Redesigning wealth management for first-time investors
Users were uninstalling Sortika because the app didn't match how they think about money. I led the research and redesigned the core flows.
customers reached as Sortika scaled
growth from its first 2,000 customers
fewer app-related support requests after the redesign
The app didn't match how users think about money
Sortika is a Nairobi fintech founded in 2018, with about a dozen people. Its app lets people save from KES 1, invest, and borrow through SACCO-backed services.
of users reported they did not understand how the app works, out of the 26.4% who uninstalled it.
Sortika data, shared in stakeholder interviewsPeople arrived expecting a loan app, or expecting small deposits to bring high returns.
The app was organized around the company's products and written in industry terms. Each new feature added another explanation.
- Make the app understandable. People couldn't follow it.
- Meet users' mental model in the middle. Fit how people in Kenya already save, and set honest expectations where Sortika works differently, such as how returns grow.
Starting with how people in Kenya already save
I hadn't designed for Kenya before, so I started with how people there already save, and what the team needed from the redesign.
- Stakeholder interviewsWhy the team wanted a revamp, and what Sortika should be
- Market and savings researchNational data on how people in Kenya save and borrow
- Competitor review5 savings and lending apps from Kenya and Nigeria
- Survey500+ responses, run with the support team
- Moderated sessions10+ usability tests and interviews
- Stakeholder interviews
Many users saw Sortika as a loan app, and expected small deposits to earn high returns.
- Market data
More than half of adults (54.9%) already saved with mobile money, often a few shillings at a time.
- Savings culture
About a quarter of adults (25.7%) saved through a chama, a group that pools money each month toward a shared goal.
Source: FinAccess 2021 (Central Bank of Kenya, KNBS, FSD Kenya)
Four findings shaped the redesign
Users couldn't find services
The information architecture followed the org chart instead of how users think, so the navigation had to be restructured.
Industry terms didn't match users' words
Of the 26.4% of users who uninstalled, 19.6% said they didn't understand how the app works. Financial concepts were written in industry language for people seeing them for the first time.
Users wanted to save toward something
The app had no way to tie savings to a goal, so users couldn't see what they were saving for or how close they were.
Crashes made users fear for their money
The app crashed on login, and survey responses showed users worried their savings were gone.
Before wireframing, I turned these findings into three personas.
Matt, 29
Slow investment returns, hours lost tracking markets, burned by Ponzi schemes.
One app for all financial services and a real variety of market opportunities.
Filly, 35
Struggles to repay loans on time and understand complex financial platforms.
Learn about investing, and save for school fees, rent, and starting a business.
Deborah, 24
Frustrated by unsecured lending and waiting endlessly for returns.
Build emergency funds, invest, borrow when needed, and save for a holiday to the Maasai Mara.
Persona photos are stock images from Unsplash. The personas are composites built from the survey and interviews.
Fixing the three core flows first
The research turned up six problems, more than we could fix before the August deadline. I ran a prioritization matrix with the team to agree on what to fix first.
The tradeoff: I focused the revamp on the three essential flows, dashboard, savings and investments. Financial planning tools and peer-to-peer lending were left for later.
Make the app explain itself
Each recommendation became one redesigned part of the app.
Lead with saving, and make every service easy to find
Users should understand what the app does within minutes.
Help users save consistently, starting small
Goals users set themselves, with progress they can see.
Explain investing and realistic returns
Plain language, a projection of growth over time, and a virtual assistant.
Tell users their money is safe
Clear messages whenever the app fails or has nothing to show.
A clearer dashboard, savings and investments
One dashboard for all your money
The dashboard opens on savings targets, with loan limits next to total savings and a portfolio overview below.
Saving with a target
Users set their own goals, like emergency funds, holidays and school fees, starting from any amount. A savings-rate graph shows progress, and the transaction history shows every deposit.
Investing without the jargon
The page shows portfolio distribution and a projection chart of how growth depends on the amount and the time invested. A virtual investing assistant answers questions in plain language.
Telling users their money is safe
When the app fails or has nothing to show yet, each state explains what happened, confirms savings are safe, and gives one next step.
Dashboard, savings and investments in one visual language
Fewer questions about the app, more about investing
fewer app-related support requests after the redesign
Based on the team's monthly support dataFewer people asked what Sortika was for or how to find things. The questions that remained were about investing: how much to put in, how to read the projections, and how different amounts change the outcome. Users needed less help with the app and more help with their decisions.
Sortika grew from 2,000 early customers to more than 13,000 as the platform evolved. My work focused on removing usability barriers, simplifying the key financial workflows, and improving the experience as the product scaled.
Stakeholders also made UX research part of how they plan work.
Key learnings
Learning finance by asking the team
I designed a financial app with no finance background. The team explained the domain whenever I asked, and I now start every project in a new field by learning the domain first.
Stakeholders adopted research after watching it work
The team started using UX research once they saw findings turn into design decisions in real time.
Plain language was most of the work
For first-time investors, the most useful design work was rewriting industry terms in words they already use.
Next, I would run a study on whether goal-based saving changes saving habits, and expand the virtual assistant from Q&A into proactive nudges.