Overview
SonarX was built to help everyday people get into crypto staking without the overwhelm—but its first version made things harder, not easier. Instead of welcoming newcomers, it left them confused, frustrated, and unsure whether they could trust the product at all.
The experience was packed with crypto jargon, confusing flows, and unexplained mechanics. Most users dropped off before completing onboarding. Internally, there was no design system in place, which meant inconsistencies across screens and friction for developers. It wasn’t just a UX problem—it was a business risk.
But the opportunity was still there. The market was growing. The demand was real. SonarX just needed to earn trust and guide users clearly through complex decisions.
My Role & Collaboration
I joined the SonarX team as the Lead Product Designer, taking full ownership of the product experience from strategy through to developer handoff. I wasn’t just designing screens—I was shaping the foundation for how the product would communicate, onboard, and grow.
In a lean, high-ownership startup environment, I wore multiple hats:
Defined the UX vision and roadmap in direct alignment with company goals
Led research and synthesis to understand where V1 had gone wrong
Designed flows, wireframes, prototypes, and UI across the core product
Created the design system from scratch, components, scalable, and dev-friendly
Wrote clear, user-focused UX copy that translated technical terms into human language
Collaboration was close and continuous. I worked hand-in-hand with the CEO, PM, and two developers. We moved fast—syncing daily, testing weekly, and refining constantly. My job was not only to advocate for users, but to bring business and tech along with me. Every decision had to carry its weight.
The Missed Opportunity
SonarX’s first version was supposed to help people earn passive income through staking. But instead of onboarding users, it turned them away. The interface was filled with crypto jargon, unclear flows, and confusing reward logic—so much so that most people dropped off during signup.
Internally, it wasn’t much better. There was no design system. Screens looked and behaved inconsistently, and that slowed development to a crawl. Support tickets kept flooding in because no one really understood how rewards worked, or if their funds were even safe.
This wasn’t just a UX problem. It was a trust problem. A retention problem. A growth problem.
The product still had potential, but to realize it, we needed to completely rethink how we communicated value, simplified complexity, and rebuilt confidence, starting with the design.
A Clear Mission
I joined SonarX to lead that transformation.
The goal was clear: make staking simple, trustworthy, and transparent, especially for beginners. That meant stripping away complexity, clarifying every interaction, and making rewards and risks feel understandable, not mysterious.
We anchored the redesign around 3 key objectives:
Increase new user signups by making the product more approachable
Improve onboarding completion (targeting >70%, up from <40%)
Rebuild trust by proactively answering questions and reducing support tickets by at least 40%
This wasn’t just about polishing the UI. It was about creating an experience that could win back users, align with real-world user behavior, and support business goals like activation, retention, and engagement.
The Missed Opportunity
SonarX’s first version was supposed to help people earn passive income through staking. But instead of onboarding users, it turned them away. The interface was filled with crypto jargon, unclear flows, and confusing reward logic—so much so that most people dropped off during signup.
Internally, it wasn’t much better. There was no design system. Screens looked and behaved inconsistently, and that slowed development to a crawl. Support tickets kept flooding in because no one really understood how rewards worked, or if their funds were even safe.
This wasn’t just a UX problem. It was a trust problem. A retention problem. A growth problem.
The product still had potential, but to realize it, we needed to completely rethink how we communicated value, simplified complexity, and rebuilt confidence, starting with the design.
A Clear Mission
I joined SonarX to lead that transformation.
The goal was clear: make staking simple, trustworthy, and transparent, especially for beginners. That meant stripping away complexity, clarifying every interaction, and making rewards and risks feel understandable, not mysterious.
We anchored the redesign around 3 key objectives:
Increase new user signups by making the product more approachable
Improve onboarding completion (targeting >70%, up from <40%)
Rebuild trust by proactively answering questions and reducing support tickets by at least 40%
This wasn’t just about polishing the UI. It was about creating an experience that could win back users, align with real-world user behavior, and support business goals like activation, retention, and engagement.
The Missed Opportunity
SonarX’s first version was supposed to help people earn passive income through staking. But instead of onboarding users, it turned them away. The interface was filled with crypto jargon, unclear flows, and confusing reward logic—so much so that most people dropped off during signup.
Internally, it wasn’t much better. There was no design system. Screens looked and behaved inconsistently, and that slowed development to a crawl. Support tickets kept flooding in because no one really understood how rewards worked, or if their funds were even safe.
This wasn’t just a UX problem. It was a trust problem. A retention problem. A growth problem.
The product still had potential, but to realize it, we needed to completely rethink how we communicated value, simplified complexity, and rebuilt confidence, starting with the design.
A Clear Mission
I joined SonarX to lead that transformation.
The goal was clear: make staking simple, trustworthy, and transparent, especially for beginners. That meant stripping away complexity, clarifying every interaction, and making rewards and risks feel understandable, not mysterious.
We anchored the redesign around 3 key objectives:
Increase new user signups by making the product more approachable
Improve onboarding completion (targeting >70%, up from <40%)
Rebuild trust by proactively answering questions and reducing support tickets by at least 40%
This wasn’t just about polishing the UI. It was about creating an experience that could win back users, align with real-world user behavior, and support business goals like activation, retention, and engagement.
Understanding the Users
Our main users weren’t crypto pros—they were curious people hearing about staking for the first time. They didn’t need advanced charts or trading tools. They needed reassurance. Clarity. A reason to believe this wasn’t going to go wrong.
These were crypto novices who had likely tried other apps and left feeling confused or intimidated. They didn’t understand terms like “validators” or “APY,” and they weren’t comfortable trusting an interface that didn’t explain what was happening.
Through internal research, team interviews, and pattern-matching from community forums, we uncovered 3 primary needs:
Clarity: Strip away the jargon. Use language and visuals that actually explain what staking means.
Confidence: Show users their money is safe. Make reward logic transparent. Use confirmations and consistent behavior to build trust.
Ease: Guide users with intuitive steps. Eliminate dead ends and decision paralysis. Make onboarding feel like progress, not a test.
We also designed with community users in mind—those already familiar with staking who wanted faster access to performance data and controls.
Lastly, because the app was meant for a global, mobile-first audience, we had to keep things culturally neutral, intuitive without translation, and fluid across screen sizes.
Understanding the Users
Our main users weren’t crypto pros—they were curious people hearing about staking for the first time. They didn’t need advanced charts or trading tools. They needed reassurance. Clarity. A reason to believe this wasn’t going to go wrong.
These were crypto novices who had likely tried other apps and left feeling confused or intimidated. They didn’t understand terms like “validators” or “APY,” and they weren’t comfortable trusting an interface that didn’t explain what was happening.
Through internal research, team interviews, and pattern-matching from community forums, we uncovered 3 primary needs:
Clarity: Strip away the jargon. Use language and visuals that actually explain what staking means.
Confidence: Show users their money is safe. Make reward logic transparent. Use confirmations and consistent behavior to build trust.
Ease: Guide users with intuitive steps. Eliminate dead ends and decision paralysis. Make onboarding feel like progress, not a test.
We also designed with community users in mind—those already familiar with staking who wanted faster access to performance data and controls.
Lastly, because the app was meant for a global, mobile-first audience, we had to keep things culturally neutral, intuitive without translation, and fluid across screen sizes.
Understanding the Users
Our main users weren’t crypto pros—they were curious people hearing about staking for the first time. They didn’t need advanced charts or trading tools. They needed reassurance. Clarity. A reason to believe this wasn’t going to go wrong.
These were crypto novices who had likely tried other apps and left feeling confused or intimidated. They didn’t understand terms like “validators” or “APY,” and they weren’t comfortable trusting an interface that didn’t explain what was happening.
Through internal research, team interviews, and pattern-matching from community forums, we uncovered 3 primary needs:
Clarity: Strip away the jargon. Use language and visuals that actually explain what staking means.
Confidence: Show users their money is safe. Make reward logic transparent. Use confirmations and consistent behavior to build trust.
Ease: Guide users with intuitive steps. Eliminate dead ends and decision paralysis. Make onboarding feel like progress, not a test.
We also designed with community users in mind—those already familiar with staking who wanted faster access to performance data and controls.
Lastly, because the app was meant for a global, mobile-first audience, we had to keep things culturally neutral, intuitive without translation, and fluid across screen sizes.
Research That Shaped the Strategy
Redesigning SonarX wasn’t just about making the interface prettier—it was about understanding why people weren’t staying, what was breaking their trust, and how we could help them feel confident staking crypto for the first time.
With limited budget and time, I used a lean, focused research approach to quickly gather high-signal insights that could guide design decisions.
Research Methods
1. Competitive Analysis (10+ platforms)
I benchmarked leading staking platforms like Lido, Coinbase, Revolut, Kraken, and several smaller apps. The goal was to study onboarding flows, visual clarity, terminology use, reward displays, and mobile performance. Most competitors either overwhelmed the user with charts and jargon or oversimplified without providing needed context. Few hit the right balance of transparency and approachability.
2. Heuristic Evaluation (SonarX V1)
Using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics, I ran a detailed audit of V1. Key issues included poor feedback visibility (no confirmation of transactions), lack of help/instruction at key friction points, inconsistent terminology, and missing affordances. The result: users had no mental model for how staking actually worked inside the app.
3. Stakeholder Interviews (Founder, PM, Devs)
I spoke with the CEO, PM, and both engineers to understand SonarX V1's history. I uncovered critical constraints and legacy decisions—like how reward logic was calculated, which parts of the UI caused the most confusion internally, and where devs were spending most of their build time (due to missing design structure and handoff clarity).
4. Community Research (Reddit, Discord, Product Hunt, Twitter)
Instead of paid user research, I turned to where real users already talk: crypto subreddits, Discord servers, and threads on Product Hunt. I synthesized hundreds of comments to extract recurring beginner pain points, such as:
“I don’t know where my money goes once I stake it.”
“What’s the difference between validators? Why should I care?”
“This app assumes I already understand staking. I don’t.”
These were gold. They revealed not just UX gaps, but emotional friction—confusion, doubt, and fear.
Key Insights
Crypto products often over-explain or under-guide.
Most platforms throw users into the deep end, assuming prior knowledge or flooding the screen with data. There’s rarely just-in-time education or scaffolding.Onboarding lacked context, education, and pacing.
SonarX V1 presented too many choices up front (validators, lock periods, fees) with zero explanation. New users were left guessing.Reward systems were opaque and anxiety-inducing.
Users couldn’t understand when they'd get rewards, how much, or whether fees had been deducted. There were no breakdowns or in-app explanations.Mobile UX was weak across the category.
Most competitors were not optimized for small screens. Important data was truncated, interactions weren’t touch-friendly, and flows felt like desktop crammed into mobile.
Design Opportunities (Tied to Strategy)
1. Design SonarX as the “Beginner-First” Staking App
Everything—from tone of voice to layout—should reassure and guide users who are staking for the first time. That meant:
Using real-world analogies (“staking = earning rewards for helping secure the network”)
Giving users a visual walkthrough of what happens after they stake
Defaulting to safer, simpler options with the ability to go deeper later
2. Shift from Reactive Support to Proactive UI Clarity
Instead of expecting users to search FAQs or open support tickets, I embedded help directly into the flow:
Microcopy at decision points (e.g., “Choosing a validator? Don’t worry—SonarX auto-selects a safe option.”)
Tooltips and info modals tied to reward summaries
Inline confirmations and visual feedback to reinforce that things worked
3. Apply Progressive Disclosure to All Flows
Rather than overwhelm users up front, I broke flows into digestible steps:
Hidden advanced staking controls behind a “Show More” toggle
Letting users stake with 1 tap, and edit settings only if needed
Using simple CTA language like “Start earning” instead of “Delegate to Validator”
4. Map Research Directly to Business Goals
The insights were not abstract—they directly informed how we would:
Increase onboarding completion
Reduce reward-related support tickets
Build long-term trust and retention
Research That Shaped the Strategy
Redesigning SonarX wasn’t just about making the interface prettier—it was about understanding why people weren’t staying, what was breaking their trust, and how we could help them feel confident staking crypto for the first time.
With limited budget and time, I used a lean, focused research approach to quickly gather high-signal insights that could guide design decisions.
Research Methods
1. Competitive Analysis (10+ platforms)
I benchmarked leading staking platforms like Lido, Coinbase, Revolut, Kraken, and several smaller apps. The goal was to study onboarding flows, visual clarity, terminology use, reward displays, and mobile performance. Most competitors either overwhelmed the user with charts and jargon or oversimplified without providing needed context. Few hit the right balance of transparency and approachability.
2. Heuristic Evaluation (SonarX V1)
Using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics, I ran a detailed audit of V1. Key issues included poor feedback visibility (no confirmation of transactions), lack of help/instruction at key friction points, inconsistent terminology, and missing affordances. The result: users had no mental model for how staking actually worked inside the app.
3. Stakeholder Interviews (Founder, PM, Devs)
I spoke with the CEO, PM, and both engineers to understand SonarX V1's history. I uncovered critical constraints and legacy decisions—like how reward logic was calculated, which parts of the UI caused the most confusion internally, and where devs were spending most of their build time (due to missing design structure and handoff clarity).
4. Community Research (Reddit, Discord, Product Hunt, Twitter)
Instead of paid user research, I turned to where real users already talk: crypto subreddits, Discord servers, and threads on Product Hunt. I synthesized hundreds of comments to extract recurring beginner pain points, such as:
“I don’t know where my money goes once I stake it.”
“What’s the difference between validators? Why should I care?”
“This app assumes I already understand staking. I don’t.”
These were gold. They revealed not just UX gaps, but emotional friction—confusion, doubt, and fear.
Key Insights
Crypto products often over-explain or under-guide.
Most platforms throw users into the deep end, assuming prior knowledge or flooding the screen with data. There’s rarely just-in-time education or scaffolding.Onboarding lacked context, education, and pacing.
SonarX V1 presented too many choices up front (validators, lock periods, fees) with zero explanation. New users were left guessing.Reward systems were opaque and anxiety-inducing.
Users couldn’t understand when they'd get rewards, how much, or whether fees had been deducted. There were no breakdowns or in-app explanations.Mobile UX was weak across the category.
Most competitors were not optimized for small screens. Important data was truncated, interactions weren’t touch-friendly, and flows felt like desktop crammed into mobile.
Design Opportunities (Tied to Strategy)
1. Design SonarX as the “Beginner-First” Staking App
Everything—from tone of voice to layout—should reassure and guide users who are staking for the first time. That meant:
Using real-world analogies (“staking = earning rewards for helping secure the network”)
Giving users a visual walkthrough of what happens after they stake
Defaulting to safer, simpler options with the ability to go deeper later
2. Shift from Reactive Support to Proactive UI Clarity
Instead of expecting users to search FAQs or open support tickets, I embedded help directly into the flow:
Microcopy at decision points (e.g., “Choosing a validator? Don’t worry—SonarX auto-selects a safe option.”)
Tooltips and info modals tied to reward summaries
Inline confirmations and visual feedback to reinforce that things worked
3. Apply Progressive Disclosure to All Flows
Rather than overwhelm users up front, I broke flows into digestible steps:
Hidden advanced staking controls behind a “Show More” toggle
Letting users stake with 1 tap, and edit settings only if needed
Using simple CTA language like “Start earning” instead of “Delegate to Validator”
4. Map Research Directly to Business Goals
The insights were not abstract—they directly informed how we would:
Increase onboarding completion
Reduce reward-related support tickets
Build long-term trust and retention
Research That Shaped the Strategy
Redesigning SonarX wasn’t just about making the interface prettier—it was about understanding why people weren’t staying, what was breaking their trust, and how we could help them feel confident staking crypto for the first time.
With limited budget and time, I used a lean, focused research approach to quickly gather high-signal insights that could guide design decisions.
Research Methods
1. Competitive Analysis (10+ platforms)
I benchmarked leading staking platforms like Lido, Coinbase, Revolut, Kraken, and several smaller apps. The goal was to study onboarding flows, visual clarity, terminology use, reward displays, and mobile performance. Most competitors either overwhelmed the user with charts and jargon or oversimplified without providing needed context. Few hit the right balance of transparency and approachability.
2. Heuristic Evaluation (SonarX V1)
Using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics, I ran a detailed audit of V1. Key issues included poor feedback visibility (no confirmation of transactions), lack of help/instruction at key friction points, inconsistent terminology, and missing affordances. The result: users had no mental model for how staking actually worked inside the app.
3. Stakeholder Interviews (Founder, PM, Devs)
I spoke with the CEO, PM, and both engineers to understand SonarX V1's history. I uncovered critical constraints and legacy decisions—like how reward logic was calculated, which parts of the UI caused the most confusion internally, and where devs were spending most of their build time (due to missing design structure and handoff clarity).
4. Community Research (Reddit, Discord, Product Hunt, Twitter)
Instead of paid user research, I turned to where real users already talk: crypto subreddits, Discord servers, and threads on Product Hunt. I synthesized hundreds of comments to extract recurring beginner pain points, such as:
“I don’t know where my money goes once I stake it.”
“What’s the difference between validators? Why should I care?”
“This app assumes I already understand staking. I don’t.”
These were gold. They revealed not just UX gaps, but emotional friction—confusion, doubt, and fear.
Key Insights
Crypto products often over-explain or under-guide.
Most platforms throw users into the deep end, assuming prior knowledge or flooding the screen with data. There’s rarely just-in-time education or scaffolding.Onboarding lacked context, education, and pacing.
SonarX V1 presented too many choices up front (validators, lock periods, fees) with zero explanation. New users were left guessing.Reward systems were opaque and anxiety-inducing.
Users couldn’t understand when they'd get rewards, how much, or whether fees had been deducted. There were no breakdowns or in-app explanations.Mobile UX was weak across the category.
Most competitors were not optimized for small screens. Important data was truncated, interactions weren’t touch-friendly, and flows felt like desktop crammed into mobile.
Design Opportunities (Tied to Strategy)
1. Design SonarX as the “Beginner-First” Staking App
Everything—from tone of voice to layout—should reassure and guide users who are staking for the first time. That meant:
Using real-world analogies (“staking = earning rewards for helping secure the network”)
Giving users a visual walkthrough of what happens after they stake
Defaulting to safer, simpler options with the ability to go deeper later
2. Shift from Reactive Support to Proactive UI Clarity
Instead of expecting users to search FAQs or open support tickets, I embedded help directly into the flow:
Microcopy at decision points (e.g., “Choosing a validator? Don’t worry—SonarX auto-selects a safe option.”)
Tooltips and info modals tied to reward summaries
Inline confirmations and visual feedback to reinforce that things worked
3. Apply Progressive Disclosure to All Flows
Rather than overwhelm users up front, I broke flows into digestible steps:
Hidden advanced staking controls behind a “Show More” toggle
Letting users stake with 1 tap, and edit settings only if needed
Using simple CTA language like “Start earning” instead of “Delegate to Validator”
4. Map Research Directly to Business Goals
The insights were not abstract—they directly informed how we would:
Increase onboarding completion
Reduce reward-related support tickets
Build long-term trust and retention
Strategy & Execution
I led the design process end-to-end—from setting the UX vision to handing off a fully spec’d component system—grounding every step in user empathy, product feasibility, and business value.
At the heart of my design approach were four principles:
Clarity First
Every word, screen, and interaction had to eliminate confusion. I used plain language, consistent visual structure, and iconography designed to be instantly recognizable, even for first-time users.Transparency by Default
I made sure users always knew what was happening with their money. This meant surfacing staking status, reward schedules, lock-up periods, and fees right when users needed to see them—no hunting, no guessing.Progressive Disclosure
I intentionally revealed complexity only when it added value. For example, validator selection and advanced staking settings were hidden by default and could be expanded only when the user expressed intent.Guided Action
Each flow was restructured to clearly present the next best step. No dead ends, no ambiguity—just forward momentum and contextual nudges.
The UX Process in Action
Here’s how those principles shaped my execution across the core flows:
Onboarding
The old onboarding experience threw users into forms without guidance. I redesigned it as a step-by-step journey that:
Explained what staking is, in human terms
Built confidence with security cues and small wins (e.g., “You’re almost there!”)
Used milestones and progress indicators to reduce abandonment
I tested and iterated this flow internally, adjusting pacing, copy, and structure based on stakeholder walk-throughs and observed user friction.
Staking Flow
V1’s staking flow was a UX minefield—too many decisions, too much text, not enough trust. I stripped it down to:
A 3-step flow with smart defaults (e.g., auto-selected validator)
Clear copy like “Start Earning” instead of “Delegate”
Simple confirmations and a frictionless cancel/back mechanism
The result was a path that felt fast, safe, and reversible—key for first-timers.
Dashboards & Trust Layers
I redesigned the dashboard experience to make it a center of calm and control:
Clear display of total staked, earnings-to-date, and next payout
Color-coded signals for staking health and status
Contextual tooltips and help text built into every key figure (not hidden in docs)
This clarity helped preempt the kinds of questions that had previously led to a high volume of support tickets.
Design System
To solve SonarX’s inconsistency problems and reduce engineering overhead, I built a complete WCAG-compliant design system in Figma from scratch. It included:
A modular component library (buttons, inputs, cards, dialogs, etc.) with documentation
Token-based styles for typography, color, spacing, and elevation
Scalable layout patterns that could support future features (e.g., team staking)
Built-in accessibility best practices (e.g., color contrast, focus states, keyboard nav planning)
This system saved developers time, improved design–engineering handoff, and enabled us to scale future features with consistency and speed.
Strategy & Execution
I led the design process end-to-end—from setting the UX vision to handing off a fully spec’d component system—grounding every step in user empathy, product feasibility, and business value.
At the heart of my design approach were four principles:
Clarity First
Every word, screen, and interaction had to eliminate confusion. I used plain language, consistent visual structure, and iconography designed to be instantly recognizable, even for first-time users.Transparency by Default
I made sure users always knew what was happening with their money. This meant surfacing staking status, reward schedules, lock-up periods, and fees right when users needed to see them—no hunting, no guessing.Progressive Disclosure
I intentionally revealed complexity only when it added value. For example, validator selection and advanced staking settings were hidden by default and could be expanded only when the user expressed intent.Guided Action
Each flow was restructured to clearly present the next best step. No dead ends, no ambiguity—just forward momentum and contextual nudges.
The UX Process in Action
Here’s how those principles shaped my execution across the core flows:
Onboarding
The old onboarding experience threw users into forms without guidance. I redesigned it as a step-by-step journey that:
Explained what staking is, in human terms
Built confidence with security cues and small wins (e.g., “You’re almost there!”)
Used milestones and progress indicators to reduce abandonment
I tested and iterated this flow internally, adjusting pacing, copy, and structure based on stakeholder walk-throughs and observed user friction.
Staking Flow
V1’s staking flow was a UX minefield—too many decisions, too much text, not enough trust. I stripped it down to:
A 3-step flow with smart defaults (e.g., auto-selected validator)
Clear copy like “Start Earning” instead of “Delegate”
Simple confirmations and a frictionless cancel/back mechanism
The result was a path that felt fast, safe, and reversible—key for first-timers.
Dashboards & Trust Layers
I redesigned the dashboard experience to make it a center of calm and control:
Clear display of total staked, earnings-to-date, and next payout
Color-coded signals for staking health and status
Contextual tooltips and help text built into every key figure (not hidden in docs)
This clarity helped preempt the kinds of questions that had previously led to a high volume of support tickets.
Design System
To solve SonarX’s inconsistency problems and reduce engineering overhead, I built a complete WCAG-compliant design system in Figma from scratch. It included:
A modular component library (buttons, inputs, cards, dialogs, etc.) with documentation
Token-based styles for typography, color, spacing, and elevation
Scalable layout patterns that could support future features (e.g., team staking)
Built-in accessibility best practices (e.g., color contrast, focus states, keyboard nav planning)
This system saved developers time, improved design–engineering handoff, and enabled us to scale future features with consistency and speed.
Strategy & Execution
I led the design process end-to-end—from setting the UX vision to handing off a fully spec’d component system—grounding every step in user empathy, product feasibility, and business value.
At the heart of my design approach were four principles:
Clarity First
Every word, screen, and interaction had to eliminate confusion. I used plain language, consistent visual structure, and iconography designed to be instantly recognizable, even for first-time users.Transparency by Default
I made sure users always knew what was happening with their money. This meant surfacing staking status, reward schedules, lock-up periods, and fees right when users needed to see them—no hunting, no guessing.Progressive Disclosure
I intentionally revealed complexity only when it added value. For example, validator selection and advanced staking settings were hidden by default and could be expanded only when the user expressed intent.Guided Action
Each flow was restructured to clearly present the next best step. No dead ends, no ambiguity—just forward momentum and contextual nudges.
The UX Process in Action
Here’s how those principles shaped my execution across the core flows:
Onboarding
The old onboarding experience threw users into forms without guidance. I redesigned it as a step-by-step journey that:
Explained what staking is, in human terms
Built confidence with security cues and small wins (e.g., “You’re almost there!”)
Used milestones and progress indicators to reduce abandonment
I tested and iterated this flow internally, adjusting pacing, copy, and structure based on stakeholder walk-throughs and observed user friction.
Staking Flow
V1’s staking flow was a UX minefield—too many decisions, too much text, not enough trust. I stripped it down to:
A 3-step flow with smart defaults (e.g., auto-selected validator)
Clear copy like “Start Earning” instead of “Delegate”
Simple confirmations and a frictionless cancel/back mechanism
The result was a path that felt fast, safe, and reversible—key for first-timers.
Dashboards & Trust Layers
I redesigned the dashboard experience to make it a center of calm and control:
Clear display of total staked, earnings-to-date, and next payout
Color-coded signals for staking health and status
Contextual tooltips and help text built into every key figure (not hidden in docs)
This clarity helped preempt the kinds of questions that had previously led to a high volume of support tickets.
Design System
To solve SonarX’s inconsistency problems and reduce engineering overhead, I built a complete WCAG-compliant design system in Figma from scratch. It included:
A modular component library (buttons, inputs, cards, dialogs, etc.) with documentation
Token-based styles for typography, color, spacing, and elevation
Scalable layout patterns that could support future features (e.g., team staking)
Built-in accessibility best practices (e.g., color contrast, focus states, keyboard nav planning)
This system saved developers time, improved design–engineering handoff, and enabled us to scale future features with consistency and speed.
Validated Outcomes & Business Impact
While the SonarX redesign didn’t launch due to external business factors, the work delivered clear business value and strategic momentum that positioned the product for long-term success.
This wasn’t theoretical UX—it was real, validated improvement.
1. Usability Validation
Internal testing with 15 stakeholders and users showed 90%+ task success on core journeys (sign-up, staking, checking rewards)
Observations revealed major reductions in friction, hesitation, and second-guessing
Testers reported increased clarity, trust, and willingness to stake again
2. Rebuilt Trust and Transparency
Redesigned reward flows and contextual tooltips directly addressed V1’s top support issues
Interface now proactively explained how, when, and why users would receive earnings
Estimated 40% reduction in support tickets, based on patterns from internal feedback
3. Development Acceleration
Reusable, token-based components enabled 20–30% faster frontend build, per dev team estimates
The design system eliminated UI guesswork, leading to fewer QA cycles and less design–dev ping-pong
Clear documentation and prototypes smoothed cross-functional handoff, increasing overall dev confidence
4. Strategic Readiness
Delivered a fully documented, dev-ready product kit: high-fidelity prototype, UX flows, spec sheets, and a modular design system
Aligned product and technical leadership on a scalable, user-first design direction
Provided the company with a strong foundation for re-entering the market or pivoting to adjacent use cases
Reflections & Takeaways
SonarX wasn’t just a design challenge—it was a business recovery effort in a high-risk, highly technical space.
What I walked away with:
A stronger ability to translate complex systems into intuitive user flows
Deep experience aligning design work with measurable business outcomes (OKRs)
Confidence in using lean UX methods to produce insights under pressure
Broader leadership in helping a multi-disciplinary team pivot from failure to strategic clarity
This project reinforced a simple truth: great design isn't decoration—it’s risk mitigation, trust-building, and business alignment.
Even when products don’t launch, design can reduce waste, create clarity, and help teams move forward with confidence.
"If users don’t understand it, they won’t use it. If they don’t trust it, they’ll never come back."
Validated Outcomes & Business Impact
While the SonarX redesign didn’t launch due to external business factors, the work delivered clear business value and strategic momentum that positioned the product for long-term success.
This wasn’t theoretical UX—it was real, validated improvement.
1. Usability Validation
Internal testing with 15 stakeholders and users showed 90%+ task success on core journeys (sign-up, staking, checking rewards)
Observations revealed major reductions in friction, hesitation, and second-guessing
Testers reported increased clarity, trust, and willingness to stake again
2. Rebuilt Trust and Transparency
Redesigned reward flows and contextual tooltips directly addressed V1’s top support issues
Interface now proactively explained how, when, and why users would receive earnings
Estimated 40% reduction in support tickets, based on patterns from internal feedback
3. Development Acceleration
Reusable, token-based components enabled 20–30% faster frontend build, per dev team estimates
The design system eliminated UI guesswork, leading to fewer QA cycles and less design–dev ping-pong
Clear documentation and prototypes smoothed cross-functional handoff, increasing overall dev confidence
4. Strategic Readiness
Delivered a fully documented, dev-ready product kit: high-fidelity prototype, UX flows, spec sheets, and a modular design system
Aligned product and technical leadership on a scalable, user-first design direction
Provided the company with a strong foundation for re-entering the market or pivoting to adjacent use cases
Reflections & Takeaways
SonarX wasn’t just a design challenge—it was a business recovery effort in a high-risk, highly technical space.
What I walked away with:
A stronger ability to translate complex systems into intuitive user flows
Deep experience aligning design work with measurable business outcomes (OKRs)
Confidence in using lean UX methods to produce insights under pressure
Broader leadership in helping a multi-disciplinary team pivot from failure to strategic clarity
This project reinforced a simple truth: great design isn't decoration—it’s risk mitigation, trust-building, and business alignment.
Even when products don’t launch, design can reduce waste, create clarity, and help teams move forward with confidence.
"If users don’t understand it, they won’t use it. If they don’t trust it, they’ll never come back."
Validated Outcomes & Business Impact
While the SonarX redesign didn’t launch due to external business factors, the work delivered clear business value and strategic momentum that positioned the product for long-term success.
This wasn’t theoretical UX—it was real, validated improvement.
1. Usability Validation
Internal testing with 15 stakeholders and users showed 90%+ task success on core journeys (sign-up, staking, checking rewards)
Observations revealed major reductions in friction, hesitation, and second-guessing
Testers reported increased clarity, trust, and willingness to stake again
2. Rebuilt Trust and Transparency
Redesigned reward flows and contextual tooltips directly addressed V1’s top support issues
Interface now proactively explained how, when, and why users would receive earnings
Estimated 40% reduction in support tickets, based on patterns from internal feedback
3. Development Acceleration
Reusable, token-based components enabled 20–30% faster frontend build, per dev team estimates
The design system eliminated UI guesswork, leading to fewer QA cycles and less design–dev ping-pong
Clear documentation and prototypes smoothed cross-functional handoff, increasing overall dev confidence
4. Strategic Readiness
Delivered a fully documented, dev-ready product kit: high-fidelity prototype, UX flows, spec sheets, and a modular design system
Aligned product and technical leadership on a scalable, user-first design direction
Provided the company with a strong foundation for re-entering the market or pivoting to adjacent use cases
Reflections & Takeaways
SonarX wasn’t just a design challenge—it was a business recovery effort in a high-risk, highly technical space.
What I walked away with:
A stronger ability to translate complex systems into intuitive user flows
Deep experience aligning design work with measurable business outcomes (OKRs)
Confidence in using lean UX methods to produce insights under pressure
Broader leadership in helping a multi-disciplinary team pivot from failure to strategic clarity
This project reinforced a simple truth: great design isn't decoration—it’s risk mitigation, trust-building, and business alignment.
Even when products don’t launch, design can reduce waste, create clarity, and help teams move forward with confidence.
"If users don’t understand it, they won’t use it. If they don’t trust it, they’ll never come back."
Other projects
Let’s Work Together
I’m currently open to full-time remote product design roles. If you’re building something meaningful and need clarity, scalability, and great UX — let’s talk.
Let’s Work Together
I’m currently open to full-time remote product design roles. If you’re building something meaningful and need clarity, scalability, and great UX — let’s talk.