discover | cx transformation
PRODUCT DESIGN LEADERSHIP, DIGITAL INNOVATION, STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION
discover financial
Accelerating Innovation Through Design
We partnered with Discover, a leading digital bank and payments company, to transform their mobile experience and reimagine how UX could lead within agile product development. Our collaboration focused on modernizing core flows like onboarding and card activation, improving feature discoverability, and implementing motivation systems to guide profile completion.
By embedding product design into lean, cross-functional squads and introducing continuous research and prototyping, we helped Discover accelerate speed to market by 300% and shift from a legacy delivery model to a design-led, customer-first ecosystem.
ROLE
In collaboration with product, engineering, research, and compliance teams, I led the mobile design strategy across core banking experiences and emerging innovation features. I partnered closely with stakeholders to align design efforts with user needs, regulatory requirements, and technical feasibility—translating complex financial services into intuitive, human-centered experiences. From early discovery and UX research through high-fidelity design and implementation, I contributed hands-on across interaction design, prototyping, and final UI—ensuring the product delivered both measurable impact and long-term scalability.
MY APPROACH
Experience Architecture → Restructured navigation and flows to reflect real-world banking needs and mental models, improving access to core actions like payments, balances, and card controls.
Team Integration → Embedded product designers in agile squads and led collaboration with product, engineering, and research teams from discovery through delivery.
Visual Precision → Introduced a modernized UI system across iOS, Android, and wearables—balancing brand consistency with platform-native design.
Feature Innovation → Led design of first-to-market features including Touch ID, Apple Pay provisioning, and Siri-powered payments.
Behavioral Design → Integrated conversational UX (Discover Virtual Assistant) to reduce friction and support everyday banking tasks through intelligent automation.
Modular Design System → Scaled reusable components across device types and touchpoints for future-proof adaptability.
Trust & Compliance → Collaborated with security, legal, and compliance to ensure secure authentication, accessibility, and user privacy were upheld in all flows.
The Award-Winning Redesign of Discover’s Mobile Platform
I led the end-to-end reimagining and relaunch of Discover’s award-winning mobile experience, driving a platform-wide transformation that prioritized user needs, cross-platform consistency, and future-ready innovation. Rooted in human-centered design, the initiative introduced a modernized UI, streamlined user flows, and elevated personalization across devices and form factors.
A centerpiece of the redesign was the launch of the Discover Virtual Assistant (DVA)—an intelligent, conversational interface designed to deliver real-time account information and support. DVA not only enhanced the in-app experience by reducing friction and improving responsiveness, but also drove measurable cost savings by reducing call center volume.
The new experience was also extended to support the latest in wearable tech, ensuring accessibility, seamless functionality, and on-the-go usability. This relaunch didn’t just modernize Discover’s mobile offering—it established a scalable design foundation that continues to evolve alongside user behavior and emerging technology.
impact & results: design-led transformation at scale
This strategic overhaul of Discover’s mobile experience delivered measurable, high-impact results—transforming both the pace of delivery and the quality of the user experience. By embedding UX and product design leadership into the core of agile team structures, we achieved a 300% year-over-year increase in release frequency, dramatically accelerating the organization's ability to respond to customer needs and market shifts.
The app’s rating skyrocketed from 1.5 stars to consistently maintaining a 5-star rating in the App Store.
innovation & first-to-market
Under my leadership, Discover became a digital banking innovation leader—delivering first-to-market features that set new industry standards and elevated the brand’s reputation for customer-centric design:
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First bank to introduce Touch ID authentication in a mobile app
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First credit card issuer to enable in-app provisioning to Apple Pay
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First financial institution to launch “Make a Payment” using Siri voice commands
These innovations not only enhanced accessibility and ease of use—they redefined what customers could expect from a modern financial app experience.
Discover’s design-driven transformation also earned industry recognition, including multiple J.D. Power awards, such as Highest Ranking Mobile App in Customer Satisfaction—surpassing long-established competitors like Chase and American Express.
