a bridge from web2 to defi — a 0→1 strategy-purchase flow
cephei — crypto finance platform. first-purchase conversion ×3.3 in one month, marketing held constant.
the whole flow, end to end — browse → configure → deposit → manage.
about the product
cephei is a crypto finance platform (web + mobile). users invest in defi strategies: deposit stablecoins, earn yield. the product bridges the gap between web2 users and complex defi mechanics.
role
product designer
period
nov 2024 – mar 2025 (5 months)
context
mature product with existing user base. task from stakeholders: design a new feature — strategy purchasing. the feature didn't exist before — 0→1.
problems
entry barrier for web2 users
the core audience — people used to traditional finance. defi was opaque: deposit stablecoins → earn yield in other coins, unclear how much you'll get. this created fear of investing.
abstract metrics
health factor, liquidation price, apy — terms that mean nothing to a regular user. needed to translate them into emotionally understandable language.
1% conversion
app-wide first-purchase conversion was 1%. stakeholders wanted growth without increasing the marketing budget.
process
- 1. customer interviews — key insight: users don't understand what they're buying. fear = "i don't understand what happens to my money."
- 2. solution design — native interactive calculator embedded directly in the purchase interface.
- 3. refinement — tuned what the configurator surfaces and how risk reads, refining a single direction rather than testing separate concepts.
- 4. handoff — specs in figma annotations, coordination with frontend and backend.
- 5. measurement — marketing held constant → clean experiment. result in ~1 month.
key solutions
let them calculate before they pay
this isn't a generic calculator — it's a live strategy configurator. the user touches just two inputs, leverage and amount, and everything recalculates in real time: health factor, interest rate, slippage, total apy, and total value. each strategy also surfaces its apy, tvl, max leverage, and the rewards it pays in other tokens, with an apy graph over 7 days, 1 month, and a year. the same configurator powers increase, decrease, and close — each action spelling out what the user gains or gives up before they confirm.
how to show risk without explaining defi?
color-coded feedback: green (safe), yellow (caution), red (danger). translates a number into an emotion — intuitive "traffic light" instead of defi jargon.
choose first, money later
earn tab with strategy cards showing apy, type, risk level. browse → select → calculator.
one flow from strategy to confirmation
confirm → wallet → progress → result (success or failure), all in one sheet. before any costly action the flow checks the balance and warns when funds are short — instead of a dead, unexplained button. minimum steps, no blind moves with real money.
results
conversion: 1% → 3.3% (×3.3) in ~1 month, marketing held constant. this is app-wide first-purchase conversion — the feature was the period's main launch, so i don't attribute the whole uplift to it alone.
key solution — translating abstract defi mechanics into an emotionally clear interface (calculator + traffic light).
jtbd hit: user wanted not "to buy a strategy" but "to understand what happens with my money."
behind the work
a key decision — a live configurator over fixed-price packages: the goal was to let any budget and risk level enter the strategy without overcommitting, not to buy at a set price.
what i wanted to show — that a web2 newcomer can be walked through complex defi mechanics without dumbing the product down: progressive disclosure and familiar language (traffic light, calculator, "deposit").
what i learned — the real barrier to a first purchase wasn't the mechanics, it was the language of risk. a visual metaphor moved people toward buying harder than yield numbers did.