Who were Timber?

Timber aimed to modernise the way financial advice fits into our modern lives. The project's core was the understanding that personalised, human advice through forward-thinking and cost-conscious technology could bring financial advice to a broader audience.

The platform was designed to enable digital onboarding, call booking, profile management, and video calling, making it possible for anyone to talk to a financial adviser regardless of location or availability.

My role and responsibilities

As the lead designer, I had the privilege of being part of a team - which included a service designer, a growth hacker, a group of developers, and a team of financial advisors - that was on a mission to empower people to make smarter financial decisions.

From collaborating on the branding, to crafting the user interface and experience, I oversaw all aspects of the design and worked closely with the development team to turn our vision into a reality. It was an exciting and challenging experience that taught me a lot about the startup world and the importance of user-centred design in creating successful products.

Opportunities and goals of the project

Our goal was to create a platform that would help people make better financial decisions and get the guidance they need to achieve their financial goals.

We saw an opportunity to disrupt the traditional financial advice model that was often costly and inaccessible to the majority of people. We wanted to create a product that would be easy to use and understand, regardless of the user's financial literacy level.

Biggest challenge faced

The biggest challenge was building trust.

Establishing a brand from scratch that can foster mutual trust is complex and even more challenging in the financial sector. Finding the right balance between Timber's core values, what they offered, how they would provide it, and why anyone would choose them above the competition was a story that we had to weave into every product element.

Overcoming that challenge

We addressed this challenge by working closely with interested parties, ensuring our story answered common questions without over-explaining or repeating ourselves.

By scheduling a number of public releases, each with its hypotheses on how to gain user trust, we continued to learn and iterate, which allowed us to refine content and journeys as we went.

The thing I most enjoyed

My favourite part of the project was creating a new brand grounded in the initial concept of growth and building.

This included a new brand mark, an energetic and diverse colour palette, a single typeface that was flexible enough to perform all the various tasks we needed from it, and a collection of brand elements that echoed the subtle details of the brand mark. Continued iteration of this brand, in partnership with our user base, ensured that it reflected the energy and aspiration of the overall product offering.

Outcome and learnings

When constructing a brand that aims to build trust within its customer base, it is important to focus on transparency, consistency, and authenticity.

The brand messaging should be clear and consistent across all channels, with a focus on delivering high-quality experiences and excellent customer service. Building trust requires a long-term commitment to building strong relationships and fostering a loyal customer base.

I feel we were on course for hitting a lot of these points, but sadly the funding for the project was cut and the overall scope was reduced. However, the processes that we established along the way were invaluable and will definitely lead to a more efficient journey next time.

What it's like to work with me.

Will blends his huge talent for UI and interaction design with a strong understanding of UX and a real passion for products that works.

Michael Dingle

Partner & Co-Founder, Reason

Will’s calm under fire and brings a consistent, thoughtful value-add to meetings and broader strategic conversations.

Nick Yannoulopoulos

Copywriter, Reason

As an engineer, I found Will delightful to work with and a testament to his flexibility within cross-functional teams.

Jim Le

Senior Web Developer, Reason

Further recommendations and testimonials can be found on my Linkedin profile.

Projects

© 2024 Design by Will Rose Ltd.