OVERVIEW

EXCO is redefining global currency exchange with a platform engineered to remove the stress and complexity of cross-border transactions. Purpose-built for international travelers, EXCO combines intuitive information architecture and seamless data visualization to deliver fast, trustworthy real-time currency conversion—empowering users to transact with confidence, even in the most demanding situations.

EXCO is redefining global currency exchange with a platform engineered to remove the stress and complexity of cross-border transactions. Purpose-built for international travelers, EXCO combines intuitive information architecture and seamless data visualization to deliver fast, trustworthy real-time currency conversion—empowering users to transact with confidence, even in the most demanding situations.

My role

UX Designer / Research lead

Timeline

September 11,2025 to September 27,2025

Tools

Figma, Usability Testing, WCAG 2.2

RESEARCH

WHO

  • International Travelers

  • Students

  • Forex investors

  • Everyday Users

  • International Travelers

  • Students

  • Forex investors

  • Everyday Users

WHAT

They struggle to establish financial certainty and trust and are vulnerable to unpredictable outcomes.

They struggle to establish financial certainty and trust and are vulnerable to unpredictable outcomes.

WHY

Existing tools are either too complex (trader platforms) or too segmented (simple calculators), failing to provide a traveler-first design that manages financial risk.

Existing tools are either too complex (trader platforms) or too segmented (simple calculators), failing to provide a traveler-first design that manages financial risk.

HOW

must we solve this? By creating a transparent, simple UX that proactively manages risk through features like the Rate Lock-In Guarantee, moving the app's focus from mere calculation to guaranteed peace of mind.

must we solve this? By creating a transparent, simple UX that proactively manages risk through features like the Rate Lock-In Guarantee, moving the app's focus from mere calculation to guaranteed peace of mind.

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Personas

IDEATION

What users need?

My research revealed that users need integrated certainty, not just fragmented features. For financial stability, users demand a unified dashboard that automatically converts all assets (fiat, crypto) into a single "portfolio currency" to reduce volatility stress. We must solve for anxiety by institutionalizing Failure Transparency, where diagnostic messaging instantly explains why delays occur (e.g., "Pending due to mandatory security check") and confirms the status of funds.

Operationally, users need streamlined P2P expense management and smart discovery tools, supported by advanced features like future budget planning. Finally, to ensure the app is reliable outdoors, the design must achieve contextual stability using specialized off-black/off-white palettes to prevent screen glare (a key Global Traveler need).

My research revealed that users need integrated certainty, not just fragmented features. For financial stability, users demand a unified dashboard that automatically converts all assets (fiat, crypto) into a single "portfolio currency" to reduce volatility stress. We must solve for anxiety by institutionalizing Failure Transparency, where diagnostic messaging instantly explains why delays occur (e.g., "Pending due to mandatory security check") and confirms the status of funds.

Operationally, users need streamlined P2P expense management and smart discovery tools, supported by advanced features like future budget planning. Finally, to ensure the app is reliable outdoors, the design must achieve contextual stability using specialized off-black/off-white palettes to prevent screen glare (a key Global Traveler need).

Sketches and wireframes

Onboarding screens

Home screen

Settings screens

Logout overlay

Sub-settings screen

Money transfer screens

Trending rates screen

Currency converter screen

Transfer screen

Local exchange finder screen

Search screen

Onboarding screens

Home screen

Settings screens

Logout overlay

Sub-settings screen

Money transfer screens

Trending rates screen

Currency converter screen

Transfer screen

Local exchange finder screen

Search screen

ITERATION

What makes it stand out

Transfer Screen

Guarantees radical transparency by explicitly breaking down all fees, taxes, and the exchange rate markup, directly combating the opaque 2% to 5% hidden costs charged by competitors and ensuring long-term user retention by making the business case for trust.

Guarantees radical transparency by explicitly breaking down all fees, taxes, and the exchange rate markup, directly combating the opaque 2% to 5% hidden costs charged by competitors and ensuring long-term user retention by making the business case for trust.

Search screen

Intelligent search replaces cumbersome navigation, letting users instantly find transactions or rates. This strategic UX design reduces cognitive load and saves up to 20% of Time on Task (TOT) for critical lookups

Intelligent search replaces cumbersome navigation, letting users instantly find transactions or rates. This strategic UX design reduces cognitive load and saves up to 20% of Time on Task (TOT) for critical lookups

Exchange rate screen

This UX design seamlessly delivers live rates for the casual user while integrating detailed infographics and news for forex traders, reducing the need for multiple platforms and saving up to 20% of the average Time on Task (TOT) for finding critical financial insight.  

This UX design seamlessly delivers live rates for the casual user while integrating detailed infographics and news for forex traders, reducing the need for multiple platforms and saving up to 20% of the average Time on Task (TOT) for finding critical financial insight.  

Personalize your experience

Replacing one-size-fits-all platforms with a personalized home screen UI layout that strategically adapts to user personas. This design provides a streamlined, simple interface for travelers, while simultaneously offering a detailed calculation-oriented dashboard for forex traders, reducing the need for multiple platforms and saving up to 20% of the average Time on Task (TOT) for finding critical financial insight.

Replacing one-size-fits-all platforms with a personalized home screen UI layout that strategically adapts to user personas. This design provides a streamlined, simple interface for travelers, while simultaneously offering a detailed calculation-oriented dashboard for forex traders, reducing the need for multiple platforms and saving up to 20% of the average Time on Task (TOT) for finding critical financial insight.

Multiple reminders for user safety

Eliminating transaction anxiety with proactive security measures, a missing factor in standard banking apps. We utilize a payment confirmation overlay screen and immediate process reminder notes to ensure users have visible, instant assurance of safety and status, which is crucial for maximizing confidence and retention during high-stakes transfers.

Eliminating transaction anxiety with proactive security measures, a missing factor in standard banking apps. We utilize a payment confirmation overlay screen and immediate process reminder notes to ensure users have visible, instant assurance of safety and status, which is crucial for maximizing confidence and retention during high-stakes transfers.

Post-Product Research

The Necessity of Iteration

After developing the initial mockups (which included the glass effect), I learned that beauty cannot compromise function.
Targeted user feedback immediately forced a necessary, strategic iteration:



  • Aesthetic Failure: My use of the "glass effect" was visually exciting but functionally destructive. Users reported it made the CTA difficult to identify, directly sabotaging the primary goal of clarity in high-stakes transactions.



  • Clutter Violations: Participants found the UI on screens like the transfer/transaction flow "a bit cluttered." This confirmed the design violated the principle of Simplicity and Clarity , unnecessarily increasing cognitive load.  



  • The Pivot: This data confirmed I had to surgically remove decorative elements, proving that the app’s aesthetics must be refined to support trust and predictability, not visual noise. I immediately began work on a cleaner, more minimalist second iteration

Before

Before

Removed glass effect for better visibility and differentiation of CTA

Removed glass effect for better visibility and differentiation of CTA

Better visibility for the text and elements

Better visibility for the text and elements

After

After

Before

Before

Less clustered UI

Less clustered UI

Better visibility for exchange text fields and elements

Better visibility for exchange text fields and elements

After

After

What I learned...

Looking back at the EXCO project, the biggest victory wasn't designing a new feature; it was proving that I am a strategic UX leader who can effectively pivot a project on data.

I realized that my job wasn't just about making the math easy; it was about erasing their financial anxiety. My chief architectural contribution was designing two high-impact flows: the Rate Lock-In Guarantee and the Mandatory Audit Screen to introduce necessary ‘positive friction’ to guarantee certainty and transparency.  

By translating user empathy into a robust, scalable architecture and embedding WCAG 2.2 compliance , I ensured the final product delivers the predictability and security the market desperately lacks. Ultimately, my work here shows I can not only build a product that works but one that builds the foundational trust necessary to succeed, because 'Trust is the currency' in this industry.

ABOUT

ABOUT

WORK

WORK

CONTACT

CONTACT

OVERVIEW

RESEARCH

IDEATION

ITERATION

CONCLUSION

Keeping art and design close...

AudioMart

AudioMart

Quickphysio

Quickphysio

yathartharya37@gmail.com

yathartharya37@gmail.com

Linkedin

Linkedin

Instagram

Instagram

YATHARTH ARYA

YATHARTH ARYA

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