*️⃣ MONEY DESIGN

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How does a designer go from banking apps to a self-custodial crypto wallet? In MONEY DESIGN Episode 1, Mostafa Esmaeili shares that path and what this show is for.

MONEY DESIGN is a podcast and newsletter about financial product design and fintech UX: how banking apps and crypto wallets are really built, including the trade-offs, constraints and outcomes behind the screens.

IN THIS EPISODE

- Why friction in money apps (confusing screens, missing confirmations, last-second fees) is usually the result of design decisions, some deliberate and some not

- The banking years: personal finance tools, bill splitting and transfers at Saman Bank, and a unified design system across banking products at blu Bank

- Why design in regulated environments is a negotiation between user clarity, compliance, legacy systems and risk teams

- The move to crypto: leading design on walllet.com, a self-custodial wallet, where onboarding has to be secure and simple and multi-network complexity has to stay invisible

- Why a beautiful interface that hides information is not good design, and why removing necessary friction can be dangerous

- What comes next: solo episodes on wallet UX, banking constraints and the space between

QUESTIONS THIS EPISODE ANSWERS

- What makes designing for money different from other product design?

- How is designing a crypto wallet different from designing a banking app?

- How do designers work with compliance without losing the user's point of view?

- Why do money apps feel full of friction?

ABOUT THE HOST

Mostafa Esmaeili is a Product Design leader at the intersection of FinTech, Banking and Crypto UX, with 10+ years designing digital banking, personal finance and self-custodial wallet products.

WHO IT'S FOR

Product designers, design leaders, product managers and founders building banking, fintech and crypto products.

Topics: fintech UX, financial product design, banking app design, crypto wallet UX, self-custody, design careers, compliance and design, design systems, onboarding, trust in design

Subscribe to the MONEY DESIGN newsletter

Why do money apps create friction? In Episode 0 of MONEY DESIGN, Design Director Mostafa Esmaeili explains the design decisions behind it and what this show covers.

MONEY DESIGN is a podcast and newsletter about financial product design and fintech UX: how banking apps and crypto wallets are really built, including the trade-offs, constraints and outcomes behind the screens.

IN THIS EPISODE

- Why confusing screens, missing confirmations and last-second fees are usually the result of design decisions, some deliberate and some not

- Why designing for money is different: people decide whether to move, lock, spend or leave value, so trust is the product

- Mostafa's path from banking (Saman Bank, blu Bank) to crypto (walllet.com, a self-custodial wallet)

- Why design in regulated environments is a negotiation between user clarity, compliance, legacy systems and risk teams

- What changes in self-custody: onboarding that is secure and simple, multi-network complexity kept invisible, and recovery, lending and swap flows people can trust

- Why neither extreme works: banking interfaces that treat users like bank staff, and crypto products that assume everyone is a power user

QUESTIONS THIS SHOW ANSWERS

- How do you design for trust when a financial product is new?

- How do you simplify without hiding risk?

- How do you work with compliance and engineering without losing the user's point of view?

- How do you measure whether a financial experience is actually working?

ABOUT THE HOST

Mostafa Esmaeili is a Design Director with 10+ years designing fintech, digital banking and Web3/DeFi products, from personal finance tools and multi-product banking platforms to a self-custodial wallet.

WHO IT'S FOR

Product designers, product managers, founders and engineers building banking, fintech and crypto products, and anyone frustrated by them.

FIND MOSTAFA Esmaeili

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Topics: fintech UX, financial product design, banking app design, crypto wallet UX, self-custody, trust in design, compliance and design, design systems, onboarding, passkeys.

#MoneyDesign #FintechUX #ProductDesign #CryptoWallets