AP3 DeFi workConnor Lee · Product design

DeFi product work by Connor Lee

08 / 08

Project period2023

Social payments & wallets

Kivo

My idea: a way for friend groups to be social onchain.

Role
Concept & Design Co-founder · Product, Brand + Launch
Medium
Web app · Mobile UI
Outcome
ShippedSocial payments app & launch
Kivo friend group with a kiwi membership circle, conversation, and an individual transaction approval panel
Design views
Shipped app · historical product capture
Scroll to see the case study

Kivo, project 8 of 8

Case study Social payments & wallets · 2023

Kivo

I ideated Kivo as a way for friend groups to be social onchain. As design co-founder, I shaped that idea into the product direction, UX/UI, identity, and launch. The Solana app connected people, peer payments, and scheduled contracts; KYN carried the same social premise into a group-referral campaign and collectible launch.

Shipped app · launch campaign

Team · Co-founding team

Watch the product walkthrough ↗

Original idea

I conceived Kivo around a simple question: what would crypto feel like if the friend group were the starting point? The idea was a shared social space for people who wanted to do things onchain together.

Approach

Make people and named groups the organizing structure. Bring invitations, conversation, shared activity, and individual transaction decisions into the same context, with wallet setup, payments, and history supporting the social experience.

Outcome

Shipped wallet setup, balances, payments, requests, scheduled contracts, and history. KYN extended the product's social behavior into a group-referral campaign and collectible launch.

Scope · friend groups onchain
Original ideaI ideated the social premise and led its expression across product, identity, and launch.
Evidence · social payments app
ShippedWallet setup, balances, payments, requests, scheduled contracts, and history.
Evidence · group referral launch
DesignedKYN connected invitations, access, and collectible rewards.
Decisions & details

Scope

Original Concept, Product Strategy, Brand Identity, Product UI/UX, Launch Campaign

Selected artifacts

Product & process.

Product states, decisions, and the system behind them.

01

Product

I ideated Kivo as a way for friend groups to be social onchain, then led the product direction, identity, and UX/UI as design co-founder. The group designs bring people, conversation, and coordinated activity together; the shipped app connected wallet setup, peer payments, scheduled contracts, and history.

The original premise in one screen: friends, a shared space, and visible individual decisions.

01

People before wallet addresses

I started with the friend group as the organizing idea. Groups and Payments give shared activity and everyday transfers related places in the product.

Desktop product - Groups and Payments views

02

Establish the person, then the group

Account connection, deposits, and color selection lead into a named group with a visible invitation to bring friends.

Account setup, deposits, personalization, and group creation.
Conversation and shared activity alongside the individual's proposed transaction.
Mobile app screens
Group modes - Ape, Lock, Split
Onboarding, deposits, color selection, and group creation
Feature overview - Ape, Freeze, and Split

03

Different ways to act together

The group-mode designs explore coordinated buying, locking, and splitting. The social space stays consistent as the action and individual approval panel change.

Creating, naming, and joining a Kivo group.
Ape, Lock, and Split modes mapped onto the group surface.
UX walkthrough
Product motion
Motion reel

04

A social idea with a recognizable world

The kiwi, personal colors, and campaign staging connect the product experience to its public identity.

The product's social premise carried into the launch world.
CRT mockup - mint green
Wheat-paste poster campaign

02

KYN Campaign

KYN made the waitlist a group activity: form a group of ten, invite friends, and qualify for access and a collectible. Referral status and rewards shared the app's social identity.

01

The prelaunch became a group challenge

Complete a group of ten to qualify together for weekly access and a collectible mint.

The launch mechanic in one frame: keep your group, fill ten seats, unlock access together.

02

The referral loop lived inside the product

Naming, invitations, and a filling circle make each group's progress visible.

Creating and joining paths for the ten-person group mechanic.
Once the group was complete, the interface resolved into a clear mint state.
Campaign language framed referral as teamwork.
Signup campaign and reward promise.

03

A collectible system with range

Six KYN objects combine distinct flavors, rarity levels, receipts, and visual treatments.

Six identities spanning common, rare, and campaign-specific expressions.

04

One object model, six identities

One product-card structure holds six flavors and material treatments, balancing variety with a recognizable collection.

Kivo Cool, Kivo Kiwi, Kivo Berry, Cherry Chat, Banana Split, and the limited dark edition.
Kivo Cool
Kivo Kiwi
Kivo Berry
Cherry Chat
Banana Split
Limited dark edition

05

Designed to feel ownable

The object language carries into rarity metadata, marketplace presentation, and motion.

Collectible, package, rarity, and edition as one identity object.
Banana Split with rarity receipt and edition metadata.
KYN campaign motion.

06

The collection in the working file

Object and packaging studies show the exploration behind the final collectibles.

Collectible object studies and material direction.
Packaging and collectible presentation studies.

07

A social product with a public voice

The kiwi mark, product photography, and street placements carry Kivo's invitation to do crypto with friends.

Campaign poster
Outdoor placement
Brand placement

08

The launch in motion

Campaign films extend the same identity beyond the interface.

Campaign film
Launch sequence
DeFi work — AP3