INDUSTRY:
Fintech
COMPANY:
Guideline
ROLE:
Design Lead
DATE:
2025
Guideline Mobile App
Overview.
Guideline’s mobile app was originally built as a companion tool to manage 401(k)s — limited in scope, and lacking the UX polish and utility expected from a modern financial product. I led the redesign effort, guiding the team through a full revamp of the app experience. The goal: turn it into a comprehensive, user-first financial health hub.
We introduced support for new product lines — including Reserves (emergency savings), HSA, and Investments — and reimagined the UX to unify these under one cohesive system. The result was a mobile experience that not only helped users plan for retirement, but also manage their day-to-day financial health, all from a single app.
Challenge.
The original app felt fragmented and functionally shallow. Navigation was clunky, the experience was overly focused on 401(k)s, and key actions were buried. On top of that, with new financial tools coming online across different teams, the mobile experience risked becoming a patchwork of disconnected flows.
Our challenge was to redesign the app into a scalable system — one that could elegantly support multiple financial products, while still being intuitive, focused, and deeply human. We had to create clarity, reduce friction, and bring a sense of confidence to every interaction.
Outcomes.
Re-architected the app IA to support multiple financial products under one unified structure
Improved UX across core flows (e.g. contributions, withdrawals, investment management)
Introduced Guideline Reserves, HSA, and Guideline Investments into the app ecosystem
Delivered a consistent design language across products — supporting scalability and ease of maintenance
Reduced user confusion and drop-off by consolidating navigation and surfacing relevant info at the right time
Laid the foundation for future product expansion without reintroducing UX debt
Strengthened user trust with a cleaner interface, clearer guidance, and better visibility into their financial picture
