Yodo Pay - A Social Wallet for Gen Z
Yodo Pay - A Social Wallet for Gen Z
In Beta
Overview
Gallery
I designed Yodo—a multi-currency digital wallet that treats payments like social interactions. Instead of just bank account numbers, users send money using usernames. Instead of searching Google for restaurants, they discover and pay local businesses inside the app.
The brief??? Make banking feel fun for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. The kind of people who live on Snapchat and expect everything to be fast, visual, and expressive.
The Challenge
Design a fintech product that doesn't feel like fintech. Most Nigerian digital wallets look the same—serious, corporate, blue and white color schemes, designed for trust above all else. That works for one audience.
But Gen Z doesn't want a bank. They want something that feels like an app they'd actually want to open. Something expressive. Something fast. Something that doesn't make them feel like they're managing money—even though they are.
This case study walks through how I designed an unconventional fintech product from scratch—and why breaking the rules was exactly the point.
The Approach
I shaped the entire product around three core ideas:
Identity - Profiles aren't just functional—they're expressive. Custom avatars, color themes, bios. Your wallet is part of your identity.
Discovery Drives Spending - Don't just send money to friends. Discover restaurants, clubs, stores nearby and pay them instantly—without leaving the app or asking for bank details.
Payments Should Feel Social - No more copying 10-digit account numbers only. Send money using usernames (@yemi, not just 0123456789)
The Creative Process
i have designed a couple of conventional fintech products over time so I spent time exploring other products outside the fintech industry to see what works and work can inspire me.
I wasn't given a brand identity so i had to create one. i decided to break away from standard palettes and explored bold colors, playful microcopy, and visual personality.
The Product
Yodo is built around four core systems that work together to make payments feel social, fast, and expressive.
YodoTag — Username-Based Payments
YodoTag isn't just a payment address. It's your identity across the entire app. Your profile, your handle, your presence in Spotlight.
Users can search for people by username and send money instantly. it makes sending and receiving money a bit more personal .It makes payments feel like social interactions. And an interesting username can be a conversation starter :)
Spotlight — Discover and Pay Local Businesses
Spotlight gives local businesses a payment link and visibility on the Yodo platform. Businesses sign up, get a unique payment link they can share anywhere, and their profile appears in Yodo's Explore screen where users can discover and pay them.
A bakery can put their Yodo link in their Instagram bio. A barbershop can send it via WhatsApp. A fashion designer can drop it in their Twitter thread. One link, all platforms.
Multi-Wallet System
Users can hold multiple currencies in separate wallets—NGN, USD, and more in the future. (freelancing, e-commerce, travel). Managing multiple currencies shouldn't require multiple apps.
Expressive Profiles
Just showing off these nice designs to be honest :)
Yodo is currently in beta testing with early users.
View project Gallery
Overview
Gallery
I designed Yodo—a multi-currency digital wallet that treats payments like social interactions. Instead of just bank account numbers, users send money using usernames. Instead of searching Google for restaurants, they discover and pay local businesses inside the app.
The brief??? Make banking feel fun for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. The kind of people who live on Snapchat and expect everything to be fast, visual, and expressive.
The Challenge
Design a fintech product that doesn't feel like fintech. Most Nigerian digital wallets look the same—serious, corporate, blue and white color schemes, designed for trust above all else. That works for one audience.
But Gen Z doesn't want a bank. They want something that feels like an app they'd actually want to open. Something expressive. Something fast. Something that doesn't make them feel like they're managing money—even though they are.
This case study walks through how I designed an unconventional fintech product from scratch—and why breaking the rules was exactly the point.
The Approach
I shaped the entire product around three core ideas:
Identity - Profiles aren't just functional—they're expressive. Custom avatars, color themes, bios. Your wallet is part of your identity.
Discovery Drives Spending - Don't just send money to friends. Discover restaurants, clubs, stores nearby and pay them instantly—without leaving the app or asking for bank details.
Payments Should Feel Social - No more copying 10-digit account numbers only. Send money using usernames (@yemi, not just 0123456789)
The Creative Process
i have designed a couple of conventional fintech products over time so I spent time exploring other products outside the fintech industry to see what works and work can inspire me.
I wasn't given a brand identity so i had to create one. i decided to break away from standard palettes and explored bold colors, playful microcopy, and visual personality.
The Product
Yodo is built around four core systems that work together to make payments feel social, fast, and expressive.
YodoTag — Username-Based Payments
YodoTag isn't just a payment address. It's your identity across the entire app. Your profile, your handle, your presence in Spotlight.
Users can search for people by username and send money instantly. it makes sending and receiving money a bit more personal .It makes payments feel like social interactions. And an interesting username can be a conversation starter :)
Spotlight — Discover and Pay Local Businesses
Spotlight gives local businesses a payment link and visibility on the Yodo platform. Businesses sign up, get a unique payment link they can share anywhere, and their profile appears in Yodo's Explore screen where users can discover and pay them.
A bakery can put their Yodo link in their Instagram bio. A barbershop can send it via WhatsApp. A fashion designer can drop it in their Twitter thread. One link, all platforms.
Multi-Wallet System
Users can hold multiple currencies in separate wallets—NGN, USD, and more in the future. (freelancing, e-commerce, travel). Managing multiple currencies shouldn't require multiple apps.
Expressive Profiles
Just showing off these nice designs to be honest :)
Yodo is currently in beta testing with early users.
View project Gallery