FromRebrandtoProductSystem

92%

Perceived increased security

100 users tested (50 existing, 50 new)

85%+

Trust, calmness, and simplicity

consistent across all perception dimensions

Impact

A product that felt inconsistent and a little playful became one that actually felt like a place to put your money.

92%

Perceived increased security

Validated across 100 users (50 existing clients, 50 new users)

90%

Associated with calmness & stability

Perception shifted: playful → trustworthy

85%

Perceived improved simplicity

Reduced cognitive load, new and existing users

88%

Felt increased trust & transparency

The most critical metric in a financial product

Side-by-side — misma pantalla clave, sistema anterior vs. nuevo

Context

Company

DINN — Actinver's digital investment app for first-time investors in Mexico

Timeline

H2 2022 — DINN had completed a brand redesign. The product experience had to be rebuilt.

My Role

Ran the internal audit, defined the new visual system, and coordinated implementation across the entire app and website.

Built the governance documentation the team still uses today.

Team

UX/UI designers, illustrators, communication team, external audit vendor, product stakeholders

The Problem

The product had grown fast — more clients, more screens, a bigger team — and visual consistency broke. In a financial product, inconsistency isn't just visual. It feels unsafe.

A qualitative study showed DINN read as "inversión chiquita" — a small, everyday tool — no matter how sophisticated the user.

The approachability worked. But it set a ceiling.

The product as it was

"Bright colors, decorative illustrations, low visual hierarchy — playful and approachable."

Approachability was working — first-timers felt welcome

But it was setting a ceiling on how seriously users took the product

Experienced investors were using it as a side account, not a main platform

The design challenge

"Maturity without rigidity. Clear without being overwhelming."

Accessible enough for first-timers who've never invested

Substantial enough for users to grow into a main platform

Trustworthy enough that users feel safe putting their money in

Diagnosis

Two visual audits, run simultaneously — one mine, one external. I didn't want the findings to be only my perspective, or only an outside one.

Internal Audit

Designed and run in-house

Mapped every UI pattern across the app — color usage, typography hierarchy, illustration style, spacing, component behavior.

Documented every point where brand guidelines were being ignored, stretched, or misapplied.

External Audit

Independent vendor

Brought in outside perspective to validate findings and catch structural gaps that internal familiarity had stopped us from seeing.

Both audits reached the same conclusion: the visual system was actively working against trust perception.

What I Built

A system that works for any designer, on any screen, without needing me in the room.

Color governance

Not just which colors to use — how much of each and when. That one change alone fixed most of the visual noise.

Typography hierarchy

Clearer type scale, tighter rules for headings, body, and supporting text. Every screen needed to communicate priority clearly.

Illustration direction

Calmer, more grounded compositions. Less decoration that adds visual weight without adding meaning.

Spacing and layout

Consistent grids and spacing logic. The visual rhythm users feel but don't consciously notice.

Tone by context

Rules for how the visual tone shifts across moments: onboarding, portfolio view, alerts, educational content.

Validation

I tested the new system with 100 users (50 existing clients, 50 new) before rolling anything out. In a financial product, you don't ship on instinct.

Participants

100

50 existing DINN clients
50 new users — no prior exposure to the product

Method

Comparative testing

Old visual system shown against the new one — same screens, same context, different system.

Result

Every key trust metric moved in the right direction

Consistently across both user groups — before a single screen shipped to production.

Execution

I led implementation across the full product, coordinating illustrators, UX/UI designers, and the communication team under one direction so the system applied consistently everywhere.

Key Deliverables

Visual Audit Reports

Internal + External

Evidence-based diagnosis of perception and consistency gaps — not just one perspective.

Product Visual System

Color · Type · Spacing · Illustration · Imagery

The full ruleset for how the product looks, feels, and shifts tone across contexts.

Brand Governance Documentation

Still in use today

Scalable reference built for the team — with rationale, not just rules.

Full App & Website Implementation

Every screen, every touchpoint

Cohesive product experience aligned with brand maturity. Coordinated across designers, illustrators, and communications.

Outcome

92% of tested users perceived the product as more secure; trust, calmness, and simplicity scored 85%+ across every dimension. The documentation is the part I'm proudest of — it's still in use today, a real system the team keeps building on.

Reflection

Users don't process trust rationally — they feel it. Color proportions, spacing, illustration tone aren't aesthetic preferences. They're the product. You can update the logo and the guidelines, but if the product doesn't reflect the new brand, nothing actually changes.