Turning API only infrastructure into a sellable product
Turning API-only fintech infrastructure into a product a sales team could sell.
- Company
- OatFi
- Role
- Lead Product Designer (sole designer)
- Industry
- Fintech · Embedded Lending
- Timeframe
- Jul 2022 – Sep 2023
Full case study available on request
Scale: turning API only infrastructure into a product a sales team could sell
A B2B fintech infrastructure startup had powerful embedded lending capabilities and no way to show them. The entire product lived in API documentation, with no interface layer yet for anyone outside engineering to see or use it. Every sales call needed someone technical to translate what the product did, and every operational change ran through custom queries instead of a tool built for it.
(stylized hero, mockup level, no real lending data)
10 plus enterprise partners closed on prototypes alone Sales calls no longer needed a technical walkthrough 3 audiences, one shared foundation
The call that shaped everything
The default path was one product with permissions based on role, hiding features per user. I made the case for something different: three connected experiences on one shared foundation, because the two admin audiences did not just have different needs, they had opposite mental models. Internal admins think in terms of configuring a system. Partners think in terms of running a business. Same data, opposite framing. Permissions did not just hide buttons, they shaped the whole experience.
(stylized: one foundation branching into three experiences) (stylized: internal vs partner surface, same components, different product)
Highlights
Made the strategic call to build three connected experiences on one shared foundation, instead of one product with permissions based on role.
Designed the embedded BNPL flow as a side drawer to protect trust at the point of purchase, including the declined and delayed states, not just the happy path.
Built the company’s first design standards. The PM kept making consistent decisions from those patterns after I rolled off.
Cut partner onboarding from about 10 steps to 5, so a heavy document verification process stopped overwhelming new partners.
Shipped about 4 prototypes the founders took straight into sales meetings, closing 10 plus enterprise partners without a technical walkthrough.
“Gil was instrumental in defining the structure and layout of our platform, making complex workflows intuitive despite the depth of the data. He set clear design standards and worked closely with engineering to ensure the design system was implemented consistently. His thoughtful use of UI patterns reduced clicks, simplified workflows, and greatly improved user confidence.”
— Paola Calderón, Product Manager
If you’re a hiring manager
Full case study available on request.