13th July 2021.
The date doesn’t show up in any milestone tracker, but for me it changed everything. It’s when I joined Mudrex as a product designer. Back then, we were a small team trying to build something big in a space that felt… well, a bit chaotic (hello, crypto). The design team was just two people. There was no design system. The app didn’t exist yet. And we still used Adobe XD.
Yes. That was real.
Starting from zero (with a table)
My first task? I think it was something like redesigning a table for algo listings. Nothing fancy. But by the next week, I was already neck deep in building something foundational.
Edul (our cofounder) handed us a wildcard task: build a design system in a week.
So Raghu (my then teammate) and I began pulling late night calls, sharing updates at 2 AM, and scrambling to build a system that could keep up with the fast pace. All while working remotely.
We made the bold call to move from Adobe XD to Figma because collaboration > everything. That first design system, scrappy as it was, served us for over a year.
Design in those early days was all about speed. We had a goal: simplify crypto investing for everyone. And we chased it with energy (and not much structure).
The first version of the app? We designed it in two to three weeks. We took inspiration from our web dashboard and iterated endlessly. Looking back, it taught me to balance speed with intent and to pick my battles. (Not every shadow needs perfect contrast. Not every pixel needs defending.)
The rebrand that changed everything
The next big shift came with rebranding.
We weren’t just updating colors or swapping logos. We were redesigning the entire experience with a sharp focus on usability and accessibility. Crypto can be intimidating, and our mission was to make it feel human, intuitive, and… well, less scary.
We argued over the smallest things. Button sizes. Dropdown icons. Padding. Typography scale. But it was never petty. It was passion. We cared. Everyone on the team brought their best. That’s also when we built a new, more robust design system. Basak deserves a special shoutout. Most of those Figma components still power our designs today. He set a bar for craft and consistency.
Projects that made me proud
There are a few projects that feel special not just for the impact, but because they challenged me in the right ways.
- Futures Web Terminal
- Coin Terminal
- (And soon…) The new Web Dashboard—still cooking.
Designing the Futures Terminal was especially fulfilling. As someone who trades personally, creating something I would genuinely use was incredibly satisfying. It gave me purpose beyond just pixels.
People who shaped the journey
Every designer’s journey is shaped by the people they work with. For me:
- Pankaj showed me how product thinking sharpens design.
- Nayansi encouraged me to think bigger, explore wider, and take risks.
- Basak raised the bar for quality and taught me the finer nuances of Figma.
- And the extended design fam: Supriya, Prerna, Raksha, Jacob, Rishi, Abhishek made this journey fun
Together, we went from two person chaos to a full fledged team. We got more structured, more intentional.
If I could talk to my Year-1 self
I’d say:
Don’t obsess over every pixel. Focus on the experience.
Don’t follow bull markets too blindly (yes, I learned that the hard way).
Don’t forget to live life while chasing dreams.
Oh, and call your parents more.
What success looks like now
Earlier, it was about getting a design approved. Today, it’s about moving the needle and occasionally showing my mom what I designed. Her smile says more than any design review ever could.
Here’s a snapshot of my design evolution from messy tables to some of my proudest work.
You’ll see approved designs, scrapped ones, and even a few memes that sum up the journey.
Looking ahead
The OG Design Team (sorry Prerna & Jacob)
Four years is a long time in startup life. And yet, it feels like we’re just getting started. We’re building not just a product, but a platform that makes investing accessible to millions. And as a designer, that’s the kind of problem worth solving messy, meaningful, and deeply human. To everyone who’s been part of this ride: thank you. To the future: more components, less chaos (maybe), and always… better design.
See you in the next standup. Or buried deep in the next Figma file.
What standups used to look like, back in the day.
