Bankera: Trading platform UI design
Bankera was a blockchain-based trading and digital banking platform launched as an early-stage startup in 2017. It aimed to become a “bank for the blockchain era,” offering an all-in-one service for cryptocurrency and fiat transactions coinspeaker.com.
As the UX/UI Designer, I was tasked with creating a seamless trading experience across web and mobile. This included designing a complex trading interface, user onboarding with identity verification (KYC), transaction history and deposit pages, and a unified style guide.
The project was fast-paced and high stakes – Bankera’s initial coin offering (ICO) raised over $70 million, one of the largest fintech ICOs at the time coinspeaker.com, and the company even went on to acquire a licensed bank to bolster its services coinspeaker.com.
The following case study outlines the UX challenges we faced, the design solutions implemented, and the outcomes of the project.
Responsibilities
I owned the end-to-end user experience design for the trading platform.
This involved conducting UX research on crypto trading workflows, defining the information architecture, creating wireframes and high-fidelity UI designs, and iterating based on stakeholder feedback.
I ensured the designs were user-centered and met both beginner and advanced traders’ needs.
I also desegned a comprehensive style guide (colors, typography, UI states, components) to maintain consistency across the web app and the new mobile app.
Collaboration
This project was highly collaborative. I worked closely with a Product Manager to align the design with business goals and regulatory requirements (such as KYC/AML compliance for identity verification). In parallel, I collaborated with Developers to understand technical constraints and to ensure feasible implementation of complex UI components (real-time charts, order books, etc.). We followed an agile approach, with frequent design-review sessions and iterative prototyping. This close collaboration was critical given the startup context – we often had to iterate rapidly based on user testing feedback and changes in requirements.
Outcomes
The Bankera trading platform launched successfully on both web and mobile, delivering on the goal of a unified crypto banking experience. The intuitive UX design helped drive early adoption: users praised the clean interface and the ease of performing complex actions like trading and identity verification in-app. From a business standpoint, the project was a cornerstone for Bankera’s growth. The startup’s ICO not only raised significant funds, but Bankera grew to a point where it became the first blockchain startup to acquire a traditional bank, securing Pacific Private Bank in 2018 to expand its services coinspeaker.com. This bold move validated the product’s success and the strength of its user experience. Bankera’s user base and transaction volumes increased steadily after launch (the platform was handling thousands of trades and signups, according to internal metrics).
Eventually, as an early-stage startup, Bankera achieved a successful exit – the venture has since been sold (acquired by a larger financial organization), marking a positive business outcome for the project.
This outcome means that the design work had lasting impact: the core ideas and design foundations were robust enough to attract acquisition interest.
In summary, the project not only solved immediate UX challenges and delighted users, but also contributed to real business results – from a record-setting ICO to the company’s growth and acquisition, as evidenced by public reports of Bankera’s achievements coinspeaker.com. The case stands as a highlight in my portfolio where UX design tangibly supported startup success and scalability.
