SimpleCoin
SimpleCoin
SimpleCoin
A Lightning-fast wallet for everyday Bitcoin payments
A Lightning-fast wallet for everyday Bitcoin payments
A Lightning-fast wallet for everyday Bitcoin payments
In 2020, Bitcoin was everywhere
but using it for everyday purchases was anything but practical. SimpleCoin was built on the Lightning Network to make payments fast, simple, and secure.
In 2020, Bitcoin was everywhere
but using it for everyday purchases was anything but practical. SimpleCoin was built on the Lightning Network to make payments fast, simple, and secure.
In 2020, Bitcoin was everywhere
but using it for everyday purchases was anything but practical. SimpleCoin was built on the Lightning Network to make payments fast, simple, and secure.
Details
Details
Details
Project: SimpleCoin - micro payments wallet
Period: 2020 - 2022
Role: Product Director - inception to delivery
Project: SimpleCoin - micro payments wallet
Period: 2020 - 2022
Role: Product Director - inception to delivery
Project: SimpleCoin - micro payments wallet
Period: 2020 - 2022
Role: Product Director - inception to delivery
BRIEF
BRIEF
BRIEF
2020, and Bitcoin was everywhere
In 2020, Bitcoin was the story everyone was telling. But for all the excitement, paying with it still felt slow and expensive — settling a transaction on-chain could take time and cost more than the coffee you were buying.
SimpleCoin set out to answer a simple question: what if paying with Bitcoin felt as quick and unremarkable as tapping a card? Built on the Lightning Network, it was a wallet designed for the small, everyday payments — the kind that need to clear in a moment, not a wait.
2020, and Bitcoin was everywhere
In 2020, Bitcoin was the story everyone was telling. But for all the excitement, paying with it still felt slow and expensive — settling a transaction on-chain could take time and cost more than the coffee you were buying.
SimpleCoin set out to answer a simple question: what if paying with Bitcoin felt as quick and unremarkable as tapping a card? Built on the Lightning Network, it was a wallet designed for the small, everyday payments — the kind that need to clear in a moment, not a wait.
2020, and Bitcoin was everywhere
In 2020, Bitcoin was the story everyone was telling. But for all the excitement, paying with it still felt slow and expensive — settling a transaction on-chain could take time and cost more than the coffee you were buying.
SimpleCoin set out to answer a simple question: what if paying with Bitcoin felt as quick and unremarkable as tapping a card? Built on the Lightning Network, it was a wallet designed for the small, everyday payments — the kind that need to clear in a moment, not a wait.
product
product
product
A wallet for the everyday
We built SimpleCoin across the places people actually live: a responsive web wallet, native iOS and Android apps, and a marketing website to introduce it — each in both light and dark mode. The intention throughout was to make something early adopters would trust and newcomers wouldn't be afraid of.
A wallet for the everyday
We built SimpleCoin across the places people actually live: a responsive web wallet, native iOS and Android apps, and a marketing website to introduce it — each in both light and dark mode. The intention throughout was to make something early adopters would trust and newcomers wouldn’t be afraid of.
A wallet for the everyday
We built SimpleCoin across the places people actually live: a responsive web wallet, native iOS and Android apps, and a marketing website to introduce it — each in both light and dark mode. The intention throughout was to make something early adopters would trust and newcomers wouldn’t be afraid of.
How We Worked
How We Worked
How We Worked
A small team in four time zones
We were about as distributed as a team can be — myself in Dubai, our front-end engineer in Toronto, our back-end engineer in California, and the founders in Seattle. Every product, feature and screen moved through the same simple framework: research, concept, wireframe, design, build, and iterate.
Holding that rhythm steady across four time zones taught me as much about clear communication and product ownership as any single screen we shipped.
A small team in four time zones
We were about as distributed as a team can be — myself in Dubai, our front-end engineer in Toronto, our back-end engineer in California, and the founders in Seattle. Every product, feature and screen moved through the same simple framework: research, concept, wireframe, design, build, and iterate.
Holding that rhythm steady across four time zones taught me as much about clear communication and product ownership as any single screen we shipped.
A small team in four time zones
We were about as distributed as a team can be — myself in Dubai, our front-end engineer in Toronto, our back-end engineer in California, and the founders in Seattle. Every product, feature and screen moved through the same simple framework: research, concept, wireframe, design, build, and iterate.
Holding that rhythm steady across four time zones taught me as much about clear communication and product ownership as any single screen we shipped.
wallet
wallet
wallet
Pay, request, and understand
At the centre was a dashboard that paired Insights with Actions — analytics and learning on one side, the wallet itself on the other. Paying or requesting took only a couple of seconds and a few steps, with everything a person needed visible in the first view, without scrolling.
We added touches that respected people's control and privacy: optional signatures, so a request could carry a real name or a nickname, and simple categories, so money in and out could be made sense of later.
Pay, request, and understand
At the centre was a dashboard that paired Insights with Actions — analytics and learning on one side, the wallet itself on the other. Paying or requesting took only a couple of seconds and a few steps, with everything a person needed visible in the first view, without scrolling.
We added touches that respected people’s control and privacy: optional signatures, so a request could carry a real name or a nickname, and simple categories, so money in and out could be made sense of later.
Pay, request, and understand
At the centre was a dashboard that paired Insights with Actions — analytics and learning on one side, the wallet itself on the other. Paying or requesting took only a couple of seconds and a few steps, with everything a person needed visible in the first view, without scrolling.
We added touches that respected people’s control and privacy: optional signatures, so a request could carry a real name or a nickname, and simple categories, so money in and out could be made sense of later.
brand
brand
brand
Simple, by design
The name set the bar, and the brand had to live up to it. We kept the palette to black and white for clarity and accessibility, reserving a single safety blue for the moments that needed reassurance or a little delight.
Helvetica throughout, composition guided by the Fibonacci sequence, and language that spoke to people plainly.
Simple, by design
The name set the bar, and the brand had to live up to it. We kept the palette to black and white for clarity and accessibility, reserving a single safety blue for the moments that needed reassurance or a little delight.
Helvetica throughout, composition guided by the Fibonacci sequence, and language that spoke to people plainly.
Simple, by design
The name set the bar, and the brand had to live up to it. We kept the palette to black and white for clarity and accessibility, reserving a single safety blue for the moments that needed reassurance or a little delight.
Helvetica throughout, composition guided by the Fibonacci sequence, and language that spoke to people plainly.
moment
moment
moment
Faster than live video
My favourite memory is from a company town-hall demo. We sent a live payment on camera — and it arrived faster than the video feed carrying it. For a product built entirely on the promise of speed, it was hard to ask for a better proof point.
Faster than live video
My favourite memory is from a company town-hall demo. We sent a live payment on camera — and it arrived faster than the video feed carrying it. For a product built entirely on the promise of speed, it was hard to ask for a better proof point.
Faster than live video
My favourite memory is from a company town-hall demo. We sent a live payment on camera — and it arrived faster than the video feed carrying it. For a product built entirely on the promise of speed, it was hard to ask for a better proof point.
now
now
now
What I carried forward
SimpleCoin never made it to launch. I won't pretend that isn't a disappointment after two and a half years of work — but it takes nothing away from what we built, or from what I learned building it. I led a product from a blank page to working apps across web and mobile, alongside a distributed team I'm still proud of, and a brand and experience I would happily put in front of anyone today.
What I carried forward
SimpleCoin never made it to launch. I won’t pretend that isn’t a disappointment after two and a half years of work — but it takes nothing away from what we built, or from what I learned building it. I led a product from a blank page to working apps across web and mobile, alongside a distributed team I’m still proud of, and a brand and experience I would happily put in front of anyone today.
What I carried forward
SimpleCoin never made it to launch. I won’t pretend that isn’t a disappointment after two and a half years of work — but it takes nothing away from what we built, or from what I learned building it. I led a product from a blank page to working apps across web and mobile, alongside a distributed team I’m still proud of, and a brand and experience I would happily put in front of anyone today.
Any comments or questions?
I’d love to hear from you.
Any comments or questions?
I’d love to hear from you.
Any comments or questions?
I’d love to hear from you.
Contact
Contact
Contact