01
Klarna | Building a Super App Platform
Transforming Klarna from a payment utility into an all-in-one e-commerce Super App.
Role:
Design Manager
Industry:
Fintech
Duration:
12 months
Challenges
Klarna’s leadership set out to evolve the app beyond its origins as a payment tool, reimagining it as a discovery-led, multi-service Super App—connecting consumers, creators, and commerce.
The challenge:
The app was functionally rich but lacked a unifying vision for the home experience.
The mini-app ecosystem (partner-built features) had no structure or clarity.
Design patterns were inconsistent, bloated, and not user-first.
My goal: As the design lead for the App Home & Navigation team, my goal was to deliver a cohesive Super App platform that met both business growth targets and customer needs, along with strategic architectural guidelines to enable teams across the App Domain to build with.
My Approach
I ran an iterative, sprint-based design strategy process across 5 tracks:
Align: Defined the opportunity, competitive landscape, business needs, and success criteria.
Diverge: Explored over 20 distinct prototypes using a structured Figma-first sprint model.
Converge: Grouped ideas into themed futures (e.g., “smart favorites”, “guided discovery”, “curated stories”).
Test: Conducted 330+ user interviews across key markets.
Share: Synthesized insights and presented to execs, PMs, and partner teams weekly for feedback.
Results
We delivered a new Super App architecture built around clarity, personalization, and mini-app performance:
Introduced smart, modular sections on the home screen (e.g., favorites, categories, value tiles).
Created a definition framework for mini-apps, including usage models, ownership flows, and UX patterns.
Established new iconography systems and integrated them into the design system.
Wrote internal & external UX guidelines to scale design quality across Klarna teams and partners.
Ensured design supported multi-market scaling and partner extensibility.
Future Plans
Continue expanding the mini-app partner ecosystem using the playbook we created.
Further optimize home personalization using behavioral data.
Introduce AI-based discovery modules and flexible widgets.
Explore B2B monetization layers embedded in mini-app infrastructure.
Conclusion
This project wasn’t just about scaling a product. It was about designing a platform future—a new ecosystem of partners, services, and user interactions. By grounding our decisions in both user research and business strategy, we gave Klarna a new foundation for global growth—and a more delightful, intuitive shopping experience for millions.