Context
Context
Listed on the Brazilian stock exchange (B3: CASH3), Méliuz became the first startup in the country to go public. In 2021, the company launched a new app combining financial services, shopping, and cashback , marking the beginning of its evolution into a super app.
Since then, I’ve led the product design of this transformation, creating end-to-end experiences across loyalty programs, credit cards, financial journeys, and shopping flows. I’ve worked closely with product, growth, and engineering teams to bring this vision to life.
Listed on the Brazilian stock exchange (B3: CASH3), Méliuz became the first startup in the country to go public. In 2021, the company launched a new app combining financial services, shopping, and cashback , marking the beginning of its evolution into a super app.
Since then, I’ve led the product design of this transformation, creating end-to-end experiences across loyalty programs, credit cards, financial journeys, and shopping flows. I’ve worked closely with product, growth, and engineering teams to bring this vision to life.
Challenge
Challenge
Before launching its digital account, Méliuz had already established itself in Brazil as a leading cashback platform. Most users engaged with the service through the app and website, especially on desktop. While the app existed, it wasn’t yet at the center of the experience. After each purchase, users would simply withdraw their confirmed cashback to external bank accounts, and that was the end of their journey with us.
In 2021, the company began a full transformation, shifting from a shopping-focused brand into a fintech. Alongside this shift came a complete rebranding: new visual identity, new tone of voice, and a new strategic direction. The challenge was clear: create an experience that blended shopping and personal finance, unifying business fronts and increasing the app’s share of company revenue. We set out to turn Méliuz into a true financial ecosystem, one that would deepen user relationships, boost retention, and attract new users through a seamless, mobile-first experience.
Before launching its digital account, Méliuz had already established itself in Brazil as a leading cashback platform. Most users engaged with the service through the app and website, especially on desktop. While the app existed, it wasn’t yet at the center of the experience. After each purchase, users would simply withdraw their confirmed cashback to external bank accounts, and that was the end of their journey with us.
In 2021, the company began a full transformation, shifting from a shopping-focused brand into a fintech. Alongside this shift came a complete rebranding: new visual identity, new tone of voice, and a new strategic direction. The challenge was clear: create an experience that blended shopping and personal finance, unifying business fronts and increasing the app’s share of company revenue. We set out to turn Méliuz into a true financial ecosystem, one that would deepen user relationships, boost retention, and attract new users through a seamless, mobile-first experience.
Outcome
Outcome
We set the vision, researched deeply, and designed an end-to-end experience that helped scale the app from 16 to 41 million users. It became the 7th most downloaded shopping app in Brazil and now drives 67% of Méliuz’s R$365M in annual revenue.
Our strategy was to make the app the only place to access financial services, creating seamless conversion points at key moments of the journey. This allowed us to guide users into onboarding naturally, increase engagement, and lay the foundation for Méliuz’s evolution into a full financial platform.
We set the vision, researched deeply, and designed an end-to-end experience that helped scale the app from 16 to 41 million users. It became the 7th most downloaded shopping app in Brazil and now drives 67% of Méliuz’s R$365M in annual revenue.
Our strategy was to make the app the only place to access financial services, creating seamless conversion points at key moments of the journey. This allowed us to guide users into onboarding naturally, increase engagement, and lay the foundation for Méliuz’s evolution into a full financial platform.
My Role
My Role
My main challenge was to scale design beyond the shopping experience and into financial services, all withing six months, while building a high-performing team and embedding design into the product strategy. I collaborated daily with Product Designers, Enginners, Product Managers, Growth and Product Marketing to shape the entire product development process, from discovery to delivery.
My main challenge was to scale design beyond the shopping experience and into financial services, all withing six months, while building a high-performing team and embedding design into the product strategy. I collaborated daily with Product Designers, Enginners, Product Managers, Growth and Product Marketing to shape the entire product development process, from discovery to delivery.
✅ Align product and design strategy with stakeholders
Align product and design strategy with stakeholders
✅ Create visual concepts for what Méliuz could become in the future
Create visual concepts for what Méliuz could become in the future
✅ Led early-stage user research and interviews to explore needs and pain points
Led early-stage user research and interviews to explore needs and pain points
✅ Worked hands-on as a Product Designer, crafting flows, wireframes and final UI
Worked hands-on as a Product Designer, crafting flows, wireframes and final UI
✅ Managed a team of 12 designers working across multiple products verticals
Managed a team of 12 designers working across multiple products verticals
Research
Research
I started the project working closely with the CEO, a Group Product Manager, another Senior Designer and a UX Researcher. We kicked off our user research to better understand who our users were, their income range, geographic distribution, financial habits, primary banks, perception of Méliuz entering the financial space, and how they used our app in their daily lives.
We conducted remote qualitative interviews and unmoderated online forms. The insights allowed us to identify clear behavior patterns and uncover opportunities to improve key product flows.
I started the project working closely with the CEO, a Group Product Manager, another Senior Designer and a UX Researcher. We kicked off our user research to better understand who our users were, their income range, geographic distribution, financial habits, primary banks, perception of Méliuz entering the financial space, and how they used our app in their daily lives.
We conducted remote qualitative interviews and unmoderated online forms. The insights allowed us to identify clear behavior patterns and uncover opportunities to improve key product flows.
Design Process
Design Process
Together with Cris Landa (Designer), I led the UX foundation for Méliuz shopping and financial services experiences. We started by analyzing major players in shopping, cashback, and digital banking to identify patterns and approaches relevant to our context. This research surfaced key UI/UX practices in flows like online shopping, financial transactions, cash-in/out, and digital account onboarding, helping us shape a product experience tailored to our broad user base.
Together with Cris Landa (Designer), I led the UX foundation for Méliuz shopping and financial services experiences. We started by analyzing major players in shopping, cashback, and digital banking to identify patterns and approaches relevant to our context. This research surfaced key UI/UX practices in flows like online shopping, financial transactions, cash-in/out, and digital account onboarding, helping us shape a product experience tailored to our broad user base.
Wireframing
Wireframing
After completing the competitive analysis, we moved straight into wireframing. Given the tight timelines, we skipped the paper ideation phase and start directly with medium-fidelity screens. Quick decisions were necessary, and having more structured drafts helped us communicate ideas clearly and keep the team aligned from the start.
The early workflows and app-wide concepts gave stakeholders a tangible sense of the product's structure. They became key tools for aligning expectations, validating directions, and moving faster with more confidence.
Stakeholders Insights:
During these early validation sessions, one key request stood out: making access to financial services, especially digital account creation, immediate and obvious. Stakeholders wanted users to open the app and instantly see the value: the products available and how to use them.
To address this, we proposed surfacing core features directly in the Tab Bar: Shopping, Pix (Brazil's instant payment system), Credit Card, Bitcoin, and Wallet. These shortcuts gave visibility to the most strategic services and helped shift the app's positioning from cashback to financial ecosystem.
After completing the competitive analysis, we moved straight into wireframing. Given the tight timelines, we skipped the paper ideation phase and start directly with medium-fidelity screens. Quick decisions were necessary, and having more structured drafts helped us communicate ideas clearly and keep the team aligned from the start.
The early workflows and app-wide concepts gave stakeholders a tangible sense of the product's structure. They became key tools for aligning expectations, validating directions, and moving faster with more confidence.
Stakeholders Insights:
During these early validation sessions, one key request stood out: making access to financial services, especially digital account creation, immediate and obvious. Stakeholders wanted users to open the app and instantly see the value: the products available and how to use them.
To address this, we proposed surfacing core features directly in the Tab Bar: Shopping, Pix (Brazil's instant payment system), Credit Card, Bitcoin, and Wallet. These shortcuts gave visibility to the most strategic services and helped shift the app's positioning from cashback to financial ecosystem.
Conception
Conception
Back then, our team consisted of 4 designers, with just 2 focused on the new app. To scale the project, we brought in 9 additional product designers. With the workflows defined and the overall app structure approved, we started involving the other designers on the team. As a design lead, I conducted individual alignment sessions with each of the 12 designers, mapping their strengths, career goals, and ambitions to better allocate them across products and business units.
Once the designers were assigned to their respective squads, I led the effort to map all user flows across shopping and financial products. We organized a sprint focused on aligning the team and preparing for usability testing before full development. I was responsible for guiding this structure while remaining fully hands-on, defining flows, supporting designers, and keeping our vision aligned across product, design, and business.
Back then, our team consisted of 4 designers, with just 2 focused on the new app. To scale the project, we brought in 9 additional product designers. With the workflows defined and the overall app structure approved, we started involving the other designers on the team. As a design lead, I conducted individual alignment sessions with each of the 12 designers, mapping their strengths, career goals, and ambitions to better allocate them across products and business units.
Once the designers were assigned to their respective squads, I led the effort to map all user flows across shopping and financial products. We organized a sprint focused on aligning the team and preparing for usability testing before full development. I was responsible for guiding this structure while remaining fully hands-on, defining flows, supporting designers, and keeping our vision aligned across product, design, and business.
Testing, iteration & trade-offs
Testing, iteration & trade-offs
Over the course of three weeks, we conducted over 50 moderated remote usability sessions and A/B tests, with a mix of external users, friends, colleagues, and Méliuz employees. These sessions helped us validate early concepts including error scenarios we hadn’t mapped initially, identify usability issues, and iterate quickly.
While testing was already part of the culture inside product and design, I took the lead in evangelizing discovery and user-centered practices to other teams, ensuring alignment company-wide. But, as the launch date approached and timelines became tighter, we couldn't test every flow and had to make tough trade-offs. Still, the foundation we built through early research gave us confidence to move forward and a clear direction for post-launch iteration.
Over the course of three weeks, we conducted over 50 moderated remote usability sessions and A/B tests, with a mix of external users, friends, colleagues, and Méliuz employees. These sessions helped us validate early concepts including error scenarios we hadn’t mapped initially, identify usability issues, and iterate quickly.
While testing was already part of the culture inside product and design, I took the lead in evangelizing discovery and user-centered practices to other teams, ensuring alignment company-wide. But, as the launch date approached and timelines became tighter, we couldn't test every flow and had to make tough trade-offs. Still, the foundation we built through early research gave us confidence to move forward and a clear direction for post-launch iteration.
🚧 This is a high-level summary. Additional visuals and context will be added soon.
🚧 This is a high-level summary.
Additional visuals and context will be added soon.
Result & Impact
Result & Impact
In January 2021, we launched the MVP of the new Méliuz app to internal users and a small test group, around 1% of our customer base, totaling just over 100,000 users. Most core features were already developed, and the goal was to observe how users understood and interacted with the new financial journeys. We focused on identifying usability issues, areas for improvement, and unmapped edge cases in key flows like cash-in, cash-out, and account setup.
Since then, I’ve worked as a strategic bridge between Design, Product, and Business. I’ve led a team of 12 Product Designers across multiple squads and domains, including design system, loyalty program, credit card, e-commerce, digital banking, crypto, insurance, and financial investments.
In January 2021, we launched the MVP of the new Méliuz app to internal users and a small test group, around 1% of our customer base, totaling just over 100,000 users. Most core features were already developed, and the goal was to observe how users understood and interacted with the new financial journeys. We focused on identifying usability issues, areas for improvement, and unmapped edge cases in key flows like cash-in, cash-out, and account setup.
Since then, I’ve worked as a strategic bridge between Design, Product, and Business. I’ve led a team of 12 Product Designers across multiple squads and domains, including design system, loyalty program, credit card, e-commerce, digital banking, crypto, insurance, and financial investments.
R$ 365M
R$ 365M
2024 annaul revenue
67%
67%
Revenue through the app
41M
41M
Users on the plataform
What I learned
What I learned
The Méliuz's app was a turning point in my career, not only because of its scale, but because of the responsibility it demanded across every stage of the product lifecycle. Leading the UX strategy while staying hands-on gave me a broader perspective on how design can drive business impact, influence product direction, and shape cross-functional collaboration.
It was also my first time designing for a digital account, banking flows, and a financial wallet. Working on people's money, and their financial lives, taught me to approach every decision with a higher level of care, clarity, and accountability. Designing interfaces that deal with trust, risk, and financial literacy was a new and powerful responsibility.
I learned how to:
The Méliuz's app was a turning point in my career, not only because of its scale, but because of the responsibility it demanded across every stage of the product lifecycle. Leading the UX strategy while staying hands-on gave me a broader perspective on how design can drive business impact, influence product direction, and shape cross-functional collaboration.
It was also my first time designing for a digital account, banking flows, and a financial wallet. Working on people's money, and their financial lives, taught me to approach every decision with a higher level of care, clarity, and accountability. Designing interfaces that deal with trust, risk, and financial literacy was a new and powerful responsibility.
I learned how to:
✅ Design under pressure without compromising quality
Align product and design strategy with stakeholders
✅ Balance user needs with business goals in a rapidly evolving environment
Create visual concepts for what Méliuz could become in the future
✅ Scale a design team while maintaining consistency and vision
Led early-stage user research and interviews to explore needs and pain points
✅ Evangelize user-centered thinking across different areas of the company
Worked hands-on as a Product Designer, crafting flows, wireframes and final UI
✅ Managed a team of 12 designers working across multiple products verticals
Managed a team of 12 designers working across multiple products verticals
Most importantly, this experience reinforced the value of structured design in high-growth environments, and how research, clarity, and iteration can turn a complex product into something simple and meaningful for millions.
Most importantly, this experience reinforced the value of structured design in high-growth environments, and how research, clarity, and iteration can turn a complex product into something simple and meaningful for millions.
Final Design
Final Design
Design System
Design System
Shopping
Shopping
Credit Card
Credit Card
Digital Bank
Digital Bank
Gift Card
Gift Card
Bitcoin
Bitcoin
