Overview

Designed and shipped a fully functional MVP that uncovers hidden investment fees using a secure Plaid integration

MagniFee is a fully responsive fintech tool that calculates the true cost of portfolio management—revealing the layers of fees most investors never see. As the sole UX designer, I partnered directly with the CEO to transform a raw concept into a launched MVP within ten weeks, initially supporting Charles Schwab accounts and later extending it to work with Fidelity through a reusable institution-selection pattern. The product is live and has generated over 750 site hits with no formal marketing.

Project Goals

Bring clarity to complex financial data in a secure, advisor-friendly flow

Approach

Move fast, stay accurate, and design for trust.

Working directly with the CEO gave me early access to the business vision. I distilled complex financial logic into user-centered flows, paired with strict constraints:

• Plaid flows must remain untouched
• No sensitive data stored post-calculation
• Reporting must be understandable in under 10 seconds
• MVP must be mobile-first
• Entire system must feel safe, credible, and transparent

Discovery & Persona Foundations

Interviewed both an investor and a financial advisor to build personas that grounded early design decisions

Before shaping the flow or UI, I conducted two foundational interviews—one with an advisor managing $1B AUM and one with an individual investor with $500K+ in assets. These formed the basis of two primary personas (Ed, the Advisor & Sally, the Investor), clarifying motivations, frustrations, financial literacy levels, and how they evaluate value in advisory relationships.

User Flows

Mapped end-to-end flow from landing → Plaid → advisor-fee inputs → results

I defined all states, including:

• Identity verification paths
• Error + fallback patterns
• Multi-account selection
• Result logic conditions

As usage expanded, I evolved the flow to include an institution-selection step so the same pattern could scale beyond Charles Schwab to Fidelity and future custodians.

Low-fi Wireframes

Focused on trust messaging, progressive disclosure, and essential questions only.

Key objectives:

• Reduce cognitive load
• Use plain language around fees
• Make Plaid actions feel familiar
• Ensure users know “what’s happening with my data?”

Hi-fidelity Design (Mobile + Desktop)

Created a clean, trustworthy UI inspired by wealth management and consumer fintech

Highlights:

• Results card with simple hierarchy
• Clear fee percentages & totals
• Advisor-friendly layout on desktop
• Accessible color palette
• Crisp typography for financial data

Quick Consumer Testing & Iterations

Validated the MVP with four potential customers and refined key UX moments based on their feedback.

I ran a rapid unmoderated test with 4 prospective users (mix of investors & advisor-curious consumers). Key insights:

• 50% found the homepage copy wordy → tightened language
• Users were unsure if Plaid pulls only investment account data → added microcopy
• Strong preference for “Automatically deducted” option → set as default
• Users wanted to know “Is this fee normal?” → added contextual guidance
• All participants wanted next-step clarity (“What do I do next?”) → clarified follow-up action
• 75% had prior experience with Plaid but needed reassurance → improved trust language

Outcome

Shipped MVP with live Plaid integration, 750+ site hits, and daily traffic — all with zero marketing

• Designed, tested, and shipped the MVP in ~8 weeks with a live Plaid integration for Charles Schwab
• Conducted quick validation testing with four participants and incorporated critical feedback into the final MVP before launch.
• Shortly after launch, extended the live experience to support both Charles Schwab and Fidelity via a reusable institution selector
• Generated 750+ live site hits in the first 3 months after launch with no promotional effort
• Created core brand foundation (logo, palette, UI system)
• Shaped pitch-deck visuals used by the CEO in investment conversations
• Provided a working demo environment used to onboard early users
• Enabled faster advisor conversations through a simplified results format

Learnings and Takeaways

Founder-led environments demand decisive design

Design decisions had to be justified quickly, grounded in real user constraints and financial accuracy. Working closely with the CEO taught me to convert abstract vision into structured, testable UX artifacts fast.

Trust is not a feature; it’s a behavior across the experience

Security copy, Plaid explanations, data retention messages, and result framing all became micro-design moments that collectively built user confidence.

Accuracy and simplicity must coexist

User testing validated that oversimplification confuses investors just as much as financial jargon does. The challenge was translating dense fee categories into approachable visuals without losing regulatory or data integrity.

Constraints create clarity

Plaid limitations, SEC data rules, and MVP timelines forced prioritization. I learned to create structure from ambiguity, ship fast, and keep future scalability in mind.