SmartAngels
Entreprise
SmartAngels
Secteur
Fintech, B2B, B2C
Support
Website, back-office
Scope
• Mentored and trained junior UX-UI designers (apprentices)
• Managed the full product lifecycle: from initial brief to delivery
• Actively supported tech team through co-design workshops, continuous collaboration, and QA testing
• Design system owner
Context
My initial mission focused on optimizing every aspect of the fundraising activity, across three platforms:
• B2C platform showcasing live and upcoming fundraising opportunities to potential investors
• B2B platform for businesses to manage their fundraising operations
• Internal back-office tool for our operational teams
Thanks to the company's growing expertise, we later expanded into new verticals:
• Portfolio management, allowing investors to track their investments
• Securities registry, enabling businesses to monitor the flow of financial instruments and capital
I had the opportunity to design these two new platforms from scratch, working closely with experts in a series of collaborative workshops. This involved deep product thinking, UX research, user flow mapping, and high-fidelity interface design—all aligned with business goals and user needs. The following is a description of how they were built.
Example of Applied Methodology
The "card sorting" workshop helps define a version-by-version roadmap for a project. In the example above, we worked simultaneously on the registry and the portfolio, as their functionalities are interrelated—even though they serve different needs and target different persona.
During the workshop, we identified various features based on needs expressed during user interviews. These were represented by yellow post-its for the registry and green ones for the portfolio. We then grouped these features under broader themes (pink post-its), such as "capitalization table" for the registry and "securities management" for the portfolio.
Next, we prioritized and organized the features into different release versions, based on value added by features and feasibility.
Once the needs were clearly defined and initial solutions outlined through the card sorting exercise, we moved on to iterating on user journeys and interfaces by creating wireframes.
Wireframing approach: paper first
To quickly explore ideas and iterate without constraints, I prefer starting with hand-drawn wireframes. Unlike digital tools, paper allows faster sketching and less attachment to layout perfection—which encourages creative risk-taking and aligns with the “fail early, fail often” mindset.
Paper wireframes also maintain a low-fidelity level, leaving more room for flexibility in the upcoming UI phase, and making early feedback more focused on structure and logic than visual polish.
Designing two interconnected platforms
Designing the registry and portfolio platforms simultaneously was a rich and complex challenge. Each product addressed a wide and diverse user base:
• From beginner investors to professional asset managers on the portfolio side
• From startups to large corporate clients managing digital registries on the registry side
Some users—particularly asset management firms—played a dual role: they were both companies (issuing securities) and investors (holding assets as legal entities), which added another layer of complexity to the UX.Because many features in one platform impacted the other, we needed to build them in parallel. The card sorting workshop mentioned earlier was key in visually mapping cross-platform dependencies and aligning development priorities.
