balances, Receive, Transfer, Convert and Bills, then Refer and Earn, incoming split payments, upcoming payments, set-up cards and news
The whole home screen. Scroll inside the frame.
Sign-up & KYC
Onboarding: a 3D safe and “Unlock insights into your spending habits like never before. It’s that good.”
Onboarding
Enter your BVN: the 11-digit Bank Verification Number, one field and Save
BVN
Enable FaceID for extra security, with Maybe Later and Enable
Face ID
Moving money
₦420 requested via payment link: share or cancel, copy link, a tracker (link created, paid, received) and how recipients can pay
Payment link with tracking
Convert Money: £100 to ₦110,000 at £1 = ₦1,100 with a ₦10 fee
Convert
Add an international recipient: country, currency (British Pound), sort code, account number and name
International recipient
Sending to another user as a chat thread: past payments as bubbles, with Request and Send
Pay a person, in a thread
Card dashboard: a virtual card with a $2,500.00 USD balance, Show details, Freeze and Settings
Virtual dollar card
Impact

From blank file to 70,000 users.

ShippedDesigned from the ground up in 2022 and launched to the Nigerian market.
70,000+ usersAnd counting, to date.
—Add a result: e.g. monthly transaction volume, or app store rating
How I’d measure success · proposed
  • Insight 02Sign-up completionConversion rate: people who start sign-up and finish BVN verification.
  • Insight 02Face ID adoptionShare of new users who enable biometrics at sign-up.
  • Insight 01Multi-currency useShare of active users holding or converting a second currency each month.
  • Insight 03Social paymentsPayment links paid, and split payments settled before their due date.
  • Insight 04Budgets that stickRetention rate: users who set a budget and return to it the next month.
  • Insight 01Effort to send abroadTime on task: from Transfer to a completed international payment.

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