Upli

Upli entered the financial wellness space with the urgency of a startup and the visibility of a major brand. As a newly formed subsidiary of a national financial institution, the product needed to launch fast—with a credible, behavior-shaping experience that could earn internal confidence and compete from day one.

The vision was bold: empower younger employees to take control of their finances with an intuitive mobile tool. But the product lacked definition, the brand had no voice, and timing was tight. That’s where Isadora came in—to turn an idea into a high-performing digital experience with strategic clarity and design precision.

In a category where most users churn within six months, stickiness isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the business model. Research revealed the gap: most fintech apps overwhelm or oversimplify, but few make the experience personal.

A strategy grounded in micro-moment behavior shifts reframed the experience. Instead of dashboards and spreadsheets, the app delivered conversational feedback and contextually relevant nudges:
“You just spent $19 on coffee. If you saved that weekly, you’d have $988 by year’s end.”

This reframe transformed the platform from a passive tool into an active financial coach—human, habit-forming, and motivating by design.

Over 100 mobile screens covered complex flows including onboarding, budgeting, account aggregation, savings, and goal setting. Each element was designed to reduce friction, encourage small wins, and spark joy in the process.

A fully custom UI library and brand identity system ensured consistency across app and marketing touchpoints—enabling faster iteration and future feature expansion. Illustrations, icons, and data visualizations added clarity and emotional resonance to traditionally dry content.

The marketing website was spun up using the same system, allowing the brand to go to market with full cohesion and credibility.

Cross-functional collaboration with Upli’s developers ensured design integrity and functionality across mobile platforms. Front-end behaviors, animation timing, and responsive states were mapped with precision—accelerating development without sacrificing UX.

Push notifications and reengagement flows were embedded from the start, reinforcing healthy financial behaviors and reducing the likelihood of user drop-off.

• Launched a scalable fintech app under aggressive timelines
  
• Increased engagement through habit-forming UX and behavioral design
  
• Reduced churn risk with timely push notifications and reengagement tools
  
• Delivered a reusable UI system for future feature rollouts and marketing assets
• Strengthened internal alignment and investor confidence with a fully defined brand and product experience