Understanding users, then designing with them
We relocated to ING's Amsterdam headquarters for the project. That proximity mattered. Being in the building — in the same meetings, next to the same product owners — meant we could move fast and stay aligned in a way that remote collaboration doesn't allow. The research phase started with stakeholder interviews and a deep dive into how ING's customers actually thought about investing. Not what they said they wanted, but what their behaviours revealed about their real needs, anxieties, and mental models. From that work, we developed four behavioural archetypes — distinct user types that shaped every design decision that followed. We then ran two-day co-creation workshops to turn those insights into design directions, and tested continuously throughout the process. By the time the product shipped, it had been through more rounds of user validation than most apps see in their entire lifecycle.
We defined six design principles to guide the work — a shared language between design, product, and engineering that made decisions faster and kept the experience coherent across every touchpoint.
An app that makes investing everyday
The ING Beleggen app has two modes that reflect two distinct states of mind: browsing and purchasing. Browsing is about exploration — understanding your portfolio, watching instruments, getting comfortable with what you own and what you might own. Purchasing is about confidence — clear flows, step-by-step guidance, and animations that make the transaction feel legible rather than opaque. Portfolio visualisation was central to the experience. We designed it to give customers a clear picture of where their money is and how it's performing — not in the language of financial markets, but in terms that make sense to someone who checks their app the same way they check their bank balance. The purchase flow was built around reducing anxiety. Every step explains what's happening and why. The result is a product that turns investing from something intimidating into something people do on a Tuesday morning before work.
"This is only the beginning." The app launched with a strong feature set and a clear development roadmap — designed from the start to grow with its users and with ING's ambitions.
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(2016-25©)
