Citibank wanted to completely rethink the Citigold mobile app for their high-net-worth clients. Historically, most of the experience was advisor-driven — if a client wanted to make a trade, they had to contact their financial advisor and wait, sometimes hours, for it to go through.
Citibank wanted to completely rethink the Citigold mobile app for their high-net-worth clients. Historically, most of the experience was advisor-driven — if a client wanted to make a trade, they had to contact their financial advisor and wait, sometimes hours, for it to go through.
The core problem was that the digital experience didn’t match how these clients expected to operate. They wanted speed, autonomy, and visibility, without losing the trust and relationship they had with their advisors.
I led the design portion of the new Citigold mobile app. We partnered with two external design agencies, but I owned the overall design vision, and quality. One of my biggest focuses was making sure the work felt cohesive — not like three different teams shipping three different ideas.
From an experience standpoint, we shifted control to the user. We introduced real-time investing so clients could trade on demand, directly in the app. We redesigned the dashboard to be portfolio-first, so users immediately understood their financial position and could act on it.
We also integrated wealth management features end-to-end — things like opening a brokerage account in the app, accessing tax documents, and managing investments without having to leave the experience. At the same time, we made sure users could easily connect with their financial advisors so the experience felt empowering, not isolating.
This was a complex project — high regulatory requirements, a lot of stakeholders, and real financial risk for users — so clarity and trust were critical. We worked very closely with product, engineering, testing and compliance to make sure what we designed was not just elegant, but shippable and scalable.
The results were strong. The new experience led to a 95% cost reduction compared to the previous advisor-dependent workflows. We added about twenty-five hundred customers at launch, and the app now sees over hundred of thousands average daily visitors. Lastly there was a 75% reduction in approval time for brokerage account applications.
For me, the biggest success was showing how thoughtful digital design could fundamentally change both the customer experience and the business model — not just make something look better.
The core problem was that the digital experience didn’t match how these clients expected to operate. They wanted speed, autonomy, and visibility, without losing the trust and relationship they had with their advisors.
I led the design portion of the new Citigold mobile app. We partnered with two external design agencies, but I owned the overall design vision, and quality. One of my biggest focuses was making sure the work felt cohesive — not like three different teams shipping three different ideas.
From an experience standpoint, we shifted control to the user. We introduced real-time investing so clients could trade on demand, directly in the app. We redesigned the dashboard to be portfolio-first, so users immediately understood their financial position and could act on it.
We also integrated wealth management features end-to-end — things like opening a brokerage account in the app, accessing tax documents, and managing investments without having to leave the experience. At the same time, we made sure users could easily connect with their financial advisors so the experience felt empowering, not isolating.
This was a complex project — high regulatory requirements, a lot of stakeholders, and real financial risk for users — so clarity and trust were critical. We worked very closely with product, engineering, testing and compliance to make sure what we designed was not just elegant, but shippable and scalable.
The results were strong. The new experience led to a 95% cost reduction compared to the previous advisor-dependent workflows. We added about twenty-five hundred customers at launch, and the app now sees over hundred of thousands average daily visitors. Lastly there was a 75% reduction in approval time for brokerage account applications.
For me, the biggest success was showing how thoughtful digital design could fundamentally change both the customer experience and the business model — not just make something look better.
