Building the First Mobile Experience for Everyday Investors
I led the creation of the company’s first mobile app, pioneering a simple yet powerful way for people to invest spare change automatically. My focus was on designing an experience that removed the intimidation of finance, reducing complex investment actions into a few effortless taps. I enabled millions of new users—many first-time investors—to begin building wealth in a way that felt natural and rewarding. The app quickly became the foundation for Acorns’ rapid adoption and set a new standard for micro-investing platforms.
Establishing a Unified Design System for Scale and Brand Consistency
I built and launched Acorns’ first design system, a library of reusable components and brand guidelines that unified the company’s visual and interaction patterns. This system not only accelerated development cycles but also ensured that every customer touchpoint—from the investing dashboard to marketing campaigns—felt cohesive, trustworthy, and distinctly Acorns.
By partnering closely with UC Irvine, I led ongoing UXR sessions with college students over several months to refine the user experience until we were ready for launch.
