Alfa-Bank
Alfa-Bank
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Alfa-Bank
Product design • Design Lead (Core flows)
Date
2021 — 2024
Info
Alfa-Bank is one of the largest privately owned commercial banks in Eurasia, offering a wide range of financial services to individuals, businesses, and institutions.
My role
I worked in the Emotional Design team ❤️, focusing on MAU, DAU, retention, feedback, and loyalty. Later, I took the lead role in the team.
Approach
Increase loyalty and everyday engagement by rolling out the Coach concept — contextual recommendations and value-led prompts that help users see meaningful benefits at the right moment. The goal was to improve retention and strengthen brand affinity across high-traffic journeys without adding friction.
Solution
Integrated the Coach system into key flows, turning success screens into benefit moments supported by clear value-driven storytelling through UI copy, visuals, and micro-interactions. Designed referral loops, games, and landing surfaces with Product and CRM teams to improve virality. Helped shape the Premium experience (app/web hub, airport lounges, taxi reimbursements, 2022 rebrand). Launched and scaled the Kids Bank track (MVP, Piggy Bank, third-party card), building a child → parent loop and early brand affinity for Gen-Alpha. We measured results using unified events and A/B tests; content stayed lightweight and contextual.
Impact
Delivered the Coach system with contextual prompts reaching up to 11% conversion.
Helped grow acquisition to around 300K new family sign-ups (child → parent loop). After launch, core family metrics increased by +22% to +57%, depending on the cohort;
Strengthened brand affinity through value-driven storytelling in UI (copy, visuals, micro-interactions).
Designed referral loops, games, and entry points with Product/CRM, reaching ~500K MAU and ~3M new-to-bank customers.
Contributed to shaping the Premium experience (hub, benefits, rebrand) and key features such as lounges and reimbursements.
Launched and grew the Kids Bank track (MVP, Piggy Bank, third-party card), supporting long-term loyalty for Gen-Alpha.
Value
Emotion plays a key role in product experience. It engages, entertains, and builds a connection between users and the product, increasing loyalty.
How it works
Visceral: the immediate reaction — for example, a button that’s too small and frustrating to tap.
Behavioral: clarity and ease of use.
Reflective: meaning and narrative — helping users understand the strengths of the product through simple storytelling.
In general, the main goal is to win the user’s heart.
Measuring
We tested multiple design hypotheses in a UX lab using tools like eye-tracking to assess emotional response before rollout.
Onboarding
First impressions are crucial. Instead of showing limits and restrictions, we presented opportunities and benefits. This storytelling-driven approach improved the onboarding experience and set a positive tone for new users.
Premium customer privilege levels
I shifted the focus from bank conditions to customer opportunities. By meeting a couple of clear requirements, users unlock benefits. This reduced complexity and made benefits more transparent.
Priority pass business lounges
We found that many users registered for lounge access right before their flight. To simplify this, we redesigned the flow into a single-click path focused on speed and clarity.
Metals account
Through design and gamification, we significantly increased the conversion rate for purchasing precious metals. Users now see their metal nugget grow in tandem with their savings.
Trigger-based communications
We replaced some alerts with personalized prompts delivered at the right moment — cashback categories, referral payouts, benefits. The framework combined behavioral signals, product events, and time windows, which increased conversion and reduced noise.
Loader
During one of the scoring stages, users had to stay in the app for about 30 seconds. To reduce drop-offs, we added dynamic status updates and clear explanations of ongoing processes.\
Release
To achieve greater authenticity, we consulted with a professional conductor. As a result, the main mechanics closely resemble the real movements of a conductor's baton.
Functionality
The visitor stands behind the conductor's panel with electronic music sheets and selects a musical composition. In front of them, they see the orchestra they will conduct or rather its projection.
The projection also displays the conductor's baton movements.
Sensors detect the speed of the player's playing according to the rhythm of the composition. Musical instruments are placed around the installation on figures that light up during the play of the particular quartet. At the end, the user sees their conducting result on the projection screen.
