03 Case Study
UX Governance Model
Klarna was moving from a simple "Pay Later" app to a Financial Super-App modeled after Asian Super-Apps. Every PM was jockeying for position on the home screen — so I designed a system, not a screen, to protect the experience.
The Problem
Straight into the deep end — politics over experience
Every PM in the company was fighting for a spot on the home screen. My PM partner wanted to keep deferring to Directors to settle the disputes, which was slow and political — and left the experience hostage to internal org dynamics.
Approach
From politics to principles
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1
Designing a system, not a screen
Used Atomic Design to create a decision tree: to earn a home-screen spot, a feature had to prove it fit a "Category" or "Moment." This shifted the pressure from the team (the Decider) to the process (the System).
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2
Director buy-in
Pitched the model to Product Directors as a time-saver — sign off on the rules once, and never referee a placement fight again.
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3
Redesign for users, not org charts
Solved the "Junk Drawer" problem by regrouping tasks by intent — "Manage my Money" vs. "Find a Deal" — and moved from a grid of equal buttons to a tiered visual hierarchy that told a meaningful story.
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4
Scaling the patterns
Created new mini-app guidelines for standard behaviors — onboarding, notifications, and errors — to improve consistency and solution-design velocity across teams.
Before → After
From a list of logos to an intent-driven home
Impact & Scale
Simpler UX, better engagement, operational harmony
−42%
Homepage entry points, by integrating features in the right contextual place
−24%
Time-to-interact for users
+5%
Search usage, driven by more intentional discovery
Fewer
Director escalations, enabling a quicker pace of work
Learning
Design the rules of the game to protect the experience from internal organizational bloat.