The Coterie
Redesigning an exclusive investment product’s visual language with a focus on interactive prototyping to elevate their user experience.
The landscape of finance and investment products tended towards safe visual languages. The Coterie was courting a narrower, more exclusive demographic, and desired a language that felt exclusive and premium. We approached this with a comprehensive redesign, from visual language to information architecture.
Objective
Redesign the product’s visual language and interactions to signal exclusivity, sophistication, and care, while exploring interaction models beyond static design.
Highlights
Directed visual language exploration and information architecture.
Pushed design beyond Figma into Origami Studio for interactive prototyping.
Created high-fidelity screens, component library, and advanced prototypes.
Led concept testing with users to refine tone, motion, and haptic details.
My Role
As the Design Lead & Manager I was the point person for managing both internal teams and external stakeholders.
Internally I managed a team of 1 Product Designers and 1 Principal Designer. My responsibilities included direction, overall strategy, and tactical direct involvement for prototyping.
I worked occasionally with a Design Director for high level support along with a Product Delivery Manager for operational support.
Externally I worked weekly with their founder, other executive level stakeholders, plus their design team.
Approach
Defining a Premium Visual Language
The Coterie started with a clean and safe aesthetic which didn't meet their aspirations in standing out from their competition. We explored and iterated on directions rooted in premium memberships and physical materials.
Action: Experimented with real-world visual effects — glass, foil, bokeh, UV printing.
Impact: Established a darker, minimal, elegant direction that became the foundation of The Coterie’s brand identity.
Prototyping Beyond the Screen
Figma alone limited expression of interactivity and sensor-driven effects. Stakeholders were looking for higher impact hero moments to help their product and brand stand out in the landscape.
Action: Shifted into Origami Studio to prototype richer experiences with gyroscope data, haptics, and real-time motion.
Impact: Developed a foil effect that changed color with device tilt, extending to buttons, borders, and typography. This became a signature design element.
Making Membership a Moment
Joining The Coterie needed to feel substantial, like receiving a premium card. As another potential hero moment that celebrated a conversion, this had potential for high value relative to effort and time.
Action: Designed a digital membership card in Origami, layering masks, lighting effects, and subtle gyroscope motion.
Impact: Created a moment of delight early in the journey that reinforced exclusivity and care.
Rethinking Investment Input
With dollar values that could be higher than average, our stakeholders wanted an experience that lived up to the weight of this process. Through experimental prototyping we added importance and celebration to this key point.
Action: Designing unique investment selection controls with Origami Studio that utilized haptics and full screen interactions.
Impact: Created interactions that matched the importance of the underlying action, along with respecting the potential feelings of judgement with lower values of investment.
Outcomes
New Foundation
Prototyping Culture
Reflections
This project demonstrated the power of pushing tools and mediums to create richer user experiences. By blending high-end aesthetics with advanced interaction design, we gave The Coterie a distinct identity that influenced both its brand and its future product evolution.
