Citro
PRODUCT, UX/UI, BRAND
Leading the evolution of a brand-led fintech product at scale
Citro is a membership-based fintech platform designed to help Australians over 40 maximise value through curated offers, rewards and cashback. As Design Lead, I was responsible for shaping the product and brand from early foundation through strategic pivot and performance optimisation.
Over multiple phases, my work spanned brand creation, UX evolution, business model transition (from card-based fintech to BYO card model), and the development of scalable design systems. Alongside improving product clarity and cohesion, I led initiatives that directly contributed to measurable growth in transaction engagement and value.
ROLE
Design Lead
SCOPE
Product
UX/UI
Brand
Research
Design systems
Creative Direction
Challenge
Citro was evolving rapidly – building its brand and product foundation in parallel while operating within a lean team structure. As the business pivoted from a card-based fintech model to a BYO card offering, the product experience and value proposition needed to be redefined without losing user trust.
As Design Lead, I was responsible for navigating this transition while continuing to support ongoing business needs – from product releases and lifecycle communications to marketing campaigns and brand consistency across surfaces. The role required balancing long-term system thinking with day-to-day execution, ensuring the product could evolve strategically without compromising quality in the present.
This meant operating at two levels simultaneously: shaping the future state of the platform while maintaining cohesion, clarity, and momentum across existing touchpoints.
OBJECTIVES
Establish a cohesive brand-led product foundation
Redesign the experience to support the BYO card pivot
Improve engagement and transaction activity through UX optimisation
Maintain cross-surface consistency across ongoing product and marketing work
Build scalable systems to support future growth
Process
To manage both strategic initiatives and business-as-usual demands, I introduced a structured sprint-based approach aligned to product priorities and growth objectives. This allowed larger initiatives (such as the product pivot and Offers redesign) to move forward without disrupting ongoing release cycles and campaign work.
Each sprint combined discovery, collaborative alignment, prototyping, and iterative refinements. I worked closely with Product, Engineering, and Growth to translate research insights and behavioural data into actionable design direction, while also mentoring and reviewing work from an offshore designer to ensure consistency and quality across surfaces.
By embedding design thinking into planning rituals and cross-functional discussions, design became both a strategic driver and a reliable delivery partner within the organisation.
Sprints
1
2
3
Solutions
Across Citro’s evolution, I led multiple interconnected initiatives spanning brand creation, product pivot, optimisation, and systemisation. Rather than isolated redesigns, the work focused on progressively strengthening cohesion, usability, and scalability across the ecosystem.
Key solutions
Outcome
My work strengthened cohesion across product, brand, and marketing surfaces while improving measurable engagement in core user journeys. The Offers redesign contributed to a 37% increase in transactions and a 55% lift in total transaction value, alongside a significant reduction in paid acquisition spend.
Beyond individual initiatives, I established scalable design systems and progressively unified app and web experiences, enabling faster iteration, improved cross-team collaboration, and a more consistent platform as Citro continued to evolve.
KEY OUTCOMES
Increased transaction engagement and total value through UX optimisation
Improved consistency across app, web, and marketing surfaces
Reduced dependency on paid acquisition through stronger product engagement
Established scalable design systems and reusable patterns
Embedded design leadership within cross-functional planning
