Designing a mobile payments ecosystem for the Caribbean and US
DIGICEL
Overview
Millions of people across the Caribbean rely on cash. Many are underbanked, work in the informal economy or cannot access traditional banking products, making it difficult to shop online, pay bills or send money digitally.
Digicel saw an opportunity to change that by launching a mobile payments platform supported by a prepaid Mastercard, giving customers a simple way to participate in the digital economy.
As Lead Product Designer, I was responsible for the complete customer experience—from product strategy and branding through to the mobile app, physical payment card and launch campaign.
My Role
I owned every aspect of design across the programme, including:
Product strategy and UX
User research and stakeholder workshops
Brand identity and product naming
Mobile app design (iOS & Android)
Physical Mastercard design
Logo and visual identity
Design system
Marketing website and acquisition journey
Launch campaign and marketing collateral
I worked with product owners, banking partners and engineering teams across the Caribbean, the US and Europe to bring the product to market.
The Challenge
Traditional banking wasn't working for a large proportion of Digicel's customers.
Many people:
couldn't qualify for a bank account
relied heavily on cash
queued to pay household bills
couldn't easily make online purchases
had limited access to international payment networks
The solution needed to feel as simple as topping up a mobile phone while meeting the strict security and compliance requirements of Mastercard and partner banks operating across multiple markets.
The Approach
Rather than designing another banking app, we designed an ecosystem.
Through collaborative workshops with Digicel stakeholders, we developed a new product identity that would resonate with customers throughout the Caribbean while also supporting expansion into the US market.
The experience centred around making everyday financial tasks effortless:
Apply for a prepaid Mastercard
Instantly manage your account
Transfer money to friends and family
Pay household bills
Shop online anywhere Mastercard is accepted
Monitor spending and transactions
Every interaction was designed to reduce friction and encourage customers to move from cash to digital payments.
Designing the Complete Experience
One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was owning the design across every customer touchpoint.
Product Identity
I created the product logo, visual language and branding that established trust while remaining approachable for first-time digital banking customers.
Mobile App
I designed the iOS and Android applications from the ground up, creating intuitive payment flows that helped users confidently manage their money from their phones.
Physical Mastercard
The payment card became a tangible extension of the digital experience. I designed the card to reinforce the new brand while maintaining compliance with Mastercard's card design standards.
Marketing Experience
To support launch, I designed the marketing website, customer acquisition journey and campaign assets that educated customers and encouraged adoption across multiple markets.
The result was a consistent experience—from first seeing an advert, through application, to making a first purchase with the card.
Collaboration
Launching a regulated financial product required close collaboration across multiple disciplines and time zones.
I partnered with:
Digicel leadership
Banking partners
Mastercard stakeholders
Engineers across the Caribbean, Europe and the US
Marketing teams
Compliance specialists
Balancing customer needs alongside technical, regulatory and commercial requirements was essential to delivering a successful product.
Business Impact
The product successfully introduced digital financial services to customers who previously had limited access to banking.
Results included:
12,700 prepaid Mastercard applications within the first 90 days
A complete mobile payments ecosystem spanning app, payment card and marketing experience
A consistent brand launched across Caribbean and US markets
Improved access to digital payments for underserved customers
What I'm Proud Of
This project demonstrated that product design extends far beyond interface design.
By owning the entire customer journey—from brand strategy and physical card design to mobile UX and marketing—I helped create a product that made digital payments more accessible for thousands of people.
It remains one of my favourite examples of designing an end-to-end financial product where business goals, user needs and brand experience all came together.
