Web and Native
Overview
Wildfire Credit Union, like many legacy financial institutions, was operating with an outdated digital experience. As their digital partner through treXis, our goal was to modernize their client-facing platform and improve engagement across both personal and business banking. As the first designer at treXis, I helped introduce design into the organization’s process, bringing structure and user-centered thinking to the way we approached client work.
Goal
The aim was to bring Wildfire’s online banking experience in line with user expectations—clean, intuitive, and personalized—while leveraging Backbase’s system as the foundation. For Wildfire, this meant creating a flexible white-label solution that honored their brand while delivering a seamless, modern experience. The business objective was clear: improve user adoption by 3% each quarter, a goal we hit in three out of four quarters post-launch.
My role
I served as the lead product designer on the project. In addition to customizing the Backbase design system for Wildfire’s brand, I led persona-building workshops, facilitated multi-day working sessions with the client team, and worked closely with engineering to ensure we delivered something that met both user needs and technical feasibility. I also helped define how design would function at treXis, introducing processes that improved collaboration across the team.
Timeline
Originally scoped for four months, the project was extended by an additional three after Wildfire saw the early value and requested expanded functionality. We kept a tight feedback loop with the client throughout, which allowed us to iterate quickly and respond to evolving needs.
Research
We worked directly with stakeholders to identify core user journeys and pain points. I led workshops to define key user segments, and analyzed the existing platform to understand where users were struggling most. Because we were working within the Backbase framework, a lot of my research also involved learning how to bend that system to accommodate Wildfire’s branding and workflows. We tested ideas along the way, and user feedback shaped how we prioritized and designed key features.
Design
The design leaned on Backbase’s system for structure, but I introduced custom branding, component refinements, and layout enhancements that reflected Wildfire’s values. Screens like “Make a Transfer,” “Spending Insights,” and “Card Management” were redesigned with clarity and accessibility in mind. I worked closely with engineering to ensure responsiveness across screen sizes and maintained component flexibility that could scale with Wildfire’s evolving platform.
Future Considerations
After wrapping the first phase of this project, Wildfire began moving into development for their business banking experience. I transitioned off the project shortly after, but this work laid the foundation. One of my biggest takeaways was learning how a fully assembled design system like Backbase can be extended—and where it resists change. It deepened my passion for design systems and gave me a clear perspective on how flexible, scalable libraries drive better design outcomes.
