Overview
Lint is an emerging fintech start-up with a bold vision: to automate every aspect of an individual’s financial life — from bill payments and savings to investments, insurance, pension, and beyond. The core belief driving the team is simple: when it comes to money, the only thing you should worry about is earning it.
Designed to offer users convenience, peace of mind, and financial guidance, Lint aims to eliminate the stress of manual financial management while encouraging greater awareness and control over personal finances.
This case study covers the development of the product’s MVP, which focuses on simplifying online bill payments and enabling money transfers for those bills.
Role, team, timeline
My role: Product design, UX architecture, UX writing, product strategy.
I was the lead product designer for this project. I worked closely with a small team; a product manager, a backend engineer, frontend engineer and an android engineer throughout the research, brainstorming and design process.
How it started…
During a casual chat with friends, as we discussed our financial goals and how impossible they seem, the topic shifted into the familiar struggle of watching expenses rise as earnings dwindle towards the end of each month, leaving us in a financial bind until the next payday. As we swapped stories, thoughts turned to a potential solution. "Imagine keeping track of everything in one convenient place," one of us pondered aloud. "What if we could see an overview of our commitments, allowing us to pay with ease or even set up automated payments?"
Recognizing that this isn't a new issue, I set out to discover how others have been handling bill payments and managing their expenses. Are others experiencing the same frustration as we are? I scoured the internet, social sites, and app stores, hoping to find a solution.
Exploring the problem
The common view of managing finances includes the idea that it represents a complicated task that produces major negative effects when people ignore it. The payment of bills represents the part of personal finance which creates the greatest level of frustration among individuals. The process of paying bills becomes stressful for people when they must handle both the actual payments and the complicated system of tracking multiple service bills with their changing costs and renewal periods.
Without a single platform to manage and track recurring bills, users are left bouncing between various apps and websites which causes poor tracking visibility while creating mental exhaustion. Most people desire an easy and clear method to handle their bills through a single platform that minimises effort and provides maximum control without using multiple separate tools.
I did some research
To kick things off, I conducted primary research to understand the problem I was aiming to solve, focusing on how Nigerians typically pay their bills and the current bill payment structures. My target audience was individuals aged 24–45 with steady income who needed better ways to organize their finances.
To better understand user frustrations around financial management and bill payments, I conducted user interviews and a survey, in a mixed-method approach:
15 in-depth, in-person interviews with potential users to hear firsthand about their bill payment experiences.
A survey with 50 respondents from the target demographic to quantify behaviours and frustrations.
The interviews explored how users currently manage bills, the tools they use, and their pain points — particularly around fragmented tracking and payment processes.
Key findings
1
Bill payments are a major stressor
Over 80% respondents expressed frustration with keeping up with recurring bills. Many relied on manual reminders, calendar apps, or screenshots, which often proved unreliable.
2
Fragmented platforms lead to missed payments
Most people often juggle various apps and platforms (banks, fintechs, utility portals) to pay bills (electricity, cable TV, water, airtime, etc.), leading to confusion and inefficiency.
3
Cash Flow Issues
Irregular income which is common among self-employed and informal sector workers, makes it hard to plan for recurring bills.
4
Lack of Visibility
Many users lack tools to track spending, upcoming bills, or set reminders. This leads to missed payments, service disruptions, and financial stress.
5
Payment Reliability and Trust
Failed or delayed transactions are a common complaint, especially with electricity and cable TV payments. Users worry about double debits or not receiving value after payment.
6
Users want automation - but with control
While automation appealed to users, they wanted to maintain visibility and control through notifications, spending limits, and detailed tracking.
Based on the user research, I created two personas to help communicate key findings with the team. These personas captured the users’ goals, frustrations, and behaviors, ensuring that their needs stayed front and center throughout the design process.
Looking through existing solutions
I researched and observed several mobile applications that assist users with bill management. I found that many of them offered bill aggregation—allowing users to view and track their bills in one place. However, a common shortfall was the lack of seamless payment functionality. In most cases, users were redirected to other apps or platforms to complete transactions, breaking the user flow and increasing friction.
This presented a clear opportunity for Lint to stand out by integrating customizable bill management with end-to-end payment features, giving users a unified and frictionless experience.
