Confident onboarding
Progressive guidance helps employees understand the account and the information that matters first.
Case study · fintech product leadership
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An equity platform built to make ownership easier to understand—turning complex documents, vesting, and value into a product experience employees can navigate with confidence.
- Role
- Head of product
- Scope
- Equity journeys and platform delivery
- Team
- Distributed, cross-functional
The product problem
Equity is valuable only when people can understand it.
For many employees, equity arrives as unfamiliar language, scattered documents, and an unclear sequence of steps. The product had to translate a complicated financial relationship into a clear, trustworthy experience without oversimplifying what mattered.
The work centered on the moments where confidence is won or lost: first-time onboarding, seeing current value and vesting, reviewing documents, and knowing what action is available next.
The approach
Make a high-stakes workflow feel understandable at every step.
- 01
Start with the employee journey
Map the questions people have before asking them to learn a product model, a legal term, or a complicated workflow.
- 02
Reveal complexity when it matters
Use progressive disclosure so the experience stays calm while the necessary detail remains accessible and auditable.
- 03
Ship as one product team
Align product, design, engineering, and operations around a shared quality bar for a financially sensitive experience.
In the product
Turn equity information into a clear next action.
The dashboard made ownership visible in one place, then connected that view to the documents, milestones, and steps around an employee’s equity.
Designed capability
A product direction for a more legible ownership experience.
Transparent value and vesting
Clear information design makes ownership progress easier to inspect without making financial details feel impenetrable.
Better delivery rhythm
A shared product process connected customer insight, prioritization, and implementation across the distributed team.
Key learning
Trust is built in the small explanations.
In a financial product, clarity is not cosmetic. Every label, state, and next step helps a person decide whether they understand enough to take action. Product polish becomes part of the trust model.
Next case study: Farm Your YardProject Overview
Building the Future of Employee Equity
The Challenge
Traditional equity management was fragmented, complex, and often opaque to employees. Companies struggled with manual processes, compliance issues, and poor employee engagement with their equity benefits. Employees frequently didn't understand their equity value or how to access it, leading to decreased motivation and retention.
The Solution
We designed and built a comprehensive equity platform that simplifies RSU management for both companies and employees. The platform provides real-time equity valuations, automated vesting schedules, seamless selling capabilities, and transparent reporting—all wrapped in an intuitive user experience that makes equity accessible to everyone.
The Impact
The platform transformed how companies and employees interact with equity, resulting in 300% year-over-year revenue growth, over $200M in equity transactions processed, and 87% customer satisfaction. Employee engagement with equity benefits increased by 400%, and company onboarding time decreased by 75%.
My Role & Responsibilities
Leading Product Strategy & Execution
Product Strategy
Defined product vision and roadmap for equity platform
Conducted market research and competitive analysis
Established key success metrics and KPIs
Prioritized features based on user needs and business value
User Research & Design
Led user interviews with 50+ employees and HR leaders
Created user personas and journey maps
Designed wireframes and interactive prototypes
Conducted usability testing and iteration cycles
Product Execution
Managed cross-functional team of 8 developers and designers
Wrote detailed PRDs and technical specifications
Coordinated with legal and compliance teams
Launched beta program with 5 pilot companies
Growth & Optimization
Implemented analytics tracking and data analysis
A/B tested key user flows and conversion funnels
Optimized onboarding process reducing time by 75%
Led expansion into new market segments
Design Process
From Research to Implementation
01
Discovery & Research
Understanding the Equity Ecosystem
We conducted extensive research with employees, HR leaders, and finance teams to understand pain points in equity management. Through 50+ interviews and surveys, we identified key challenges: lack of transparency, complex processes, and poor user experience.
User Interviews
Market Analysis
Competitive Research
Stakeholder Mapping
02
Problem Definition
Defining Core User Needs
Based on our research, we defined three core user personas: The Engaged Employee (wants transparency), The Busy HR Manager (needs efficiency), and The Compliant CFO (requires accuracy). Each persona had distinct needs that informed our feature prioritization.
User Personas
Journey Maps
Problem Statements
Success Metrics
03
Design & Prototyping
Creating Intuitive Solutions
We designed a clean, dashboard-driven interface that provides real-time equity valuations, clear vesting schedules, and one-click selling capabilities. The design emphasized transparency and simplicity, making complex financial concepts accessible to all employees.
Wireframes
Interactive Prototypes
Design System
Usability Tests
04
Development & Testing
Building for Scale & Security
Working closely with our engineering team, we built a secure, scalable platform that integrates with existing HR systems and financial institutions. We implemented robust testing protocols and launched a private beta with 5 companies to validate our approach.
MVP Platform
Beta Testing
Security Audits
Integration APIs
05
Launch & Optimization
Scaling Success
Post-launch, we focused on user acquisition and platform optimization. Through continuous A/B testing and user feedback, we improved key metrics: reduced onboarding time by 75%, increased engagement by 400%, and achieved 87% customer satisfaction.
Public Launch
Marketing Campaign
User Analytics
Performance Optimization
Key Features & Solutions
Innovative Solutions for Modern Equity Management
Real-time Equity Valuations
Employees can see their equity value updated in real-time based on company valuations, with clear projections and historical trends.
Increased transparency
Better financial planning
Higher engagement
Automated Vesting Management
Automated tracking of vesting schedules with notifications and visual progress indicators, eliminating manual calculations and errors.
Reduced admin burden
Eliminated errors
Improved compliance
Seamless Equity Transactions
Employees can sell vested shares with a simple, guided process that handles all legal and tax implications automatically.
Simplified selling process
Automated tax handling
Faster liquidity
Compliance & Reporting
Comprehensive reporting tools for finance teams with automated compliance checking and detailed audit trails.
Automated compliance
Detailed reporting
Risk reduction
Results & Impact
Measurable Success Across All Metrics
Business Growth
300%
YoY Revenue Growth
Achieved through new customer acquisition and expansion of existing accounts
$200M+
Total Equity Transactions
Processed through the platform since launch
150+
Companies Onboarded
From startups to Fortune 500 companies
User Experience
87%
Customer Satisfaction
Based on quarterly NPS surveys
75%
Faster Onboarding
Reduced setup time from weeks to days
400%
Increased Engagement
Employees now actively monitor their equity
Platform Performance
99.9%
Uptime
Reliable platform with minimal downtime
<2s
Page Load Time
Optimized for fast user experience
0
Security Incidents
Bank-level security with zero breaches
Key Learnings
Insights from Building a Fintech Platform
Regulatory Complexity Requires Early Planning
Financial regulations add significant complexity that must be considered from day one. We learned to involve legal and compliance teams early in the design process, which saved months of rework later.
User Education is Critical for Adoption
Many employees had limited understanding of equity concepts. We invested heavily in educational content and onboarding flows, which dramatically improved engagement and satisfaction.
B2B2C Requires Dual Focus
Serving both companies (buyers) and employees (end users) required careful balance. We learned to design workflows that satisfy admin needs while prioritizing employee experience.
Data Security Cannot Be an Afterthought
Handling sensitive financial data required implementing security measures from the ground up. We achieved bank-level security through careful architecture and regular audits.
Client Testimonials
What Our Users Say
Gabriel was the driving force behind Wonder's early success. His tireless work ethic, strategic vision, and ability to rally the team made him the glue that held everything together.
Gabriel was an amazing mentor who helped me grow so much as a UX/UI designer. He taught me the importance of keeping designs consistent and always explained the reasons behind his decisions.
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