Led redesign of the retail investment journey inside the core Kotak app using the new design system, unifying onboarding and smoothing transactions to build trust and familiarity.
Heuristic evaluation
Design System
Initial wireframing
Goals and metrics
Key information
Context
Our goal was both simple and ambitious to create an investment journey so seamless and familiar that existing customers would be excited and confident to start investing, right from their Kotak app. I led the redesign of the retail investment experience, working closely with designers, managers and key stakeholders to ensure every touchpoint felt native, reassuring, and brand-aligned.
design team meetup at adobe make it india event (2025)
Timeline of the project
Week 1-2
Week 3-4
Week 5-7
Week 8 - onwards
Challenge
We needed to transform a fragmented and outdated investment flow into a unified, trustworthy journey that invited customers to invest again and again.
The data and our relationship managers told a clear story:
The old PWA investment flow was slow, incomplete, and hard to use on mobile.
Users frequently dropped off at the fund-buying stage.
Customers, even those already with Kotak, felt disconnected and unsure.
AI generated image
Literally, the business team was looking for a positive big impact
1
Let every Kotak customer start investing in just a few steps.
2
Remove friction and make fund purchases feel effortless.
3
Leverage Kotak’s new Design System for a best in class look and feel.
Listening, Observing, Benchmarking
Our deep dive research, spanning heuristic evaluations, benchmarking, and honest conversations with relationship managers, uncovered the source of hesitation.
Users wanted everything in one place, not scattered across web-views and login screens
They felt a lack of trust and clarity when they couldn’t see portfolio summaries or compare options easily.
Competing apps offered smoother, more transparent flows.
heuristic evaluations of ux/ui audit
benchmarking - kotak cherry app
Glimpse of iterations and ideas
We eliminated many ideas that were not fully aligned with user needs, focusing on those that could benefit both the user and the business. We have made around 30-70 screens to find the correct and simple journey.
20-50 screens
Homepage
All investment instruments, including mutual funds, FDs, and more, are now presented in an at-a-glance dashboard. Users can view totals, track performance, and download summaries in seconds. No more hunting for information.
Exploration
Using Kotak’s recommendations and user risk profiles, people can now explore, compare, and invest in funds aligned to their appetite, with dynamic collections and powerful filters making choices less overwhelming.
Risk profile
A guided, beginner-friendly risk assessment helps users understand their profile and see matched products in under a minute. This not only reduces their research time but also builds confidence for first-timers.
Buy
Transaction screens are simplified, with clear payment tracking and easy downloading/sharing of receipts. The user can always see the journey with no hidden steps or confusion.
Real Results, Happy Users
Customers welcomed the streamlined approach, though some requested even more advanced features (which were being rolled out month by month). The change didn’t just look good on paper:
Consistent increase in conversion rates
Reflecting trust in the new experience
Users are started investing via Kotak app
What I learned so far
This journey was about more than just pixels and flows. It was about understanding what holds users back and how great design can build trust. By folding investment tools seamlessly into the main banking experience, we empowered everyday Kotak customers to take their first confident step into investing.
My focus on partnership, empathy, and iterative feedback helped transform a clunky process into one users actually want to use and recommend to others.
