Sourcing
0-1 Design: In-Chat Transactions for Seamless, Secure Crypto Exchanges
A privacy-first messaging app and crypto wallet built for beginners
Sourcing is a privacy-first communication and financial tool that combines secure messaging with a crypto wallet — helping newcomers explore and understand crypto, securely store assets, and transact, all while staying connected with like-minded communities.
My Role
As founding designer, I joined at MVP stage and shaped product vision and execution — owning end-to-end design of the core crypto experience, from rethinking token transfers as in-chat interactions to defining scalable wallet, dashboard, transaction, and multi-chain UX across Ethereum and BNB.
Beyond core flows, I established content and education strategy by launching Sourcing Daily and producing onboarding tutorials, and built a cross-platform design system supporting rapid iteration across iOS and Android.
In parallel, I built a cross-platform design system to support rapid iteration across iOS and Android, reduce design debt, and enable the team to scale efficiently as the product evolved.
Who Sourcing is for, and what we set out to solve
Audience
Sourcing was designed for crypto beginners, older adults, and multilingual users — individuals often overlooked by mainstream crypto products. Many were first-time wallet users unfamiliar with Web3 concepts, terminology, or decentralized finance.
Product Goals
Sourcing App is a privacy-first communication and financial tool. It combines secure messaging with a crypto wallet, ensuring users can interact and manage digital assets without compromising privacy.
Sourcing App helps newcomers explore and understand crypto. It provides an intuitive platform where users can learn about digital assets, securely store them, and engage in transactions — all while staying connected with like-minded communities.
Challenges
Steep learning curve
Crypto concepts like wallet setup, gas fees, and private keys confused beginners and led to early drop-off.
Low Trust
Users were wary of scams and irreversible mistakes, making reassurance a key design priority.
Poor Usability
The MVP had fragmented flows, inconsistent UI, and lacked accessibility — especially for older and multilingual users.
Design objectives
Simplify Complexity
Break down multi-step crypto flows into guided, digestible steps with minimal jargon or technical overhead.
Build Confidence & Trust
Use confirmations, visual feedback, and familiar interface patterns to help users feel secure during sensitive actions like sending tokens.
Encourage Engagement
Use social behaviors (like chatting with friends) to make transactions feel natural and drive adoption of in-app transfers.
Support Scalability
Create a scalable system that supports future features across multiple chains while maintaining consistency through a reusable, cross-platform design system built for iOS and Android.
Core Contribution
Reimagining Crypto Transactions
Turning token transfers from an intimidating wallet task into something as natural as sending a message — the core bet of the product.
Turning Transfers into Conversations
To make crypto transactions feel less intimidating and more intuitive, we embedded the send/receive token feature directly into the chat interface. This allowed users to transfer assets as naturally as sending a message which reduces the friction of traditional wallet workflows and reinforces a familiar, social context. By tying the act of transacting to everyday conversation, we helped users build confidence and emotional trust in using crypto.
Send in chat
Users initiate a crypto transfer directly within a conversation, mimicking familiar peer-to-peer interactions like sending a message or photo.
Enter amount & note
Users enter the amount and optional note, reinforcing purpose and personalization — key for building emotional clarity and reducing transaction anxiety.
Preview & confirm with Face ID
Before sending, users review full transaction details and confirm securely with biometric ID, establishing trust and a sense of control.
Confirmation in the thread
Once complete, the transaction appears inline in the chat — visually consistent with the message thread, reinforcing a seamless, social-first experience.
The In-chat Transaction Flow
Core Contribution
Dashboard Redesign & Multi-Chain Support
A dashboard that scales to multi-chain and social payments.
Designing for a More Complex Wallet Experience
As the product evolved beyond basic buy/sell functionality, we needed to transform the wallet dashboard into a central command center — supporting multiple transaction types, multi-chain activity, and social payments — all while staying beginner-friendly.
Why This Was Needed?
The original dashboard showed only basic buy/sell records with no filtering, poor hierarchy, and no user control. As we introduced features like in-chat transactions, Web3 e-commerce purchasing, and multi-chain token support, the transaction center needed to become smarter, clearer, and more extensible.
Key redesign changes
Redesigned the entire wallet dashboard with a modular card layout, unified interaction patterns, and a strong information hierarchy.
Introduced a transaction filter for sends, receives, buys & sells, NFT purchases, and e-commerce orders.
Enabled sending crypto to friends from the dashboard via contacts, QR code, or manual address.
Added network indicators and chain-specific filters to clarify which chain each transaction occurred on.
Core Contribution
Sourcing Daily — In-App News
A lightweight news module that builds trust and daily engagement — connecting the product, its users, and the wider ecosystem.
From Utility Wallet to Ecosystem Companion
I led the design of Sourcing Daily, a lightweight news module embedded in the home experience to strengthen trust, drive engagement, and connect product, users, and the broader ecosystem — informative, non-intrusive, and scalable.
Top News Carousel on Home
- Embedded at the top of the chat home screen to maximize visibility
- Displays the latest update from each partner/content channel
- Swipe-to-dismiss interaction respects user autonomy and keeps the interface clean
Dedicated News Feed View
- Full-screen layout organized by content channels
- Includes metrics like view counts and timestamps to build trust and legitimacy
- Features like “Report concern” and “Share” enhance safety and reach
Authoring Interface for Internal & Partner Teams
- Lightweight, intuitive post creation and management tools
- Teams can select a channel, write/edit posts, and manage visibility (public/private)
- Enables partners to publish content without requiring technical integration
Core Contribution
Design System & Platform Scaling
A scalable design foundation that unified components, interaction patterns, and documentation across iOS, Android, and future web surfaces.
Supporting Design System & Platform Scaling
As the sole designer on a fast-moving team, I built and maintained a scalable design system ensuring consistency across iOS, Android, and future web — enabling faster iteration, clearer handoff, and long-term sustainability.
Results & Impact
The app has been successfully shipped and is actively used across China, the U.S., Japan, and Taipei.
1000+ Screens Delivered
Designed and delivered over 1000 unique screens across Wallet, Chat, NFT, Market, and Profile modules — all within a tight development timeline.
Simplified Crypto for New Users
Redesigned transaction flows, including in-chat transfers and dashboard-based sends, to make complex crypto actions feel intuitive and help first-time users navigate with clarity and confidence.
Reframed Transactions as Conversations
By embedding token transfers directly into the chat interface, the app transformed a traditionally technical process into a familiar social interaction, lowering the barrier for crypto adoption.
Trusted by 30K+ Users
Sourcing is now trusted by 30,000+ users, establishing a strong foundation for future product and partner growth.
What I Learned About Designing for Trust
Good design doesn't just simplify — it empowers.
Designing for Sourcing taught me how to translate complex, unfamiliar systems into experiences that feel human, social, and intuitive. Working as the sole designer across mobile, content, and infrastructure, I learned to balance business goals, stakeholder priorities, and user needs — often with limited time and resources. I also deepened my ability to design for scalability and trust: building a transaction ecosystem that supported both technical growth (multi-chain, e-commerce, component reuse) and emotional clarity for crypto beginners.
