Designed a bilingual finance app for India’s gig workers — boosting task completion by 42%
Get a peek behind the scenes with Brandhero Studio! This case study showcases how our project made a real difference for the client, consumers, and everyone involved.
Vahan is a YC-backed startup that helps gig and blue-collar workers in India manage their finances through technology. Their flagship app, Mitra (meaning "friend" in Hindi), aims to make financial services simple, visual, and accessible for first-time smartphone users in India’s growing digital economy.
Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
- Steve Jobs
Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
- Steve Jobs
Challenge
Designing the Mitra app meant solving for a unique audience—workers who often face barriers like low literacy, limited digital exposure, older devices, and patchy internet. Our goal was to build an experience that made financial tools feel approachable and useful to this group. Key challenges included minimizing text, simplifying navigation, supporting two languages, and building trust from the first interaction—all within a low-bandwidth, low-hardware environment.
Challenge
Designing the Mitra app meant solving for a unique audience—workers who often face barriers like low literacy, limited digital exposure, older devices, and patchy internet. Our goal was to build an experience that made financial tools feel approachable and useful to this group. Key challenges included minimizing text, simplifying navigation, supporting two languages, and building trust from the first interaction—all within a low-bandwidth, low-hardware environment.
Approach
We adopted a visual-first design strategy, using large icons, color cues, and simple layouts to guide users through key tasks. Hindi and English language support was integrated to ensure broader accessibility, with special care taken to maintain legibility and clarity in both scripts. Every screen was kept focused on a single action to reduce confusion and cognitive load. Performance was optimized for entry-level smartphones and low-connectivity zones, ensuring the app felt light and responsive. User feedback was gathered throughout, helping us iterate toward a product that felt intuitive and reliable in real-life scenarios.
Approach
We adopted a visual-first design strategy, using large icons, color cues, and simple layouts to guide users through key tasks. Hindi and English language support was integrated to ensure broader accessibility, with special care taken to maintain legibility and clarity in both scripts. Every screen was kept focused on a single action to reduce confusion and cognitive load. Performance was optimized for entry-level smartphones and low-connectivity zones, ensuring the app felt light and responsive. User feedback was gathered throughout, helping us iterate toward a product that felt intuitive and reliable in real-life scenarios.
Key Findings
Insights gathered from extensive usability testing and A/B validation:
Simplified Navigation
The one-action-per-screen approach helped users complete tasks faster and with less confusion, reducing the learning curve significantly.
Simplified Navigation
The one-action-per-screen approach helped users complete tasks faster and with less confusion, reducing the learning curve significantly.
Simplified Navigation
The one-action-per-screen approach helped users complete tasks faster and with less confusion, reducing the learning curve significantly.
Multilingual Support
Adding clear bilingual options helped reach a wider base, improving app usage in both Hindi- and English-speaking regions.
Multilingual Support
Adding clear bilingual options helped reach a wider base, improving app usage in both Hindi- and English-speaking regions.
Multilingual Support
Adding clear bilingual options helped reach a wider base, improving app usage in both Hindi- and English-speaking regions.
Performance Boost
By designing for older smartphones and unstable networks, we improved speed and reduced dropout—making the experience more reliable for all users.
Performance Boost
By designing for older smartphones and unstable networks, we improved speed and reduced dropout—making the experience more reliable for all users.
Performance Boost
By designing for older smartphones and unstable networks, we improved speed and reduced dropout—making the experience more reliable for all users.
Results
The redesigned Mitra app delivered a real improvement in how gig workers handle their daily finances. By simplifying key workflows, improving language accessibility, and boosting app performance, we helped Vahan offer a more inclusive and usable product. The visual-first design helped users trust and navigate the platform confidently, resulting in higher engagement and better task completion.
Results
The redesigned Mitra app delivered a real improvement in how gig workers handle their daily finances. By simplifying key workflows, improving language accessibility, and boosting app performance, we helped Vahan offer a more inclusive and usable product. The visual-first design helped users trust and navigate the platform confidently, resulting in higher engagement and better task completion.
Results
The redesigned Mitra app delivered a real improvement in how gig workers handle their daily finances. By simplifying key workflows, improving language accessibility, and boosting app performance, we helped Vahan offer a more inclusive and usable product. The visual-first design helped users trust and navigate the platform confidently, resulting in higher engagement and better task completion.
Increased
60%
User retention rate
Increased
60%
User retention rate
Increased
60%
User retention rate
Boosted
25%
Average monthly income
Boosted
25%
Average monthly income
Boosted
25%
Average monthly income
Conclusion
The Mitra app shows what’s possible when digital products are built with empathy and clarity. By designing with the real needs of India’s gig workers in mind, we helped turn a complex fintech tool into something simple, friendly, and highly usable—empowering users to take control of their finances, one tap at a time.
Conclusion
The Mitra app shows what’s possible when digital products are built with empathy and clarity. By designing with the real needs of India’s gig workers in mind, we helped turn a complex fintech tool into something simple, friendly, and highly usable—empowering users to take control of their finances, one tap at a time.
Conclusion
The Mitra app shows what’s possible when digital products are built with empathy and clarity. By designing with the real needs of India’s gig workers in mind, we helped turn a complex fintech tool into something simple, friendly, and highly usable—empowering users to take control of their finances, one tap at a time.
Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.
- Joe Sparano