I contributed to the development of an interactive tool for Bankrate that matched users with credit cards based on their spending habits. The project required creating distinct spender personas—such as the Minimalist, Foodie, or Student—brought to life through developmental sketches and final illustrations in Adobe Illustrator. A branded color palette of blues with yellow accents reinforced Bankrate’s identity and tied each persona back to the brand.
I was invited by Senior Product Designer Kendall Smith to support the persona visuals and, in the process, expand my product design experience by working within real product workflows. Her mentorship helped me refine problem-solving approaches and apply user data more effectively to inform UI design decisions.
Using Figma and the Bankrate component library, I collaborated with product designers to build and refine layouts, interactions, and flows. The final product delivered a behavior-focused, user-friendly tool that differentiated Bankrate from competitors while giving me valuable experience in product thinking and cross-functional collaboration.
Collaborator/Senior Product Designer: Kendall Smith
Role: Product Designer, Visual Designer
When the product team at Bankrate identified an opportunity to refine the entry point for our personal loans pre-qualification flow, I was tasked with rethinking how we welcomed users into the experience. The goal was twofold: to design a flexible light and dark mode treatment, and to reimagine the 'Secure a great loan in 3 easy steps' section with a more engaging, visual approach.
This project required a deep familiarity with the Bankrate Design System as well as sensitivity to the brand’s trusted, approachable tone. I carried the work from early creative exploration through design iteration and ultimately into UAT alongside engineering, ensuring the solution remained consistent, usable, and true to the needs of Bankrate’s audience. The result was a more inviting, visually balanced entry point that better aligned with both user expectations and business goals.
Role: Product Designer
When I joined the project to reimagine the personal loans page for Bankrate as part of their Uniquely Helpful Pages initiative, I saw an opportunity to push both the visual and functional storytelling of the product. The goal was to turn what could be a transactional experience into one that felt inviting, trustworthy, and genuinely helpful to users exploring their borrowing options.
My focus was on redesigning the entry point and above-the-fold experience—essentially the first impression. I worked to create a layout that felt both clear and reassuring, guiding users quickly to key tools and insights without overwhelming them. Using our branded component library and systems, I also explored a new “how-to” section design, playing with layout and interaction to help demystify the personal loan process in a way that felt digestible and empowering.
Further down the page, I developed a custom National vs. Bankrate APR chart that visually contextualized Bankrate’s offerings against national averages—a feature designed to instill confidence and transparency. I also built a bespoke loan calculator component tailored specifically for this page, allowing users to interactively model potential loan scenarios based on their own financial goals.
Role: Product Designer
When I was approached to assist in the layout design of the BankMatch tool, I was immediately intrigued by the story we were trying to tell. BankMatch was created to guide users toward personalized financial recommendations, and my role was to design a page experience that clearly introduced its purpose while making the process feel approachable and engaging.
To achieve this, I leaned into illustration and infographic-driven layouts to simplify complex financial concepts and highlight the benefits of the tool. Drawing from narrative perspective, we connected the idea of investing and financial independence to the care and patience of nurturing house plants—an accessible metaphor that resonated with Bankrate’s audience.
This project also marked my first deeper introduction to the UX/UI side of design. I worked closely with a senior product designer, learning about the development of components and how they tie into a larger system, all while being responsible for creating and iterating on custom illustrations. The experience gave me a stronger understanding of how design, storytelling, and systems thinking intersect to create a cohesive product.
Collaborator/Senior Product Designer: Ryan Freeze
Role: Product Designer, Visual Designer
