Başak Uğur ÖnemProduct DesignerNiceCase file 03 · 2026
Back to work
Case file 03 · 2026

Designing fornervous money.

2026 · Fintech · Investing · Web app

An investor app where everyday people buy tokenized bonds and real estate from $100, trade them and collect yield, without needing to understand the blockchain underneath.

Project
Invnex
Product
Investor web app
Role
Product designer
Year
2026
00.1 Opening and TL;DR

People don't fear new investments. They fear not knowing what happens to their money.

I designed Invnex around one principle: no money moment without its cost and its outcome.

Below: a first investment traced the old way, the flows, five decisions and the live prototype.

Role
Product designer
Year
2026
Built with
Claude Code, Figma
01.1 Six figures just to get in

The good assets had a velvet rope.

Private credit, real estate and green bonds were closed to retail investors: six-figure tickets, a broker, a stack of paperwork. Tokenization fixes access but not trust, because most crypto interfaces were built for traders.

  1. Private markets · Real estate Real estate fundIncome fund · Class A Minimum investment $250,000 Contact a broker

    Sun 21:30The good stuff starts at six figures.

  2. Term_sheet.pdf · p. 3 / 40 Target yield Term_sheet.pdf · p. 31 / 40 Fees and charges

    Sun 21:42The answers are spread across PDFs.

  3. Confirm investment Amount$5,000 CONFIRM Receipt Invested$5,000.00 + Entry fee$75.00

    Sun 21:58The real cost shows up after you commit.

  4. Transaction failed OK Support

    Sun 22:03And then: is my money gone?

  5. End of file

    Scroll down to see the same evening with Invnex.

1 / 5
Illustrative scenario · dummy data
first_investment.logSun 21:30 · before Invnex
  1. 01Find an interesting asset✕ minimum ticket is six figures
  2. 02Read the terms✕ scattered across PDFs
  3. 03Press confirm✕ fees appear afterward
  4. 04Something fails✕ “is my money gone?”
  5. 05Want to exit early✕ locked until maturity
01.2 Why it's hard

Access was fixed. Trust wasn't.

A $100 ticket brings in first-time investors.

E1 · Retail access to private markets
16%

Of alternative-fund assets are held by individual investors, who hold about half of global wealth.

Bain & Company · Global Private Equity Report 2023
So: a $100 minimum only helps if every asset reads the same way.
E2 · Fee transparency and trust
48%

Of shoppers have abandoned a checkout because extra costs, such as fees, were too high at the end.

Baymard Institute · checkout survey, 2024
So: every dollar shows before every commit.
E3 · Ambiguous payment errors
42%

Of consumers say they would never return to a business after a failed payment.

Checkout.com research, cited by Finix
So: a failure says first whether money moved.
E4 · Liquidity in private assets
63%

Of asset owners name liquidity as the top barrier to adding private-market exposure.

Morningstar · Asset Owner Perspectives Survey 2026
So: there is always a way out before maturity.
02.1 Key flows

Objects before screens.

Six objects carry every money moment.

ObjectStatesRule
Investorsigned up → verification in review → approved / rejectedInvesting needs an approved investor.
Walletconnected → wrong network → disconnectedAlways visible in the sidebar, never in the way.
Offeringupcoming → open → fully subscribed → closedFull offerings stay visible with a disabled button.
Orderinput → signature requested → processing → success / failureConfirm stays disabled until valid. Failure says “no funds deducted” first.
Holdinglocked (countdown) → maturedExit early through the secondary market.
Yield claimpending → processing → claimed / failedOne-tap claim per asset.
Fig 01 · Information architecture Invnex PortfolioHome Investing Account4 screens Primary marketSide sheet · dialog Trade · Yield · Redemption Minimum checkGate Failed transactionStop Identity verificationGate
Invnex
Main
  • Portfolio (home)
Investing
  • Primary market, then the asset side sheet, then the invest dialog
  • Minimum investment check Gate
  • Failed transaction Stop
  • Trade
  • Yield
  • Redemption
Account
  • Transaction history
  • Deposit
  • Withdrawal
  • Settings
  • Identity verification Gate
ScreenGate or checkStop
Notice the two gates: identity before any deposit, and a minimum check while typing. Hover a table row to light its screens.
User flows
Fig 03 · B · Discover and invest Investor System NoNoTry againConfirm disabledNo funds deductedStop Yes Yes Side sheetTerms first Enter amountIn dollars Valid? ConfirmFees shown ProcessingAutomatic Success? Invested50 ABC received
  1. Primary market Filter, then open an asset card
  2. Side sheet Terms first
  3. Invest, then enter the amount In dollars
  4. Above minimum and within balance? No: inline message, confirm stays disabled · Yes: fees shown
  5. Confirm and sign Fees shown
  6. Processing System · automatic
  7. Success? No: “No funds deducted”, then Try again with the form kept
  8. “You invested $5,000 and received 50 ABC” Safe
  9. No funds deducted Stop · Try again keeps the form
DecisionSystemSafe outcomeStop
Notice the two stops: one prevented while typing, one that answers the money question first.
Fig 07 · What one confirm sets off
Invest dialog$5,000 · Green Bond 90 Days 8%Confirm investment
  • Amount typed in dollars✓
  • Fee shown · $75.00✓
  • Above the $1,000 minimum✓
  • Within balance✓
50 ABC tokens arrivePortfolio updated

Illustrative mock · dummy data
Every check passes while typing, before the click.
02.2 The research-to-design strategy map

Every decision traces back to research.

Research evidenceCore insightDesign decision
Retail investors comparing private-market assets face different terms, formats and units for every offering.Secondary research
I1People can't compare what isn't laid out the same way.
D1Same grammar on every card
Fee transparency is one of the strongest drivers of trust in an investment platform.Secondary research
I2A fee seen for the first time after confirm feels like a trick.
D2Every dollar before every commit
After an unclear payment error, people assume the worst and contact support.Secondary research
I3After a failure, the first question is always about the money.
D3Prevent errors instead of reporting them
Most tokenized-asset products use trading language: mint, swap, gas, harvest.Competitor review
I4The blockchain is the proof, not the product.
D4Hide the chain, keep it verifiable
Terms lived in scattered PDFs, and every detail meant leaving the market.Process log
I5Investors need depth without losing their place.
D5Keep context, layer depth
02.3 Key design decisions

Five decisions that shaped the screens.

Decision 01 D1

What I decided

Every offering card answers the same four questions in the same order: total issuance, minimum investment, asset class and target yield.

Primary market · the same four facts on every card
Live prototype · dummy data
Decision 02 D2

What I decided

Fees appear as a percentage on the asset page, as a dollar amount while typing, and as a line item again on the confirmation.

Typing $5,000 · the fee and total update as you type
Live prototype · dummy data
Decision 03 D3

What I decided

Amounts are checked while typing, so most errors never happen. When a transaction does fail, the message opens with “No funds were deducted”, and Try Again returns to the filled-in form.

Checked while typing · Confirm stays off
If it fails · the money comes first
Live prototype · dummy data
Decision 04 D4

What I decided

The interface talks about investments, tokens and yield, never gas, minting or smart contracts. Wallet and contract addresses stay available, set in monospace, where they don't compete with the decision.

Wallet and contract addresses in monospace, out of the way
Live prototype · dummy data
Decision 05 D5

What I decided

Clicking an offering opens a side sheet instead of a new page. Terms come first; disclosures, the term sheet and documents sit one layer down.

A side sheet over the market · terms first
Live prototype · dummy data
Try it · decision 02
Before you confirm · the fee, three times
Asset pageYield 8.00%1.5% entry fee
While typing $5,000No fee yet+ $75.00 fee
Confirmation$5,000Total $5,075.00
After you confirm
Receipt+ $75.00 fee appearsNothing new
Fee shown three times: a percentage, then dollars while typing, then a line on the confirmation. Illustrative mock · dummy data
CAPBASE Invnex
03.1 Live prototype

Prevent, then reassure.

Invest in Green Bond 90 Days 8%

Investment amount (USD)
5005000

Minimum investment is $1,000

  • Token price$100
  • Tokens to receive5 ABC50 ABC
  • Entry fee (1.5%)$7.50$75.00
  • Total transaction$507.50$5,075.00
CancelConfirm investment

Transaction failed

Your investment could not be processed. No funds have been deducted.

Please try again or contact support.

CancelTry again

Investment successful

You invested $5,000 and received 50 ABC tokens.

Your portfolio has been updated.

Done
  • Checked as you type
  • Cost before commit
  • Safety first
  • Nothing to retype
Illustrative mock · dummy data
The invest dialog in five steps: $500 is flagged below the $1,000 minimum while typing and Confirm stays disabled; $5,000 updates the fee lines live; a failed transaction opens with No funds have been deducted; Try again returns to the filled-in form; then success, 50 ABC tokens received.
4Facts on every card
3Fee views before confirm
5Key flows
6Objects
The whole product, view by view
Live prototype · dummy dataPlays while in view
Highlights
  1. 01Same four facts in the same order on every asset card
  2. 02Every dollar shown before every commit
  3. 03Errors prevented while typing
  4. 04Failure messages that lead with “no funds were deducted”
Whole project · Big idea

No money moment without its cost and outcome.

One screen · The invest dialog

An amount in dollars, every cost listed, one total.

One small part · The total line

The exact number that leaves your account.

03.2 Reflection

Trust is built in the small numbers.

Invnex taught me that first-time investors don't need more information, they need it in the right place. The same four facts on every card let people compare assets without reading, and showing the fee as a percentage, then in dollars, then on the confirmation meant no number arrived as a surprise at the moment of commitment.

The failure dialog is the smallest screen and the one I'd defend hardest. Leading with "No funds have been deducted" answers the only question people have when something breaks, and Try Again returns to the filled-in form, so a failure never turns into a restart.

Next, I would test the invest flow with people making their first $100 investment, and give lock-ups and redemption the same clarity as fees, so the way out is as visible as the way in.