2021
None
UX, UI, Product Design
UX/UI Designer
Moon is an innovative mobile application that facilitates secure communications, contract management, payment processing, and scheduling. It is tailored for businesses, freelancers, and anyone requiring privacy and escrow services in online transactions. Key features include end-to-end encryption, user verification through Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, immutable conversation records, and an escrow-like payment system that holds funds until contractual obligations are fulfilled.
Freelancers, businesses, and individuals often face challenges when making agreements or payments online. They use multiple apps to chat, send contracts, handle payments, and manage schedules — but these tools don’t guarantee privacy, proof of agreement, or secure holding of funds until work is done. This creates risks of disputes, scams, and data leaks.
Moon integrates secure messaging, verified user profiles, non-deletable records, contract signing, project scheduling, bidding, and escrow-like payments into one privacy-first platform. This simplifies collaboration, ensures payment safety, and builds trust between parties.
Secure Communications: All messages are encrypted, ensuring confidentiality.
Verified Users: KYC protocols authenticate user identities, fostering trust.
Immutable Records: Conversations and contracts are non-deletable, maintaining transparency.
Escrow Payments: Funds are held securely and released only upon fulfillment of agreed terms.
UX research, UI design, brand identity
Initial research focused on understanding user needs for private communication, proof of agreements, and payment protection in online transactions.
What products exist to send messages, sign contracts, and process secure payments?
How do users interact with existing platforms for these tasks?
What are the current pain points when managing deals online?
Which features are essential for privacy and trust in online transactions?
A survey was conducted on 20 participants, including freelancers and small business owners, to identify which tools they currently use and which features they consider non-negotiable when doing work or transactions online.
A series of in-depth interviews with 5 participants uncovered frustrations, risks, and desires for a secure, all-in-one solution to handle conversations, payments, and agreements.
All participants use multiple apps to communicate, sign agreements, and handle payments — leading to inefficiency and confusion.
Users value identity verification (KYC) to ensure the other party is legitimate.
Existing platforms often lack escrow-style payment protection, exposing users to non-payment risks.
A clear, tamper-proof record of conversations and transactions is essential.
Users want scheduling and project management built directly into the same secure platform.
Privacy and encryption are a top priority when sharing sensitive information.
Competitive analysis was conducted to identify the strengths and weaknesses of messaging, contract, and payment apps, and how Moon could combine their best features into one.
After conducting user interviews, responses were synthesized to identify themes, opportunities, and key features Moon could deliver better than any existing app.
An affinity map was created to group insights from research, highlighting the need for privacy, proof, and payment protection in online deals.
Using the four hues of the SimpleStage identity as a starting point, I expanded the color palette to accommodate the needs of the platform’s complex dashboard system.
A persona was developed to represent Moon’s target user: a privacy-conscious professional who frequently works or trades online and wants security, proof, and peace of mind.
Quick sketches were made to explore layouts for messaging, contracts, payments, project timelines, and bidding features. These evolved into a low-fidelity prototype for testing.
The primary user flow is creating a deal: chatting securely, sending an offer or contract, holding funds in escrow, completing the work, and releasing payment.
Moon’s information structure allows seamless navigation between conversations, contracts, payments, schedules, and project progress.
Initial sketches explored how to display sensitive contract and payment details clearly while keeping them private.
Prototypes were created to test how easily users could navigate from messaging to payment and scheduling in one app.
Usability testing identified opportunities to make contract signing faster and escrow payment setup more intuitive.
Some users felt existing escrow systems were too complicated to set up and understand.
Users worried about messages or agreements being deleted, leaving no proof during disputes.
Payments made outside of escrow led to risk of non-payment or scams.
Switching between apps (chat, contracts, payments) slowed workflows and created confusion.
Scheduling features were missing from most secure apps, forcing users to rely on third-party tools.
Guided Escrow Setup — a step-by-step “plain language” wizard that explains holds, milestones, and release rules before money moves.
Immutable Proof Layer — non-deletable chats, timestamped contract snapshots, and a unique Deal ID to reference in disputes.
Milestone Escrow & Partial Release — fund the whole deal up front, then auto-release by milestone (with optional moderation/arbitration).
Unified Deal Flow — quick actions inside chat (Send Offer → Sign → Fund Escrow → Deliver → Release) so no context-switching.
Built-In Scheduling — integrated availability, reminders, and deadline blockers tied directly to each contract and payment.
Design efforts were focused on reflecting Moon’s values of trust, privacy, and professionalism while keeping the interface intuitive and modern.
Moon streamlines the process of private communication, contract negotiation, escrow payments, and scheduling—all in one encrypted, verification-backed platform. Users can confidently manage deals with verified peers, ensuring safety and trust from first chat to final invoice.
Intro screen and onboarding
Encrypted messaging with verified user badges
Compose and send contracts or bids directly in chat
Hold funds securely and release upon fulfillment
Visual progress tracker with deadlines and milestones
Clean, digital invoice generation and summary
Verified user and offer suggestions based on past deals and trust metrics
Combines messaging, contracts, scheduling, and payments into one seamless app
Verifies users to build trust before deals start
Keeps private, encrypted records of all conversations and transactions
Ensures payment only releases when agreed conditions are met
Integrates scheduling tied to contracts and milestones
Provides a reliable workflow from chat to invoice—secure and unified
