Redesigning BRD Groupe Societe Generale’s Business Banking App
As a long time business client of BRD Groupe Societe Generale - Romania’s branch of France’s 3rd-largest bank, I experienced firsthand the challenges of using their mobile banking app. Over 5 years, I saw little to no improvement in its UI or functionality, leaving business users with an outdated and frustrating experience.
Rather than simply voicing my frustrations, I took action. Out of pure passion for design and user experience, I initiated a pro bono project to completely redesign the app, incorporating a modern UI, enhanced functionality, and a brand new design system built from scratch. My goal was to present BRD with a ready made solution that could elevate their digital banking experience and create a product that users would be excited to engage with.
Paris, France +
Bucharest (Romanian Branch)
100.000+
Challenge
Despite being a major financial institution, BRD’s business banking app suffered from several issues:
Outdated and inefficient UI – The interface was visually unappealing and lacked modern usability principles
Limited functionality – Key business banking features were missing, making transactions difficult
Inconsistent branding – The app lacked a cohesive design language, making the experience feel disconnected
Poor user engagement – Clients, including myself, found it frustrating to navigate, leading to a lack of enthusiasm in using the app for business needs
To transform the app into a modern and engaging banking tool, I focused on:
A modern, intuitive UI – Creating a clear, easy to navigate interface that aligns with today’s fintech standards
Enhanced functionality – Adding essential features to improve business banking workflows
A robust design system – Developing a scalable design system to ensure consistency and ease of future updates
User-centric improvements – Making banking effortless by reducing friction in key user flows
• Leveraged my own experience and feedback from fellow business users to identify core frustrations
• Analysed competitor apps to benchmark industry best practices
• Simplified navigation with a cleaner layout and more intuitive interactions
Introduced a visual hierarchy that made key actions (e.g., payments, account management, currency exchange) easily accessible
• Enhanced data visualisation for transactions, balances, and insights
• Designed a business dashboard for quick access to essential financial data
Added customisable alerts and notifications to keep users informed without overwhelming them
Improved the payment flow, reducing steps for faster transactions
Introduced a currency exchange feature to facilitate seamless international transactions
Developed an option to control business cards, allowing users to lock/unlock cards, set limits, and manage spending
• Included the ability to view full card details, a basic yet shockingly missing feature in the previous app
• Built a comprehensive design system from scratch to ensure consistency across all touchpoints
Defined typography, colour schemes, button styles, and UI components aligned with modern fintech standards and BRD's branding
• Created reusable assets to streamline future app iterations
While the project was ultimately not implemented due to reasons beyond my control, it was a very fulfilling experience for me to create all these solutions and approach a problem in this manner. It reinforced my belief in proactive problem-solving, choosing to act instead of complain.
This initiative wasn’t about metrics or business impact. It was about my passion for great design and my commitment to improving digital experiences, even when there was no direct reward. It also demonstrated my ability to identify issues, propose tangible solutions, and craft a higher quality product, all while maintaining a user first mindset.