Acorns
Acorns helps people build better financial habits over time by shaping clarity, trust, and progress throughout the experience. On the Growth team, each feature and flow was treated as a product in its own right. In partnership with product and engineering, design efforts reduced friction, highlighted value early, and gave users actionable steps that sustained confidence at key moments across the app.
⌙ Product Design, Design Systems
⌙ Mobile, Web, Branding
Designing a Cohesive Growth Engine
Acorns helps people build better financial habits over time by shaping clarity, trust, and progress throughout the experience. On the Growth team, each feature and flow was treated as a product in its own right. In partnership with product and engineering, design efforts reduced friction, highlighted value early, and gave users actionable steps that sustained confidence at key moments across the app.
Guided Entry & Early Trust
Login, account setup, and bank linking were shaped as guided experiences rather than technical obstacles. Through iteration, these flows prioritized clarity and feedback, making each step feel informative and reassuring. The resulting screens emphasized progress and supported confident decisions.
Progress, Education, and Ongoing Engagement
Education surfaced early as a core driver of growth. Feature screens were crafted to clearly show the benefits of an Acorns account while introducing key concepts in a conversational tone. These moments guided onboarding by surfacing value upfront and establishing patterns that extended through the design system.
Extending the Experience to Web
The product experience extended to the website through a focused set of marketing and educational surfaces. Web designs reflected the same principles found in the app, including clarity, approachability, and strong visual hierarchy. Together, they supported acquisition while reinforcing the value and trust established in the product.
Takeaway
Designing for Acorns required aligning growth, education, and trust across the entire product experience. By treating key flows as guided, confidence-building moments and extending those principles across mobile and web, the work helped turn early intent into sustained investing behavior over time.
