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What is Mental Mainframes?

Mental Mainframes Project | 2017-2023

Working under the founder, I led a small team of developers and marketing to research and develop a financial assistance app. My role as a UX/UI Designer included conducting research, creating the full brand, streamlining production costs, creating all visual assets that were delivered to the developer team for production, and testing at various stages.

My Role in the Project

Pay2Aid was a fintech startup with the goal of creating a financial assistance program that specifically focused on extending small short term loans for paying cell phone bills. This project required a series of web pages that met bank regulation standards, as well as the sign up and app pages developed.

The Problem

There are a lot of financial assistance apps on similiar markets. It is hard for customers to trust them as many of them are either scams or end up charging more than they realize.

We also had the challenge of leveraging the bank requirements while keeping user interest during the registration process. There was a lot of information needed by the bank that made the process lengthy, so we focused on making the app as simple to use as possible.

The Solution

In order to have them move through the sign up process, and submit the bank required information, it was important that we establish a kind of trust that turned into customer loyalty. We also needed to develop a recognizable brand, one that users could engage with.

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Personal Mastery System with Original Techniques

Having spent more than two and a half years on this program there were a lot of assets and content created over that time. You can view some of the examples of the kind of work we did for the Pay2Aid fintech startup below.

First and foremost we wanted to keep a helpful tone that translated across multiple generations. We recognized that there were demographics in almost all generations that could benefit from the service, so we were careful in how we crafted our messaging and branding in order to convey the solution our service provided to multiple groups. 

Establishing New Patterns & Mental Programming

We built rapport with our customers by being upfront about the process and costs, making details easily available at every stage. My contributions in this area included designing the tone through the branding, the legitimizing markers, and developing the user flow for the app pages.
These features were developed based on research and user testing exercises. 

Coaching, Courses, & eLearning Program

The user's experience started via social media or a landing page, leading them then to the website. And once they completed the registration process, they conducted everything regarding the service through the dashboard. 

All of the pages were tested and optimized for mobile. It was important to create pages that were responsive on both mobile and desktop, as our target markets were active across both.

The service itself was navigted through a browser-based app which was easily accessible on the go. We understood that it was going to be important that the user had access to the dashboard, the status of their application, and their financial history and record of the services they've used.

The Thought Process Behind The Branding

There was a lot that we wanted to convey to visitors when they encountered the Pay2Aid branding, so there was a lot of consideration in how to best do that. For the colors we decided on a combination of blue and green, one to indicate trust and comfort, the other to easily represent the financial leaning of the business. 

As for the logo, we wanted something that would be easily recognizable, with the paper airplane representing the freedom our services provided customers. The secondary logo was a very impactful addition to the branding and allowed us to at times expand our use of color as we appealed to a varied audience. 

The supporting shape was the oblong ovals. It was selected as it was a very smooth and easy shape to work with in our design, but it also had a subtle element of being similar to a band-aid (which is what the service was supposed to be like for the customers, a short-term cover for their problem). 

Market Research, Testing, & Advertising Methods

We conducted research and group feedback exercises to determine our target audiences. And while there were a lot of differences in the groups, we were able to narrow in on a few similarities. These included that they had to have a job with a certain threshold of income to qualify, they had to have a bank account, and they had to have a phone plan with a reputable provider.

From our audience surveying stage, we realized that there are dozens of circumstances that could lead a user to need our services. Our messaging needed to be easy to understand and transparent, while maintaining a sympathetic and empowering tone.

We also determined that the best marketing methods would be working with influencer channels, utilizing QR campaigns, and local-level methods like bus stop and bench advertisements, community assistance partnerships, and community newsletters. These methods were also cost-effective for the first outreach stage.

Get In Touch To See If I Am Available For Hire!

Over an 11-year journey as a UX/UI Designer, I've cultivated expertise in crafting compelling information layouts, designing intuitive websites and funnel systems, creating impactful proposals and presentations, and developing digital products with custom designs aimed at converting visitors through engaging and powerful experiences. 

Download my resume below or fill out the form to get in touch regarding your project or opportunity. 

Multi-skilled individual with a well-rounded understanding of the customer journey and the tools used to affect decision-making through web design and media. Professional with creative, technical, and marketing experience.

Email at lukensurge@gmail.com

Currently open to accepting offers. Get in touch through the form, or email me with more information regarding your opportunity.