Case Study - Cambio

The problem

After countless trips, I started noticing a common frustration among travelers, myself included: exchanging currency in a foreign country was either a hassle or a gamble. If you didn’t care about commissions, you’d go to the nearest exchange house. But if you were keen on getting the best deal, the process became a headache.

Google Maps didn’t offer much insight, online information was often unreliable, and finding the right spot meant wasting valuable travel time. So I asked myself: could I create a better way?

Understanding the challenge: Pain Points

I kicked off by talking to fellow travelers—friends, acquaintances, and people I met on the road. My goal? To dive deeper into the pain points of currency exchange while traveling. The key research questions:

• What are travelers' common experiences and emotions when they need to exchange cash?
• What methods do they currently use, and what challenges do they face?

From these conversations, a few recurring frustrations and pain points stood out:

1. Scattered Information: People had to check multiple sources, wasting time.
2. Lack of Reliability: Online rates often didn't match real-world locations.
3. No Real-Time Updates: Commission rates and exchange details were inconsistent and outdated.

Persona Development: Meet Samira

To make the design process more intuitive and user-centric, I created a user persona: Samira, a spontaneous 28-year-old content creator and frequent traveler. It was crucial that she not only embodied common pain points but also the deeper desires of travelers—especially the need to feel safe while exploring and to focus on the experience rather than wasting time searching for currency information.

Building on this user persona, the problem became much clearer. To craft the problem statement, I reflected on the following questions:

• ⁠Which of my users’ needs or problems are the most critical for my design to solve?
• ⁠How can my design address these needs or problems in a way that is both effective and uniquely valuable to users?

In the end, it all came down to this statement:

User journey

From all the insights gathered, the idea emerged: a single app where travelers could easily compare the best places to withdraw cash and exchange currency.

Mapping out the user journey helped identify key touchpoints, uncover emotional experiences, and find opportunities to enhance them—starting the work of defining the features

Building on the user journey and the problem statement, the solution takes shape within the following goal statement:

Competitive analysis

I analyzed existing apps—many provided exchange rate information, but none offered a true comparison tool to help users make informed decisions. That became the unique value proposition: saving time and ensuring reliability through a built-in comparison feature.

It was crucial to define this value proposition clearly—to understand why users would choose our product over the competition and to reflect that added value in every aspect of the experience, from features to copywriting.

The key features designed to address users' pain points included:

• A comparison tool to find the best exchange rates from different exchange houses.
• ⁠A currency calculator to quickly check exchange values, with customizable alerts.
• ⁠A saved locations feature to track and revisit previously used exchange spots.

My proposal: User flow

Understanding user interactions was key to shaping the experience. The core journey unfolded as follows:

For the information architecture, I chose a tabbed view, ensuring sections remained distinct yet easily accessible. Given the app’s tool-oriented nature, this structure allowed users to navigate seamlessly without unnecessary clutter.

Content is organized into different sections, and users can effortlessly switch between them using the toolbar—enhancing multitasking and streamlining the experience.

- Design -

Sketching

With all the insights gathered, I began designing the first sketches and wireframes.

Entering the design phase, I focused on everything I had learned—user personas, pain points, and new flows. I started bringing ideas to life by sketching out rough concepts, setting the foundation for the final design.

Lo-fi Design

With the wireframes in place, I designed a lo-fi prototype that mapped out the core user flow—from opening the app to selecting the best location to withdraw cash.

Testing

I conducted a usability study with peers and friends to see if they could complete the core flow seamlessly.

However, the most significant evolution in the design process came from refining the comparison tool, which underwent multiple iterations based on user feedback.

Task

1st Testing Round: Key Insights

• Travelers struggled to locate the comparison tool within the filters.
• ⁠The process felt unintuitive and required too many steps.
• ⁠Users didn’t want to see commission fees separately—they preferred to see the final exchange rate directly.

🔹 Change:

Added a dedicated comparison tool icon next to the search bar and replaced commission breakdowns with direct exchange rates.

2nd Testing Round: Key Insights

• ⁠The icon didn’t clearly convey its function, leading to confusion.
• ⁠Users responded positively to seeing the final exchange rate upfront.

🔹 Changes:

1.⁠ ⁠Renamed the button to “Compare Sites” and placed it prominently at the bottom of the screen for better visibility.

2.⁠ ⁠Added a shortcut to the comparison tool on the homepage for immediate access.

3rd Testing Round: Key Insights

• ⁠Users navigated directly to the tool and completed comparisons considerably faster.

Hi-Fi Design

For the UI, I aimed for a balance between practicality and personality—a design that felt trustworthy, fresh, and dynamic, while evoking a sense of travel and adventure.

• ⁠Colors & Typography: A mix of vibrant and neutral tones to inspire excitement and security. The accent color - green - was chosen to reflect the spirit of exploration, to symbolize the Earth and to add an energetic touch.

• ⁠Tone of Voice: Friendly, clear and encouraging, making the exchange process feel more like an adventure than a chore.

Comparison Tool

Currency Calculator

Evaluation and reflecting

Building this project has been an incredibly interesting challenge, one that has taught me a lot along the way.

• It’s not a game of egos – You really need to stay focused on testing and what users are telling you, even if your own ideas suggest something different. As a designer, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you know what’s best, but the reality is that user feedback often reveals something entirely different. Listening to them is essential for creating something truly useful and effective.

• Just do it attitude – Finally putting my UX knowledge into a real project like this has been incredibly empowering. It’s allowed me to move from theory to practice, making me more proactive and solution-oriented. Instead of getting stuck in my head over concepts, I’ve learned to just dive in and create. This hands-on approach has not only improved my skills but also increased my confidence in tackling design challenges head-on.

Honed skills