## **Project Overview**

### **Project Details**

**Role:** Lead Product Designer\
**Timeline:** 1.5 Years\
**Platform:** Mobile (iOS & Android) with web features\
**Company:** Buddy Industries\
**Industry:** Fintech, Lifestyle, E-commerce

### **About the Product**

Buddy SuperApp is Namibia's first superapp, consolidating essential services into a unified mobile experience. The platform integrates payments, food delivery, concierge services, and digital vouchers, rewarding users through "Smile$", the in-app cash back rewards.

### **The Challenge**

Shortly after joining as the Lead Product Designer, we merged four standalone apps into Namibia's first superapp. This new unified experience offered great growth potential. However, due to inherited design inconsistencies, we needed to focus on revamping the entire platform so as to give users a better experience and to allow the business to grow.

### **Impact TL;DR**

\[Image: Key metrics visualisation showing before/after comparison\]

Taking initiative, I delivered measurable improvements:

**User Growth & Engagement**

* Grew user base from 50,000 to 72,000+ users within first year

* Increased average user engagement from 2 to 3+ services per user

* Increased transaction completion rates by streamlining checkout flows

**Development & Platform Evolution**

* Cut development handoff time by 50% through comprehensive design system

* Unified 4+ core services under one cohesive interface

* Built scalable foundation for future development

## **Where It All Began**

Some time after we merged the four individual apps into the new Buddy SuperApp, we noticed our users reporting feeling more and more frustrated with the app. Initial analysis of user feedback revealed three key insights:

1. **The Good**: Users valued the consolidated services, showing potential for growth

2. **The Bad**: App felt like disconnected pieces despite unification

3. **The Tricky**: Users needed better guidance to aid feature adoption

### **Research Approach**

We conducted:

* Testing with new users and early adopters

* Analysis of feedback across channels (DMs, email, app reviews, support tickets and the likes)

* Observation of user behaviour when engaging in complex flows

* Competitive analysis considering cultural differences

### **Key Findings**

* Moving between services/features often broke user context.

* Inconsistent patterns added to cognitive load.

* Where and how to make use of Smile$ rewards wasn't clear enough.

* Feature discovery wasn't intuitive or lacking.

* Users wanted a more personalised experience.

\[Image: User journey map highlighting pain points\]

### **Getting Buy-In**

I created a pitch along with a prototype demonstrating how improved user experience could drive engagement and increase service usage which would lead to higher in-app transaction volumes. After stakeholder review, the Buddy's revamp was green-lit.

\[Image: Key screens from initial prototype\]

## **Visual Development**

### **Design System**

A solid design system became our foundation for improvement, as I knew it would make development that much smoother:

* Unified brand elements across all services.

* Created a component library supporting both iOS and Android guidelines.

* Established clear implementation rules for consistency.

* Developed patterns that worked across all services.

* Built for scalability to support future features.

\[Image: Design system overview\]

### **Experience Improvements**

Here is a list of all the improvements we made to the user interface and experience:

1. **Home Page Experience**

* Added intuitive widgets highlighting feature data

* Established clear visual hierarchy to lessen cognitive load

* Widgets update based on user interaction with the app

2. **Services Improvements**

* Enhanced food ordering process allowing for more transparency

* Streamlined value-added-services purchasing

* Simplified feature access

3. **Enhanced Rewards Program**

* Integrated Smile$ more visibly throughout the app

* Enhanced Buddy Membership value proposition by highlighting higher rewards earnings

* Integrated a streamlined referral program

4. **Platform-Wide Enhancements for Growth Purposes**

* Grouped related services/features for better discovery

* Expanded payment options

* Streamlined checkout flow

* Enhanced in-app messages for better guidance

* Reduced onboarding complexity by focusing on essential steps

* Refined notification strategy to improve user re-engagement

### **Development Collaboration**

Working with development:

* Created component guidelines fro consistent design implementation

* Built interactive prototypes fro the app

* Established efficient handoffs processes

* Developed testing flows

\[Image: Documentation example\]

## **Reflections**

### **Testimonials**

"I've been a long time supporter of Buddy and it was great to see the app's new look. It's refreshing but more importantly I love how much easier it is to use the app. I love how quickly I can buy airtime now."

— Kind message from Simon Kuhanga

"Theunis spearheaded the Buddy platform revamp with exceptional leadership and technical skill. His proactive collaboration with our development team ensured a seamless workflow between design and implementation. The redesign significantly improved user retention and made navigation more intuitive, with users reporting feeling less overwhelmed. His work has set a new standard for excellence in our projects."

— Gerhard J. Kotze, CTO at Buddy Industries

### **Key Learnings**

1. **Start with Systems**: A solid design system made everything else possible

2. **Balance Change**: Keep what works while improving what doesn't

3. **Measure Impact**: Clear metrics helped validate our approach

4. **Test Assumptions**: Research beats guesswork every time

### **Next Steps**

Building on our foundation:

* Expanding the design system for new services

* Implementing data-driven personalisation

* Utilisation of A/B testing to gauge how user interest is evolving

* Enhancing cross-service integration with the Buddy ecosystem

* Supporting Namibia's growing tech landscape

\[Final Image: Buddy wink animation or a static one\]

Revamping Buddy SuperApp: Unifying Digital Services for 72,000+ Users

Product Designer

My studies were centred on multimedia design.

Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design

Take note: Midrand Graduate Institute (formerly MGI, including CTI and Pearson Institute of Higher Education) is now known as Eduvos.

CLOSED BETA

Duration: 2023 - Present\
Platform: iOS, Android\
Role: Lead Product Designer

PayBuddy streamlines peer-to-peer payments in Namibia, making money transfers as simple as sending a text message.

Transferring money between Namibian bank accounts is a cumbersome process. PayBuddy solves this by leveraging users' phone contacts who are registered on the platform, enabling quick and secure transfers between accounts within the Buddy SuperApp ecosystem.

Using Buddy's established design system, I created an intuitive interface that simplifies complex financial transactions into familiar messaging-like interactions, whilst maintaining strict security standards.

Currently in final development stages, PayBuddy's design focuses on compliance with Namibian financial regulations while maintaining a frictionless user experience through partnership with a major financial institution.

PayBuddy

BOOTSTRAPPED

Role: Lead product designer\
Duration: 1.5 years

Led the transformation of Buddy SuperApp, Namibia's premier digital platform, consolidating essential services like payments, food delivery, and concierge services into one rewarding mobile experience.

Spearheaded the redesign of our newly-merged superapp by establishing Buddy's first comprehensive design system, unifying four standalone apps into a cohesive ecosystem. This strategic initiative cut development handoff time by 50% while scaling to support our growing service offerings.

The revamp drove significant business impact: grew user base from 50,000 to 72,000+, increased average user engagement from 2 to 3+ services per active user, and improved transaction completion rates through enhanced UX and rewards integration.

Read the [Full Case Study](https://read.cv/theunisthemaker/buddy-revamped-for-over-70k-users)

Buddy SuperApp

Tasked is an app designed to assist individuals with ADHD in organising and prioritising their task lists using metadata, enabling more effective task completion.

Tasked

Vouch

MyRental

* Created and executed diverse design solutions across multiple formats, developing strong visual design fundamentals and attention to detail

* Managed end-to-end design and production processes, ensuring quality standards while coordinating with cross-functional teams

Designer & Printer Operator

* Led design system redesign that cut development handoff time in half and improved cross-platform consistency for 70k users

* Designed an e-commerce platform for NamPharm Community, delivering an intuitive purchasing experience through research-driven design

* Increased user retention by 15% year-over-year through data-driven UX improvements and user feedback integration

* Established company's first design processes and component libraries, streamlining development workflows and improving product quality

* Defined and managed product scope across multiple client projects, leading development teams to ensure successful delivery

* Partnered with C-suite executives to shape product strategy, driving successful market launches and market growth

Lead Product Designer

* Collaborated with clients to translate requirements into visual designs, ensuring high satisfaction rates and alignment with business objectives

* Designed custom illustrations and managed production workflows, delivering high-quality output while meeting tight deadlines

Theunis Hall

2024