Umoja Labs

We partnered with the CEO to develop the protocol dApp, and our collaboration has grown into an ongoing partnership, encompassing feature additions, landing page design, and more.

What we did

Branding UX/UI Design Product Management

Year completed

2023

Project

Unlocking Web3’s Global Potential

Umoja Protocol is a non-custodial, asset-hedging protocol engineered to automate hedging for diverse assets, such as crypto, fiat, and tokenized RWAs. Specifically developed for the $8 trillion emerging market MSME financing sector, it provides 100% security, blended hedging, natural risk mitigation, and hyper-default risk orientation.

Square app icon with rounded corners featuring a dark blue background and a white stylized paperclip design in the center. The icon is centered on a light blue gradient background with dashed lines forming a rounded square around the icon, indicating it is being highlighted or selected.

A laptop displaying the Umoja Protocol app interface. The screen shows the 'Financing' section with three pool options: Lending Pool, Collateral Pool, and Default Insurance Pool, each with respective estimated annual percentage yields (APY). The laptop is placed on a light gray, speckled surface with shadows cast from nearby curtains.

Challenge

Crafting Pathways & Shaping Experiences

The project kicked off in the first days of 2023 with two exciting goals: (1) crafting a welcoming protocol landing page to showcase educational resources and ecosystem links and (2) designing user-friendly UX & UI for the protocol dApp interface.

Tablet screen displaying the Umoja Protocol app's 'Africa Innovation Pool' section. The screen shows the collateralization status at 50% with a financial amount displayed as $44,709,325.11 out of $87,643,655.42. Below this, there are tabs for 'Deal overview' and 'Transactions,' followed by a section titled 'Purpose of the loan.' The purpose description explains the use of proceeds to back African Fintechs, providing financial services to underbanked businesses and consumers, with details on the types of investments and loan securities. The app's name 'Umoja' is visible at the top left, with navigation tabs for 'Dashboard,' 'Financing,' 'Borrow,' and 'Approve.'

Umoja Protocol app screen showing various sections related to wallet balances and payment notifications. The central section displays 'Wallet Balances' with amounts for USDC ($3,756.25) and UMJA (5,230.58 UMJA, equivalent to $890.75). Below this is a button to 'Disconnect wallet.' In the top right, there's a 'Thank You for Making a Payment!' message indicating a successful payment. At the bottom, a notification states, 'You have been granted the right to request a loan,' with options to view the borrowing pool or acknowledge with 'OK.'

Solutions

Navigating Finance with Style

In a market saturated with financial products boasting intriguing branding, it became imperative for Umoja to distinguish itself and elevate its appeal. Recognizing finance as the core of Umoja, we advocated for interfaces exuding softness, trust, and warmth. Hence, our design concepts embodied this ethos, presenting not only the preferred style but also three additional options for client consideration.

Umoja Protocol app's dashboard screen displaying financial metrics and a portfolio value chart. The top section includes key statistics: total amount lent ($87,800.11), total collateral committed ($42,800.11), total debt ($12,800.11), and amount staked ($66,800.11), each with a 4.5% growth indicator. Below these statistics, a line chart shows the portfolio value trend over 12 months, with a highlighted data point on June 14, 2022, indicating a portfolio value of $255,910.00. The chart reflects fluctuations in portfolio value throughout the year.

Umoja Protocol app screen showing various financial and account details. The top section titled 'The Terms of the Loan' outlines loan conditions such as an interest rate of 27.15% APY, estimated 5.8% APY, a loan amount of $29,578.455, and a monthly payment frequency. Additional details include a 30-day grace period, payment term starting on February 7, 2024, the next repayment due on March 7, 2024, and the payment term ending on February 7, 2026. The middle left section prompts the user to confirm their email to create an account with a message: 'Hi, John. Confirm your email and be free to use the Umoja.' A purple button says 'Confirm email.' The middle right section provides options for currency protection with MXN Call and MXN Put, maturity options (3 months, 6 months, 12 months), and strike rates (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%). It calculates an estimated hedging cost of $18,423. The bottom section displays details of two Africa innovation pools: one with a pooled value of $53,313,768.229, a 77% payoff, and a 27.15% interest rate marked as 'Fundraising'; the other with a pooled value of $24,628,318.023, a 23% payoff, and an 18.55% interest rate marked as 'Funding Secured.'

Umoja Protocol app screen for creating a loan request. The main title reads 'Create a loan request.' A progress navigation bar shows 25% completion, with a note: 'The more details you provide, the greater the chance that you will be granted a loan.' Step 1: Type of borrower (100% complete) Step 2: Contact information (0% complete) Step 3: Details of the organization (0% complete) The app differentiates between 'Entity' and 'Individual' borrowers, with a note under 'Entity' stating that borrowers are formally recognized organizations.

Simplified Borrower Journey

After examining competitors' “Become a Borrower” flow, we identified its inconvenience: a single input field and repetitive confirmation actions led to user frustration and uncertainty about progress. To streamline the process, we divided it into four clear steps, organized fields logically, and introduced a progress bar for user guidance. Additionally, we provided supportive text encouraging borrowers to input comprehensive data, improving their chances of loan approval.

Umoja Protocol app screen showing the details of a borrowing pool titled 'Africa Innovation Pool.' The main section allows the user to edit the borrower details, including fields for full name, business owner's age, country, and city of the business owner. A sidebar shows the countdown to the next loan payment, with 24 days, 23 hours, 2 minutes, and 57 seconds remaining. There are options to make a payment or renegotiate the loan. Additional details include the monthly late fee (5%), monthly payment amount ($3,069.46), total remaining repayment ($110,500.655), and a link to view pool transaction hash and approver details.

Umoja Protocol app screen displaying an account balance of $1,000.44. The screen includes options to 'Send,' 'Receive,' and 'Deposit' funds. There are avatars representing two users: Roger Vetrov with a laptop emoji and Kaiya Baptista with a laptop emoji. The design features rounded, white interface elements on a light purple background.

Umoja Protocol app screen highlighting a 'Collateral Pool' with an estimated APY of 4.5%. The screen overlay features a dark blue interface with white text and an icon. The background shows a scenic view of a lush green field with trees and a partly cloudy sky.

“The project presented unique complexities — understanding its intricacies proved to be quite a puzzle due to the multitude of roles involved and the absence of competitor access.”

Artur Kogut

PRODUCT DESIGNER AT RASA DESIGN TEAM

Streamlined Pool Structure for Clarity

In our design strategy, we implemented a consistent pool structure, ensuring that a prominent card on the right always communicates the current status of specific processes. Whether it's a loan request, loan payment notification, or investment stage update, users can easily discern their position within the process flow. This standardized pattern enables users to intuitively access key information about each pool's stage, fostering familiarity and enhancing user experience.