Fintech2022–23Shipped

Vale Finance

From savings app
to everyday bank.

+152%Growth in assets under management

Role: Product Designer
Timeline: 8 months · 2023
Team: Product, data, PM, engineering, tech sales
Platforms: Cross-platform mobile + responsive web
Outcome: +152% AUM growth

Chapter 01

The problem

Vale (formerly FundBae) was doing fine as a savings and investment app, but users kept leaving for the basics: transfers, bills, airtime.

That friction stopped Vale becoming an everyday essential, and capped growth. The brief: become a full personal bank, inside a regulated environment, without losing trust.

“I hate having to use five different apps just to move my money around.”

Chapter 02

What I found

01Users wanted more than savings

02The UI had to do less, better

03People save for others, not just themselves

04Motivation was missing

05Trust and that “bank feel” mattered

User interview

“It should feel like a wallet I can pull out for anything: send money, pay bills, top up.”

User interview

“It’s not that I don’t want to save, I just forget. If the app reminded me, I’d keep going.”

User interview

“It took me three tries to sign up. It kept giving a password error.”

30+ interviews · 3 personas · 10+ UX improvements shipped

Chapter 03

Who I designed for

Research split Vale’s users into three segments: Starters, Builders and Bosses. Each became a persona the team designed against, and they decided which savings plans survived the redesign.

24 · Economist · Lagos

Starter Steve

“To live fully and freely, you need to plan your finances wisely.”

Wants

Disciplined savings towards a master’s abroad
Quick, easy transfers and payments
A savings habit that sticks

Struggles with

New to managing his own money
Saves, then forgets to keep going
Extra charges and hidden fees

35 · Baker · Abuja

Builder Kemi

“Secure today, shape tomorrow. Every decision is a stepping stone.”

Wants

A good education for her two children
A nest egg for retirement
Room to grow her baking business

Struggles with

Long-term plans vs day-to-day costs
Not always reaching her savings goals
Financial tools that are hard to use

50 · Executive · Port Harcourt

Boss Kayode

“Wealth is a continuous flow of passive income.”

Wants

Grow and protect his wealth safely
One place for a diverse portfolio
More passive income, legally and reliably

Struggles with

Investments scattered across platforms
Finding platforms he can trust
Technology that gets in the way

Chapter 04

Key decisions

Three weeks of whiteboarding with the CPO, PM and Tech Sales narrowed the brief to three moves.

Six plans became two

My Target for goal-based saving, My Vault for locked savings with interest upfront. 53% less confusion at setup, 28% more plans activated.

Everything on home

Transfers, bills, airtime and data on the home screen, with naira and dollar balances split clearly. +22% deposits, 41% faster everyday tasks.

Lighter onboarding

A feature-led splash, KYC moved into its own flow and a short guided walkthrough. +18% completed sign-ups, 32% fewer drop-offs.

Chapter 05

The redesign

Scroll sideways for 6 key screens →

Chapter 06

The impact

+152%AUM growth

100k+Registered users

₦9.7BTransactions in 2023

Screen-level results were measured within 90 days of launch. AUM milestones are from Vale’s public announcements: ₦2B at full launch (2024), ₦3B+ in 2025.

After I left

“The design still holds up.”

Vale crossed ₦2B in assets under management at the full launch in 2024 and ₦3B+ in 2025. The system I designed stayed in production for more than two years, and in 2025 Vale’s CTO messaged to say the design still held up.

note from Vale’s CTO

₦3B+ AUM, 2025

Chapter 07

What I’d do differently

Set baselines before redesigning.

Some numbers blend design with new banking features. Per-journey baselines would show design’s share more cleanly.

Bring compliance into the first workshop.

Government rules shaped onboarding and KYC. Involving them on day one saves late rework.

Next project

TRU