The Problem: Crypto Feels Complex—Especially in France

I was brought in as a Senior Product Designer to lead the design of ARC, a crypto trading platform tailored for the French market. With no existing product, this was a full 0→1 build—starting from strategy, research and architecture.

Our user interviews exposed two big issues:

• Users couldn’t understand how fees were calculated.

• The navigation felt scattered, making it hard to trust or complete actions.

Lucas, a beginner trader, explained:

“Every time I trade, I wonder what I’m really paying. And I always feel like I missed a step.”

The challenge was to design a platform that made users feel informed, oriented and confident—even if it was their first time trading.

The Shift: Turning Transparency Into UX

With no legacy UI to clean up, I mapped real user flows from scratch—focusing on clarity, trust and minimal friction. Every touchpoint was designed to reinforce confidence.

Key UX decisions:

• Transparent fee breakdowns before and after every trade

• Guided navigation with clear entry points and visual anchors

• Simplified terminology tailored to French beginner users

• Scenario-based onboarding (e.g., “How much will I really pay to convert €100?”)

Microinteractions provided reassurance without noise:

• Visual confirmation after each step

• Progressive disclosure of advanced options

• Color-coded alerts for fees, risks and confirmations

Outcomes (post-launch testing with French users):

• 70% increase in perceived transparency

• 2x faster task completion (placing a trade, reviewing fees)

• 85% of users reported feeling “in control” during the onboarding

• 50% decrease in reported confusion around navigation and terms

“Now I know exactly what’s happening. It feels like the app is speaking my language.” — Julien, new crypto user