Nuri.
Bridging traditional banking with crypto, the redesign that turned Bitwala into Nuri.
- Role
- Product Designer
- Team
- Cross-functional, grew throughout
- Surface
- iOS, Android, Web
- Scope
- Rebrand and full redesign
- Period
- 2020 to 2022
From trading platform to the bank account that grows your money.
Nuri, formerly Bitwala, was a Berlin fintech that combined traditional banking and cryptocurrency services. Its users ranged from experienced traders to younger people interested in crypto but unsure how to invest safely.
As part of its evolution, the company rebranded from Bitwala to Nuri and shifted its focus away from active trading toward helping everyday users grow their money without needing expert knowledge.
This strategic repositioning led to a complete redesign of the product experience, including a new UX across web and mobile, a scalable design system, and features tailored to the needs and behaviors of the new target audience.
App Redesign
A full redesign of the mobile and web experience, moving Nuri from a crypto first interface to a calm, intuitive bank account that happens to do crypto.
Key Challenges
- Leading a complete platform redesign during the Bitwala to Nuri rebrand
- Designing for users with very different levels of crypto knowledge
- Shifting from a web first to a mobile first experience
- Building a scalable design system to support future features
- Fitting complex financial products into simple interfaces
Core Objectives
- Transform the brand identity while maintaining service continuity
- Create intuitive onboarding for both crypto savvy and novice users
- Ensure a seamless experience across mobile and web
- Launch the new interest account and savings plan features
- Develop one consistent design language across every touchpoint
Three research lenses, one picture.
Before drawing a single screen, we looked at the market, talked to experts, and tore apart the existing app.
Initial Research
Studied how neobanks introduce investment products, analyzed educational content in financial apps, and examined user trading patterns.
Key findings
- Users want a simplified entry into crypto, not a deep dive
- Education matters but quickly becomes overwhelming
- Most users prefer banking locked in before exploring investing
- Trading frequency varies widely based on expertise
Stakeholder & Expert Interviews
Ran sessions with finance experts and internal stakeholders, focused on wealth building strategy and user education.
Key findings
- Banking and wealth should live together, not apart
- Rational investing over emotional decisions
- Target new demographics: millennials and female users
- Lead with bank first, crypto second
- Emphasize long term saving over short term trading
Current App Analysis
Evaluated the existing Bitwala app: user feedback, technical constraints, and pain points.
Key findings
- Inconsistent design patterns throughout
- Unclear core features and unintuitive login
- No real onboarding experience
- Navigation and functionality issues at every turn
Four directions, one decision.
We explored four parallel concepts, each one taking a different stance on what Nuri is, really.
Concept 01
Goal First
Savings and goals as the primary view. Progress before balance.
Concept 02
Spending First
Daily spending and monthly expenses lead. Awareness before investment.
Concept 03
Investment First
Portfolio performance up front. Built for users who think in returns.
Concept 04
Wealth First
Total wealth over time. Banking, crypto and savings as one picture.
We chose Wealth First.
Home, Bank, Wealth, Learn. Four tabs, one direction. Wealth First was the only concept that treated banking and crypto as one continuous story about growing money over time, not two products sharing a nav bar.
Nuri was repositioned as “The bank account to help you manage and grow your money, starting with cryptocurrencies.” The rebrand also marked a deliberate shift in who the product was for. Away from the 40-plus, experienced crypto trader, and toward a younger generation in their 20s and 30s, open to crypto but not yet ready to dive in alone. A single, calm product built for two very different users: the everyday banker and the crypto curious, without either feeling like an afterthought.
A product is only as consistent as its design system.
After concept approval, we rebuilt the design system from the ground up, in parallel with the product itself. Starting from scratch meant making deliberate decisions about every token, component and pattern before a single screen went to production.
The system was built to scale across mobile and web, support complex financial features, carry crypto specific components, and stay consistent while adapting to the constraints each platform brought with it.
The same product, a different user.
The web platform was not a scaled-up version of the mobile app. It was designed for a different behaviour. Users who come to trade, analyse and manage, not just to check a balance. Where mobile is calm and daily, web is deep and deliberate.
Marcus, 34
Active Crypto Trader · Berlin
Key Challenges
- Creating platform specific features without fracturing brand consistency
- Balancing powerful trading tools with navigation that does not intimidate
- Supporting seamless user journeys across mobile and web
- Integrating comprehensive portfolio analytics without cluttering the interface
Core Objectives
- Design an advanced crypto trading experience
- Provide detailed portfolio insights
- Enable a fluid transition between mobile and web
- Keep the experience accessible regardless of user expertise level
Onboarding Flow
A new signup and verification flow built to welcome both traditional banking users and people curious about crypto, without overwhelming either.
Two users. One front door.
As Nuri moved from crypto first to full neobank, the onboarding had to move with it. The rebrand also brought a shift in audience, targeting a younger generation: people in their 20s and 30s, curious about money and open to crypto, but not yet committed to either. The flow was lengthy, the challenges were many. The experience had to feel warmer, more approachable, and visually bolder to match. The challenge was not just to simplify a complex flow. It was to welcome two completely different users through the same entrance.
Foundation First
Lead with the bank account, not crypto. Build trust before introducing anything unfamiliar.
Adapt to the User
Guide each person based on their actual level of financial experience, without making anyone feel lost.
Educate, Don't Alarm
Introduce crypto as an opportunity, not a risk. Keep the tone calm, clear and encouraging.
Set Clear Expectations
Tell users upfront what the account offers, how it works, and what they can expect from security.
Humanize Compliance
Make KYC feel like a natural part of the journey, not a bureaucratic wall standing between the user and their account.
Journey Mapping
We mapped existing Bitwala user journeys to identify where people dropped off and where friction built up.
Key outcomes
- Identified critical drop-off points in the existing flow
- Revealed where compliance requirements created unnecessary friction
- Surfaced opportunities to simplify without losing rigour
Data Analysis
We combined historical Bitwala data with early Nuri adoption metrics to pressure-test our assumptions.
Key outcomes
- Analysed completion rates and abandonment points
- Mapped behavioural patterns across user types
- Pinpointed exactly where the old flow was losing people
A/B Testing
We tested multiple variations of the new flow, validating assumptions at every step.
Key outcomes
- Optimised the step sequence through continuous iteration
- Refined the visual tone across each screen
- Landed on a flow that balanced engagement with compliance
Verification, made human.
Banking, Wealth and Learn became three siblings under a single home, each with its own voice, but all built on the same components, type, colour and motion.
The product stopped reading as a wallet bolted onto a bank and started reading as a single, calm place for your money.
Interest Account
A feature that lets users earn passive income on their Bitcoin holdings, designed to feel as familiar as a savings account.
Bitcoin that earns. Without the complexity.
With cryptocurrency becoming more mainstream, Nuri aimed to introduce a way for users to earn passive income on their Bitcoin holdings. This feature was made possible through a partnership with Celsius Network. Users could deposit Bitcoin and earn up to 5% interest annually, with interest payouts occurring weekly. The account had no minimum investment period, providing flexibility for deposits and withdrawals at any time. Celsius, not Nuri, was responsible for managing the interest payments.
Key Challenges
- Explaining a new concept of earning interest on cryptocurrency
- Building trust in a novel financial product
- Communicating risks and rewards clearly
- Creating transparent yet simple user flows
- Managing user expectations about rates and terms
Core Objectives
- Design an intuitive process for Bitcoin deposits
- Clearly communicate interest rates and earning potential
- Provide real-time overview of earned interest
- Create educational content about the feature
- Enable easy monitoring and withdrawal
Competitive Analysis
Studied both traditional banks' interest products and crypto platforms' earning features to identify best practices for communicating complex earning concepts while maintaining trust and clarity.
Scale
- 5 Competitors analysed
User Interviews
Connected with existing and potential users to understand their concerns about crypto interest products, focusing on trust, risk perception, and essential information needs.
Scale
- 18 Interviews conducted
Usability Testing
Validated our approach through interactive prototypes, testing various presentations of rates and earnings to ensure users could confidently understand and use the feature.
Scale
- 15 Rounds of testing
Product Understanding
Trust & Security
Decision Factors
Savings Plan
A recurring investment feature that turns saving into a habit, not a decision users have to make every time.
Earn up to 5% on your Bitcoin, paid weekly, withdraw anytime.
In partnership with Celsius Network, Nuri introduced a way for users to earn passive income on Bitcoin holdings. Up to 5% interest annually, paid out weekly, with no minimum lock-up.
The design challenge: make a complex DeFi product feel as familiar as setting up a direct debit, without losing the rigour a financial product requires.
Key Challenges
- Making automated crypto investing feel familiar like traditional savings
- Creating flexible scheduling that works with users' paydays
- Providing clear overview of investment growth over time
- Building trust in automated cryptocurrency purchases
- Balancing simplicity with investment control
Core Objectives
- Design intuitive plan creation process
- Enable easy IBAN-based recurring transfers
- Show clear impact of regular investing
- Provide transparent fee structure
- Build confidence in long-term crypto investment
Behavior Analysis
Studied existing users' manual purchase patterns and traditional savings habits to understand optimal scheduling options and preferred investment amounts.
Data Analysis
Analyzed users' existing transaction patterns and salary deposits to inform scheduling options and default investment amounts.
Usability Testings
Tested various approaches to plan creation and management, focusing on how users interact with scheduling options and understand their investment progress over time.
Investment Patterns
User Preferences
Success Metrics
The research kept telling us the same thing.
Across interviews and testing, a clear behavioural pattern emerged: people don't want to trade their savings, they want to set them and forget them.
What we'd carry forward.
Rebrands are easy to treat as a coat of paint. The harder, more interesting work was the IA shift: from a crypto wallet that happened to bank, to a bank account that happened to do crypto.
The other lesson: a small in-house illustration system did more for trust than any micro-copy we wrote. People who feel welcomed make better long-term financial decisions.
General Metrics & Outcomes