Design System
Higlobe
Higlobe helps people get paid across borders, and fintech has a habit of making that feel harder than it is. I cut onboarding from 12+ steps to 4, turned KYC into something people actually finish and built the design system the product still runs on.
Client
Higlobe
Industry
Fintech / International payments
Role
UX/UI Designer
Year
2022
Higlobe is a fintech platform that moves money between US companies and the international professionals they work with. I joined in the very early days as an occasional freelancer. Thanks to my experience building fintech products, they asked me to come on full-time and build the product and its design system.
Challenge
In fintech, the hard part isn't making things look trustworthy. It's keeping them grounded, simple and accessible, so anyone understands what's expected of them and nobody gives up halfway. Higlobe's onboarding asked for more than 12 steps before anyone saw any value, and KYC is where most people quietly leave.
Solution
I cut onboarding from more than 12 steps to 4. For KYC, I illustrated and animated each step, so identity checks felt guided instead of interrogated. Under all of it, I built a consistent design system with strong foundations, giving design and engineering one shared language from day one.
Outcome
Onboarding reduced from 12+ steps to 4.
Illustrated, animated KYC steps that significantly reduced drop-off and improved completion.
A design system Higlobe still uses today, confirmed by my former lead.
A product that has kept growing, with new products and new markets on the same foundations.
From freelancer to full-time
I started as an occasional freelancer. Higlobe needed someone who already knew how fintech products work, so the side gig became a full-time job: build the product and the system behind it.
12 steps to 4
Every extra onboarding step is a chance to lose someone. I questioned each one until only four were left, without skipping anything the business or compliance actually needed.
KYC without the cold sweat
Identity checks are where fintech products lose people. Illustrated, animated steps made it clear what to do and why, and drop-off went down significantly.
A system that outlasted me
The design system had one job: make consistency the default. Years later, Higlobe still builds on it, through new products and new markets.
Services
Product design, UX/UI design, Design system
Tools
Figma, Illustrator, After Effects
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