Building a new way to exchange currencies

We designed a fintech platform for Caixa Bank Spain, which allows medium-sized companies to send, receive and exchange currencies transparently, quickly and without the complexity of traditional banking systems.

Role

UX Designer

Company

Caixa Bank

Duration

4 month

Year

2025

Project Vision

Discovery

User interviews, competitive analysis, and market mapping

Define

Personas, user journeys, and prioritization of critical issues

Ideate

Exploring solutions, design decisions, and UX principles

Design & Test

Prototypes, usability testing, and iterative refinement

Success Metrics

Reduction in operating time

From 3-5 days to < 30 min

Reduction in operating time

No support required

User satisfaction (NPS)

Benchmark: +12 (traditional banking)

The Problem to Solve

Critical Pain Points

Extreme slowness

International shipments and receipts take between 3 and 5 business days, generating uncertainty, capital lock-up, and losses due to exchange rate fluctuations.

Lack of transparency

Hidden fees, unclear margins, and uncompetitive exchange rates. It's impossible to know the real cost until the transaction is complete.

Operational complexity

Multiple phone calls to send, receive, or exchange currency. Physical documentation, manual processes, and no digital traceability of the money.

Without centralized visibility

Managing accounts in multiple currencies requires logging into different banking systems. There's no unified history of sent and received transfers.
Container

Laura Méndez

"I don't know if the exchange rate they give me is good or bad. And when I send money abroad, I just trust that the funds will arrive... someday."
Container2

Carlos Rivero

"Each transfer involves a 20-minute phone call, then waiting for days without knowing what's happening. And managing four foreign currency accounts requires logging into four different systems."
Container3

Ana Torres

"When I need it urgently, it doesn't exist. Banks work at their own pace. And receiving payments from abroad is a lottery: I never know when they're going to arrive or how much they're going to charge me."

UX Research

In-depth interviews

12 CFOs and Treasurers
(45-60 min each)

Competitive analysis

8 platforms
(Wise, Revolut, Payoneer, bancos)

Shadowing / Observation

5 sessions
(Flujos actuales en contexto real)

Key Findings

Research1

Time is the most critical factor

83% de los entrevistados prioriza la velocidad sobre el ahorro marginal en comisiones. En finanzas corporativas, la incertidumbre tiene un costo real.
Research2

Transparency = Trust

Users don't trust systems that don't show the exact calculation. They want to see: the real exchange rate, detailed fees, and the final total.
Research3

Control and visibility

The biggest anxiety is not knowing 'where my money is'. Users need real-time tracking, just like they do with a shipping package.
Research4

Simplicity without sacrificing professionalism

Los usuarios B2B quieren interfaces intuitivas (consumer-grade) pero con información de nivel enterprise: históricos, reportes, multi-usuario.

Definition

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Mara Gutiérrez

CFO · Empresa de Importación

Profile

Age: 42 years old
Location: México City
Experience: 15 years in corporate finance
Tech-savvy: High (uses banking apps, personal fintech)

Contexto

Lidera las finanzas de una empresa con 120 empleados que importa productos tecnológicos de Asia. Realiza 8-12 operaciones de cambio de divisas mensuales (EUR, USD, CNY). Su mayor frustración: la falta de control y la lentitud de los procesos bancarios que afectan la planificación del flujo de caja.

Fustrations

Uncertainty about delivery times

Imposibilidad de operar fuera de horario bancario

Comisiones no claras hasta finalizar

Dependencia de un ejecutivo bancario específico

Goals

Perform conversions in real time

Gain complete cost visibility before confirming

Track the status of each transaction

Access history and easily generate reports

Ideation

Based on research insights, I explored multiple design approaches for the platform, evaluating trade-offs between simplicity, control, and user education.

Radical Transparency

Every number, fee, and calculation should be transparent. No surprises. The user always knows exactly what they're paying for.

Frictionless Speed

Each screen should eliminate an unnecessary step. The shortest path between intention and action.

Trust by Design

Use visual feedback, micro-animations, and clear language to reduce anxiety in critical moments.

Diseño UX/UI

Mobile

Desktop