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KoinNG – P2P Cryptocurrency Exchange

Fintech / Cryptocurrency

KoinNG – P2P Cryptocurrency Exchange"

KoinNG is a peer-to-peer (P2P) cryptocurrency exchange designed to enable users to buy, sell, and trade digital assets securely and efficiently. The platform operates in a high-risk, trust-sensitive fintech environment where user confidence, clarity, and speed are critical to adoption and retention.

Work

UI Design, User Experience Design, User Research, Wireframing, Afinnity Diagram, Usability Testing, Crazy 8’s method, Sketching

KoinNG

The Challenge

Peer-to-peer crypto platforms often assume a high level of user knowledge. During early discovery, it became clear that this assumption was a major barrier for adoption. New users struggled to understand how escrow worked, when their funds were safe, and what actions were required at each stage of a transaction. Even experienced users reported frustration with cluttered interfaces and unclear transaction states.

The existing experience lacked clarity, reassurance, and flow. Users frequently hesitated mid-transaction, which increased drop-offs and support requests.

Cryptocurrency adoption continues to grow, but P2P exchanges face unique UX challenges, especially in emerging markets:

  • Low trust in online financial platforms

  • Fear of scams and fraud

  • Complex trading flows that intimidate new users

  • Poor clarity around escrow, dispute resolution, and transaction status

  • Overloaded interfaces that prioritise features over usability

KoinNG needed a product experience that could:

  1. Build instant trust with first-time users

  2. Simplify complex crypto trading workflows

  3. Support both beginners and experienced traders

  4. Reduce user errors and abandoned transactions

Understanding the Users

To understand user needs, I conducted stakeholder interviews, reviewed existing product feedback, and analysed competitor P2P exchanges. I also spoke directly with potential users, including first-time crypto traders and frequent P2P traders.

A clear pattern emerged. Users were not primarily looking for more features; they wanted clarity, transparency, and reassurance. First-time users needed guidance and plain language. Experienced users wanted efficiency, but not at the cost of reliability. Across both groups, trust signals mattered more than visual flair.

Research & Discovery

User Research Approach

  • To deeply understand user needs and pain points, I used a mixed-method research approach:

    • Stakeholder interviews with the product team

    • Competitive analysis of existing P2P exchanges

    • User interviews with crypto traders and first-time users

    • Review of support tickets and common transaction complaints

Key User Insights

  • From research, several patterns emerged:

    • Users feared making irreversible mistakes during trades

    • Many users did not fully understand how escrow worked

    • Trust signals mattered more than advanced features

    • Users wanted transparency at every transaction stage

    • New users needed guidance without feeling overwhelmed

Lafya user research

Defining the Product Approach

Based on research, I defined a design approach grounded in three core principles: trust, simplicity, and guidance.

Trust was addressed by making every transaction state visible and understandable. Users could clearly see when funds were in escrow, when actions were required, and what protections were in place. Simplicity guided the layout and information hierarchy, ensuring that each screen focused on one primary action. Guidance was embedded subtly through microcopy, progress indicators, and contextual prompts rather than intrusive tutorials.

1. Trust

Trust was built visually and structurally through:

  • Clear status indicators

  • Transparent transaction steps

  • Consistent use of confirmations

  • Calm, professional UI language

2. Simplicity

Instead of exposing all features at once:

  • Key actions were prioritised

  • Secondary features were progressively disclosed

  • Each screen focused on one primary task

3. Guidance

The experience balanced guidance and speed by:

  • Using tooltips and microcopy

  • Providing clear error prevention messages

  • Showing progress at every stage

This approach allowed the product to support beginners without slowing down advanced users.

Lafya affinity Diagram

Designing the User Experience

I began by mapping the full end-to-end P2P trading journey, from onboarding to trade completion and dispute resolution. This helped identify friction points and moments of uncertainty where users were most likely to abandon the process.

The trading flow was redesigned to be linear and predictable. Each step clearly communicated what the user needed to do, what was happening behind the scenes, and what would happen next. Critical actions, such as confirming payment or releasing funds, were supported with clear explanations and confirmation states to reduce errors.

Wireframes were developed to test layout, content hierarchy, and interaction patterns before moving into high-fidelity design. Early usability testing helped refine button placement, wording, and error prevention mechanisms.

I designed the core P2P trading flow to ensure users always knew:

  • Where they were

  • What action was required

  • What would happen next

Key flows designed:

  • Account onboarding

  • Wallet funding

  • P2P buy/sell flow

  • Escrow confirmation

  • Dispute resolution entry point

Information Architecture Design

Wireframing & Interaction Design

Low-fidelity wireframes were created to validate structure and flow before visual design.

During this phase, I focused on:

  • Reducing steps required to complete a trade

  • Improving readability of financial information

  • Ensuring CTA clarity

  • Preventing costly user errors

Usability checks were done with sample users to refine:

  • Button placement

  • Form layout

  • Error handling

Visual Design & Interface Decisions

The visual design aimed to reinforce trust and professionalism. I used a clean, minimal interface with a neutral colour palette, allowing important actions and transaction statuses to stand out clearly. Typography was carefully chosen to improve readability, especially for financial information.

Status indicators played a major role in the interface. Users could easily distinguish between pending, completed, and disputed transactions at a glance. Success and warning messages were written in calm, reassuring language rather than technical jargon, reducing anxiety during high-stakes actions.

The final interface balanced clarity and efficiency, ensuring the product felt credible without being intimidating.

Accessibility was considered throughout the design process. High colour contrast improved readability, especially on mobile devices. Language was kept simple and direct to support users with varying levels of technical knowledge. Interactive elements were designed with sufficient spacing to reduce accidental actions, particularly during financial transactions.

Results and Impact

The redesigned experience significantly improved how users interacted with the platform. Stakeholders reported fewer questions around escrow and transaction status, and early user feedback highlighted increased confidence when completing trades. Users described the platform as “clear,” “reassuring,” and “easy to understand,” even when using a P2P exchange for the first time.

Although detailed metrics were confidential, the product team observed smoother transaction flows and reduced friction during onboarding and trade completion.

Conclusion

This project reinforced the importance of designing for emotional as well as functional needs. In financial products, trust is a usability requirement. Small design decisions, such as clearer microcopy or better progress feedback, can significantly change how safe a user feels.

Working on KoinNG strengthened my ability to design complex systems in a way that feels human, calm, and accessible, skills I continue to apply across fintech, edtech, and multi-sector digital products.

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