Vlad.Holoborodko.Available
CV

Transforming a fragmented investment platform into one scalable ecosystem.

  • Fintech / Proptech
  • 2025–2026
  • Lead Product Designer
  • Web / iOS / Android
SmartCrowd

01The invite

SmartCrowd invited me to conduct a full audit of their existing platform, looking closely at the UX, the product structure, and where mobile and web could be improved.

02What followed

The platform had grown organically over time, resulting in fragmented user journeys, inconsistent patterns, and a product experience that no longer matched the company’s ambitions or its users’ expectations.

03The outcome

After presenting the audit findings, I joined SmartCrowd as Lead Product Designer. What started as an audit turned into a full platform transformation, covering mobile, web, partner platforms, and the design system.

Lead Product Designer

As Lead Product Designer, I owned the full design direction of SmartCrowd, starting with the initial product audit that identified core UX gaps and continuing through the complete redesign of the mobile app, web platform, and partner products. I set the strategic design direction, shaped information architecture, and made sure every platform felt unified and intentional.

Beyond execution, I built the design system from scratch, creating a scalable token-based foundation with light and dark themes that served both SmartCrowd and its partner brands. I worked closely with Product, Engineering, Compliance, and Marketing, and mentored another designer on the team throughout the project.

What I owned

  • Product Strategy
  • Information Architecture
  • Mobile · iOS & Android
  • Web Platform
  • Design System
  • Partner Platforms
  • User Research

With whom

  • Product Management
  • Engineering
  • Compliance
  • Marketing
  • QA
  • 1 Designer

How I worked

  • End-to-end execution
  • Hands-on design leadership
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Research-driven decisions
  • Iterative delivery
  • Design mentorship
SmartCrowd mobile screens
SmartCrowd investment flows
SmartCrowd portfolio and wallet
SmartCrowd across platforms

Product Architecture

The existing app had no clear structural logic. Navigation was fragmented, sections overlapped, and the information architecture didn’t reflect how investors actually think. We mapped the entire product and rebuilt it from the ground up.

  • Conducted a full audit of the existing product structure and navigation
  • Simplified from a fragmented multi-level system to a clear 5-tab architecture
  • Consolidated overlapping sections and removed redundant entry points
  • Rebuilt the information hierarchy around the investor mental model
  • Defined clear product zones: Explore, Invest, Portfolio, Wallet, Account
Rethinking the platform structure

Experience Redesign

Rather than patching individual screens, we redesigned the entire investment experience as one connected product. Every flow, from discovering a property to tracking returns, was rethought to reduce friction, build confidence, and work consistently across mobile and web.

  • Full redesign of the mobile app across iOS and Android
  • Web platform redesigned with consistent logic and patterns
  • Property discovery, investment flows, portfolio, wallet, and KYC, all rethought
  • New features introduced: Auto Reinvest, improved Wallet, enhanced onboarding
  • Existing features reimagined, not just restyled
  • Interaction patterns and component behavior defined with engineering
Reimagining the investment experience

Design System & Foundations

To support the redesign and all future work, I built a comprehensive design system from scratch. It wasn’t just a component library, but a shared language between design and engineering that works across all platforms and brands.

  • 100+ components covering all major UI patterns across mobile and web
  • Semantic design tokens for color, spacing, typography, and elevation
  • Full light mode and dark mode support
  • Documented component states, variants, and responsive behavior
  • Developer handoff process that reduced back-and-forth significantly
  • Token architecture built to support partner brand adaptation
Building a scalable design foundation

Partner Platform Ecosystem

SmartCrowd’s platform logic powered partner products that required different branding and adapted feature sets. The design system’s token architecture made this possible without rebuilding from scratch, giving the team one foundation that could support multiple branded experiences.

  • Adapted the core platform for multiple partner products
  • Token-based theming enables full brand adaptation: colors, typography, components
  • UX consistency maintained across all brand variants
  • Partner onboarding accelerated through reusable foundations
  • Each partner product feels native to its brand while sharing the same logic
Scaling beyond a single product

The transformation created a unified, scalable product experience across SmartCrowd’s entire ecosystem.

  1. 3

    Platforms redesigned

    iOS, Android, and Web, all rebuilt from the ground up with consistent logic.

  2. 2+

    Partner platforms

    Adapted and shipped with full brand customization via token-based theming.

  3. 100+

    Design system components

    Covering all major UI patterns across mobile and web with light and dark modes.

  4. 2

    Theme modes

    Full light and dark mode support across the entire product ecosystem.

  1. Real product leadership means holding the full picture at once: user needs, business goals, technical constraints, and compliance.

  2. The most valuable thing I built wasn’t a screen. It was a foundation the entire team could keep building on.

  3. Designing for regulated financial products taught me that clarity and compliance aren’t opposites. Good UX makes both possible.

Next case

The same desk at night, the chair pushed back and the screen left on.

vlgolo1996@gmail.com

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