SMART VALOR App, Exchange Platform
SMART VALOR - Zug, Switzerland
Improving trading and portfolio experiences for a regulated crypto exchange.
ROLE
Senior Product Designer
TEAM
1 Designer - 5 Engineers - 1 Project Manager
SCOPE
End-to-End, Product Design, UX, UI, Prototyping
SYSTEM
Web, iOS & Android
Context
SMART VALOR is a regulated Swiss crypto exchange, publicly listed on Nasdaq.
Users buy, sell, trade, and stake digital assets across web and mobile. The product was scaling fast across multiple surfaces, exchange, wallet, staking, serving very different audiences at once.
Products
Exchange Surfaces
Webapp Platform Exchange
iOS & Android
3
User types
Professional Traders
First-time Investors
DeFi Users
1 / 0
One Exchange - Zero Apps
Webapp Platform Exchange existed and worked
Apps were designed from scratch
Impact
A unified ecosystem across web and mobile, complex trading turned into intuitive user journeys.
Building the design system upfront, before either surface was finalized, is what kept web and mobile coherent and let us move fast without drifting.
↓ Higher engagement & conversion
Validated via A/B testing
↓ Reduced onboarding time and support tickets
↑ Design consistency across the webapp Exchange Platform and Mobile App via the new system
Problem
The exchange was growing, but the experience hadn't kept pace.
The Exchange Platform users relied on had grown complex over time, and trading still lived almost entirely on desktop. That left two very different audiences underserved at the same moment, experienced traders pushing against the limits of the existing setup, and newcomers with no easy way in. The work was to fix what was already there and build what was missing, without compromising either.
On Web
No native product. Trading lived on desktop only. The team needed a mobile app built from the ground up, simpler actions, without compromising security or functionality.
How I Solved It
I ran two tracks in parallel, redesigning the existing web exchange and building the mobile app from scratch, anchored by a single design system so the two surfaces stayed consistent.
1
Research, Journeys
User research, trader pain-point and customer journey mapping
Learn More
2
Framework
Functional flows and data elements for engineering
3
Architecture
Multi-step, cross-platform information architecture
Learn More
4
Prototypes
Hi-fi prototypes, built with dev collaboration
Final Design
The first flows decide whether a new user stays
This set takes them from sign-up to a funded wallet without friction - guided onboarding, a portfolio view that makes balances and staking legible at a glance, and a fiat on-ramp to buy a first crypto in a few clear steps. Once users are in, the app carries the real work without overwhelming anyone: a crypto-to-crypto convert flow, real-time markets and watchlists, and transactions built around clear confirmation summaries and contextual help.
The following mockups showcase the feature:
Getting Started:
Onboarding
Wallet
Buy & Sell
Active Trading:
Convert, Crypto-to-Crypto
Markets & Watchlist
Secure Transactions
Getting Started
ONBOARDING
Up And Running
Guided sign-up takes first-time users from download to first deposit, no friction.
WALLET
Everything At A Glance
Total balance, assets and staking in one view, tracked across the whole wallet.
BUY & SELL
First Crypto, Fast
A simple fiat on-ramp to buy a first crypto in a few clear steps.
Active Trading
CONVERT, CRYPTO-TO-CRYPTO
One Asset Into Another
Select, set amount, preview, confirm. Sell one, receive another.
MARKETS & WATCHLIST
Follow What Matters
Real-time prices and watchlists for the assets that matter most.
SECURE TRANSACTIONS
No Surprises
Clear confirmation summaries and contextual help on every transaction.
Crypto-to-Crypto Flow
Five steps from picking an asset to a confirmed order, with a limit order if you want to set the price.
CHOOSE WHAT YOU GET
SET WHAT YOU PAY
ENTER AMOUNT & PRICE
REVIEW THE SUMMARY
ORDER CONFIRMED
Exchange Platform
Redesigned the Exchange Platform and advanced trading - clearer hierarchy, simpler order flows, consistent navigation. Built with devs and stakeholders to stay usable while meeting crypto's security standards.
EXCHANGE PLATFORM VIEW
ADVANCED TRADING VIEW
Reflections
1
System first, surfaces second
Building the design system before either web or mobile was finalized is what kept two parallel products coherent, and let us move fast without drifting.
2
One exchange, two opposite users
Pro traders and first-timers wanted opposite things from the same product. The work wasn't adding features, it was deciding what each surface puts first.
3
In regulated crypto, clarity is a security feature
Clear previews and confirmation summaries built more trust than any extra warning, every action is understandable before it's final.