SAMANTHA
ALMAGUER

Context

Nu's brand is built on making finance less painful. So when a regulatory change required existing users to migrate to a new financial entity (S.A. → SOFIPO) to unlock Cuenta Nu, the irony wasn't lost — the migration required exactly the paperwork Nu exists to eliminate.

The Problem

Valid ID, proof of address, selfie, video selfie — all with technical accuracy. For many users that's already a barrier. And on top of the logistics, it just didn't feel like Nu.

Why It Was Hard

• Shared tech with Brazil and Colombia — had to work across different markets and regulatory contexts.
• Compliance wasn't negotiable. No shortcuts on legal requirements.
• Most users wouldn't finish in one go — save-and-resume had to be structural, not optional.
• Common errors weren't being caught or explained — bad lighting, wrong ID, obscured face.

What I Drove

Before opening Figma, I mapped the full system — dependencies, failure states, where user confidence drops. That became the foundation. Got product, legal, and compliance aligned on content hierarchy first. Made save-and-resume a core requirement. Brought engineering in early so nothing had to be renegotiated later.

Key Decisions

• Content before UI — tone and copy had to exist before screens did.
• Save-and-resume as a structural requirement, not an edge case.
• Nu's voice as a stress reducer — warmth and humor to make paperwork feel less like paperwork.
• Engineering in the room from day one.

What This Says About How I Work

Compliance is a design input, not a blocker. The brief was "make paperwork feel less like paperwork" — the answer wasn't cutting requirements, it was earning trust through them. Brand standard and legal standard, at the same time.

Context

Some Nu Mexico users couldn't get the credit card — the most desired product — because of their credit bureau status. The lobby is where they land instead. If that screen doesn't work, they leave before they even start.

The Problem

Explain the products clearly and get users motivated enough to start a demanding hiring flow — photos, selfies, paperwork. Clarity alone isn't enough here. You're designing for commitment. And because the tech is shared with Brazil and Colombia, a solution that works for a loyal Brazilian user won't necessarily work for a first-time Mexican one.

Why It Was Hard

• Same platform, different markets — different trust levels, different brand familiarity.
• New products kept coming — the design couldn't be rigid.
• The hiring flow that follows is long — the lobby had to build real motivation, not just curiosity.
• Compliance validation was a constant loop.

What I Drove

Started by mapping what Brazil had built — then asked hard questions about what would translate. Mexico's trust baseline is lower, the emotional stakes are higher. That changes the design criteria.

Reframed the lobby's job: not a selection screen, a moment of commitment. That shifted what we were optimizing for. Drove ideation, prototyping, and compliance validation, and kept the conversation open across Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia throughout.

Key Decisions

• Motivation before complexity — emotional arc over information dump.
• Flexible architecture — built to absorb new products without redesigning.
• Adapted, not copied — Brazil's solution was a reference, not a template.

What This Says About How I Work

In regulated, multi-geography products, ambiguity is permanent. I've learned to work well inside it — frame the problem, build alignment, and hold the user's emotional experience alongside all the constraints. A lobby isn't just a screen. It's where users decide whether to trust you.

Context

kubo is a SOFIPO-regulated fintech where the main features — bill payments, top-ups — are already available in better-known apps. The challenge wasn't building something functional. It was building something worth switching to.

The Problem

Users were dropping off in onboarding. We had the funnel data — the "what" — but not the "why". And for the new features: competitors already had them and had earned loyalty. Being present wasn't enough.

Key Decisions

• Data as a starting point, not an answer — funnel defined the space; research defined what to fix.
• Value proposition as a design problem — "why kubo?" was baked into the flow, not left to marketing.
• Differentiate, don't match — grounded in real competitor pain points.

What This Says About How I Work

When people are leaving and no one knows why, the opportunity isn't a new UI — it's the diagnosis. At kubo, the research didn't inform the design. The research was the design.