Company
Factorial HR
Date
Apr 22 - Sep 22
Context
I worked at Factorial HR as Product Designer, leading the design of a card-first expense management MVP that would replace our early, document-based approach.
My responsibilities included:
Research & Discovery: Customer development interviews, diagrams, user journeys.
Management: Sprint planning and weekly reviews.
Design: End-to-end experience and branding.
Prototyping: User testing and validation.
QA: Ensuring 1:1 design-to-development quality.
The aim was to introduce physical and virtual payment cards to automate expense management, reduce manual admin, and create the foundation for a scalable product.
Problem Breakdown
Through research and early MVP feedback, we identified three main challenges:
Low trust in card-based expenses: Many customers preferred manual expense claims.
Manual, time-consuming processes: Document upload, data entry, and receipt storage were required for every transaction.
Competitive gap: Competitors offered card-based automation, creating risk of churn.
Research & Discovery
Business context: Reviewed closed-lost deals, churn reasons, and MRR impact.
Card provider research: Assessed vendors trusted by competitors.
User pain points: Desire for automated spending and reduced admin time.
Competitive audit: Benchmarked against PLEO, Payhawk, OKTicket, Spendesk, Revolut Business, Captio.
Process
Defining the approach:
MVP limited to physical cards for POS and virtual cards for online — excluded wallets due to scope.
Prioritised features to reduce delivery time and dependency on KYB process from the external provider.
Execution:
Diagrams & user journeys mapped the end-to-end card lifecycle.
Wireframes for rapid validation with stakeholders.
Prototype testing to ensure adoption potential.
Iterated based on design critiques and sales feedback before final build.
Solution & Key Features
Core features delivered in MVP:
Cards Branding: Physical and virtual designs aligned to Factorial’s identity.
Landing Page: Blankslate introducing card-first approach.
Cards List: List view for managers, grid view for employees.
Card Details: Card preview, balance, and controls.
Transactions: Real-time spend visibility per card.
Account Details: IBAN, SWIFT, bank info for top-ups.
Create Card: Form for physical cards, instant creation for virtual cards.
Update Card Status: Freeze, unfreeze, or cancel cards.
Set Card Limit: Adjustable spending limits per card.
Cards Branding - Physical
Cards Branding - Virtual
Cards Branding - Single-Use
HR Managers - Entry Point to Create Cards Account
HR Managers - Cards List
HR Managers - Card Details
HR Manager - Account Details
Impact
Pre-launch KPIs:
Increase card usage and monthly EUR transacted.
Grow committed MRR through upselling.
Improve automation adoption rates.
Results:
Monthly EUR transacted grew from €163 → €294K in ~18 months.
New subscription plans (Business & Enterprise) introduced, charging €0.5–€1 per company seat.
Committed MRR grew from €1K → €79K in ~18 months.
Paved the way for new product vertical: IT Management for software access and subscription control.
Unique Companies Using Cards per Month
Monthly Cards used by Type
EUR Transacted Monthly Evolution
Committed MRR Monthly Evolution