Supercoin

Designing trust into a new payment paradigm

problem

The challenge was to introduce a crypto-based payment solution to users who are more familiar with traditional banking, without increasing friction or uncertainty. Crypto introduces new concepts, terminology, and behaviours that can feel complex and risky — particularly for users without prior exposure. The problem was not just enabling transactions, but designing an experience that felt simple, trustworthy, and intuitive within an unfamiliar paradigm.

problem

solution

A rand-backed stablecoin and integrated digital wallet that creates a closed-loop payments ecosystem — reducing reliance on third-party providers, lowering transaction costs, and rewarding customers for transacting within the platform. The wallet offers a virtual card, a full VAS suite including airtime, data, vouchers and transport, and a foundation for future cross-border remittance through currency pairs across Supergroup's other markets.

overview

The design challenge wasn't just building a wallet - it was building trust in an entirely new payment paradigm for users who may never have held a formal bank account. I led the full product lifecycle from research through pilot: understanding what "safe" and "accessible" meant to this user base, translating complex stablecoin infrastructure into interactions that felt familiar and transparent, and designing every state - balance visibility, transaction clarity, pending flows — to reduce anxiety and build confidence. The result is a product that serves both a commercial imperative and a genuine financial inclusion need.

my role

I led the product from a front-end and UX perspective, working across:

Defining the product experience and flows
Aligning stakeholders across product, tech, and operations
Prioritising features and managing delivery
Ensuring a seamless and intuitive user journey

research

A series of interviews and mini-workshops were conducted with stakeholders across product, operations, and customer support to understand user behaviours, mental models, and pain points around payments and crypto.

My research encompassed —

• Understanding how users perceive crypto compared to traditional payment methods
• Identifying common mental models around deposits, withdrawals, and transaction flow
• Mapping key pain points in existing payment journeys
• Understanding what drives trust and confidence in financial transactions
• Analysing operational challenges and common support queries

key findings

• Crypto is perceived as high-risk and complex
Users associate crypto with uncertainty, leading to hesitation and lower adoption

• Mental models are rooted in traditional banking
Users expect clear steps, confirmations, and reversibility — similar to card or EFT payments

• Lack of feedback creates anxiety
Unclear transaction states (pending, processing, confirmed) lead to frustration and support queries

• Technical language is a major barrier
Wallet addresses, confirmations, and network details are not well understood by most users

• Trust is driven by clarity, not features
Users feel more confident when information is simple, visible, and easy to understand

year

2025

timeframe

1 Year

tools

Figma,

approach

The goal was to make crypto feel simple, trustworthy, and familiar.

Three key principles guided the solution:

Reduce complexity → Simplify flows and minimise cognitive load
Build trust → Provide clear feedback, confirmations, and transparency
Streamline journeys → Focus on fast, frictionless core actions

UI & experience

The interface was designed to be clean, minimal, and focused — reducing noise while highlighting critical actions and information.

(UI designs shown are representative of the production experience and have been simplified for presentation.)

pilot launch

Supercoin is being rolled out to an initial group of 5,000 users to validate usability, adoption, and performance before a wider release.

This phased approach allows for rapid iteration based on real user behaviour.

learnings

Simplicity is critical when introducing complex financial products

Trust signals (feedback, clarity, status) significantly impact user confidence
Close collaboration between product, UX, and engineering is key to delivering seamless payment experiences