Designing for fintech is unlike working on any other product. You’re not just shaping an interface-you’re shaping people’s relationship with money. And money carries weight, urgency, and trust in ways most other products never do.

I remember the first time I explored the Tabby app. The promise was simple: split payments into installments without friction. On the surface, it worked beautifully. But as I looked closer, I noticed how much thought must have gone into every small interaction-the checkout flow, the repayment reminders, the language around fees. Each of these details could either reassure a user or push them away with doubt.

This is the heart of fintech UX. The stakes are high because mistakes don’t just cause mild frustration-they can create financial stress. A poorly worded alert, a confusing repayment option, or a delay in showing balance updates can all feel like broken trust.

That’s why designing in fintech requires more than clean layouts. It demands empathy, precision, and anticipation of real-life scenarios users face when money is involved. Trust is built when users feel fully informed, not surprised by hidden steps or unclear terms.

Think about the flows: onboarding, linking a card, confirming identity, setting repayment dates. Each one needs to feel transparent and predictable. Designers who ignore this often end up creating confusion that customer support has to solve later-when it’s already too late.

When you work on fintech products, your responsibility expands beyond usability. You’re not just guiding users-you’re helping them feel safe, in control, and respected. That sense of control is what keeps people coming back to apps like Tabby, Revolut, or PayPal, even when they have alternatives. In fintech, the interface isn’t just design. It’s trust, and it’s everything.