Why is simplicity in UX design not a luxury, but a necessity for securing user loyalty and driving growth? Complexity creates confusion and kills trust.
Products in the realm of financial technology are frequently constructed using intricate data, strict regulations, and sophisticated algorithms. It’s easy to assume that this internal complexity is reflected in the user interface. Simplicity isn’t just a design trend in fintech but it’s a growth strategy that turns trust into action, reduces friction at every step, and helps more customers succeed, faster.
Let’s jump into that fundamental human psychology where humans don’t trust what they don’t understand. This becomes absolutely crucial when users are entrusting you with their money. Users experience anxiety rather than empowerment when confronted with technical jargon, overwhelming data, and confusing navigation.
In a sector with plenty of apps, the one that users can easily understand and navigate is the one that will win their trust and their business. As design thinker Kevin Barnett aptly put it, “Simplicity will stand out, while complexity will get lost in the crowd.”
Many fintech products stumble into the same traps, believing that more features and more data equal more value. Let's analyze the most typical pitfalls, to point the way forward.
Fintech by its very nature is data-rich and the temptation to use every metric will result in a cluttered interface, causing them to disengage. But here is the solution: Radical prioritization. Employ progressive disclosure which allows to present the most critical information first, followed by the more in-depth details. Remember, white space is a powerful tool for focus, not wasted real estate. It gives the user’s eyes a place to rest and guides them to what truly matters.
Constant addition of premium features known as feature creep transforms a simplified app into a confusing maze. A product that is ultimately ideal for no one is the result of this desire to be everything to everyone. Every proposed feature must be evaluated on a simple criterion: does it directly solve a key problem for the primary user? A simple, intuitive app that excels at one core function is infinitely more valuable than a complex one that fails at many.
The finance industry relies on complex jargon like APR and ETFs, but allowing this technical language to dominate your user interface creates a significant barrier. According to Forbes, over 68% of consumers abandon fintech apps during onboarding due to friction—making streamlined, transparent flows a competitive necessity.
Using the speaker’s language, not the industry's, is the answer. Use labels that are clear and actionable, such as "Add Money" rather than "Deposit Funds," and translate terms into plain English. Instead of feeling like a puzzle to solve, a well-designed fintech product should be simple to use and intuitive. In the end, it's about making sure users feel informed and confident rather than overwhelmed.
A poor user experience drives customers away instantly, as users form judgments in seconds and have no patience for friction. Despite the inherent complexity of financial tasks, the user experience must be straightforward. In the end, simplicity is the key to achieving fintech's goal of promoting confidence rather than merely transferring money. Maintaining simplicity should be your top priority if you want to keep users.
The road to user trust in fintech is not paved with more features, data, or technical terms. It’s built through clarity, simplicity, and confidence. Making intuitive design a top priority strengthens your product rather than makes it simpler. You're doing more than just creating a fintech app. You're establishing credibility.
Driving adoption in fintech begins with trust and simplicity. That’s exactly what we delivered for Cypher, a multi-chain wallet app. Basic tasks like transferring tokens and linking wallets were difficult for users to complete, and the clutter was posing obstacles. We simplified their feature-dense product, transforming cluttered navigation into clear, intuitive flows that made everyday actions effortless.
Within just three months of launching the redesigned experience, Cypher’s app downloads surged significantly, nearly matching the top competitors in the space. By making the product simple, approachable and reliable, Cypher was able to increase the confidence and accelerate adoption.
Great fintech experiences are intuitive by design. At Marvelloux, our fintech design services design products that users not only understand, but trust. Because in FinTech, trust isn’t won with features—it’s earned through simplicity.
