Achieve’s Native Design System

Problem

When I joined Achieve, they had just rebranded and developed a web-based design system. After acquiring GOOD from Nationwide, Achieve created MoLO (Money Left Over) as a market test, but neither app followed native best practices or used Achieve’s design system. Starting with the new design system, I took a holistic approach to integrate GOOD into the fold. Although I initially aimed to apply best practices to MoLO, we decided to let it serve as an experimental “lab,” allowing it to evolve freely. I then shifted my focus to building a unified design system that encompassed both GOOD and Achieve Money, followed native patterns, and supported future growth alongside the web system.

Action

As I designed Achieve Money from the ground up, I also identified opportunities to refresh the outdated and clunky GOOD app. I examined GOOD’s existing patterns, usability, and core components to find corresponding elements that could align with a modern banking app. Engineering was building Money in React Native using React Native Paper, so my role was to integrate Paper with Achieve’s new design system, Ascend, into a native-centric library.

I created a Figma branch off Ascend and began building essential native components, like bottom sheets, menus, input controls, and typography, ensuring compatibility across iOS and Android. Once the patterns and styles for Money were solidified, I applied them to shared components in GOOD.

To foster collaboration, I set up bi-weekly meetings with engineering, product, and stakeholders from both Money and GOOD. These meetings helped us share knowledge and align efforts, dividing the work of building shared components while also coordinating with the internal tools team working on web componentization. This ensured seamless collaboration across teams and platforms.

Results

For over a year, I developed and standardized the component library across both apps, sharing it with stakeholders to ensure consistency. I designed both light and dark modes simultaneously, allowing engineers to integrate them early in the process. Later, I collaborated with the FDR team to bring their hackathon project to life, enabling them to expedite design by leveraging the native library as a foundation.