Arch: Diversified Decentralized Finance Investing

Founding Product Designer

2021-2023

arch.finance

Arch overview screenshot of live product

Overview

Redesigning a Core Conversion Flow for a DeFi Investing Platform

I led the end-to-end redesign of Arch’s onboarding and investment flow after the initial product launch resulted in less than 1% user conversion.

Through user research, funnel analysis, and UX restructuring, I redesigned the experience to reduce cognitive load for new users navigating complex DeFi transactions for the first time. The redesign ultimately increased conversion to 18%.

Read case study for our first experience that failed

Role

Founding Product Designer

Team

CEO, CTO, CPO, engineers

Timeline

8 weeks

Platform

Web & Mobile

Responsibilities

  • UX strategy and research
  • product flows and interaction design
  • web and mobile UI design
  • design system creation
  • cross-functional collaboration with engineering and founders

The Problem

Although Arch offered a compelling DeFi investment product, the onboarding experience created significant friction for new users. Less than 1% of users completed the core investment flow.

Research revealed three key issues:

  • The product’s value proposition was unclear
  • The experience did not align with familiar financial UX patterns and was too complicated
  • Web3 concepts like wallet connections introduced unfamiliar steps early in the journey

As a result, users dropped off before reaching the core investment experience.

Research & Insights

To understand where users struggled, I analyzed:

  • Product funnel data in Amplitude
  • Existing product metadata
  • Usability patterns across established fintech platforms

I also conducted multiple user interviews to understand how new users interpreted the product and where confusion occurred.

Key Insight

Users approached DeFi investing with mental models shaped by traditional finance products, but the product introduced unfamiliar Web3 interactions too early in the experience.

Research session including competitive benchmarking, flow analysis, insights, insights synthesis, flow proposal, and storyboard

Design Approach

Rather than exposing the full complexity of DeFi upfront, the redesigned experience was restructured to guide users using a new mixture of familiar UX mental models of traditional finance and e-commerce.

Key changes included: 

  • Creating a product listings page
  • Aligning interaction patterns with familiar UX mental models like introducing wallet creation as creating an account
  • Funding wallet directly with fiat became possible after implementing our own onramp
  • Simplifying decision points in the investment journey (fewer clicks to purchase)

Mobile app UI/UX design using new design system library

Desktop app UI/UX design of wallet and product overview page

Outcome

The redesigned onboarding flow significantly improved the product’s usability and adoption.

Results:

  • Conversion increased from <1% to 18%
  • The redesigned experience clarified the product’s value proposition
  • Users were able to complete complex DeFi transactions with greater confidence

The redesigned UX became the foundation for the product moving forward.

Creating or connecting a new Web3 wallet and making a purchase screen

Overview of launched end-to-end experience that achieved 18% conversion rate

Reflection

Designing Arch required balancing complex financial systems with accessible user experiences.

As the founding designer, I worked across research, product strategy, and interface design while navigating the ambiguity of an early-stage startup.

This experience strengthened my ability to:

  • Design complex systems from first principles
  • Align user needs with emerging technologies
  • Iterate quickly in high-uncertainty environments

Arch product details page mock-up