01Challenge
Access needed to work beyond smartphones and mobile data.
Chipper needed to provide reliable, secure account access in markets where smartphones and reliable mobile data couldn't be assumed.
App model
Personal smartphones
Designed for users with personal smartphones.
User reality
Shared & basic phones
Many users relied on shared devices or feature phones.
App model
Reliable mobile data
Core account access depended on mobile data.
User reality
Intermittent connectivity
Mobile data couldn't always be assumed.
02Access Strategy
The strategy wasn't to change user behavior. It was to meet users where they already were.
Research showed users had already adapted to unreliable connectivity. Rather than changing their behavior, we chose an access channel that matched how they already managed money.
61%
had used mobile money transfers without mobile data
That led us to USSD: no download, no smartphone requirement, no mobile data.
03Trust by Design
Ship the lowest-risk, highest-trust action first.
Start small
Prioritized a focused first release over broad feature coverage.
Build for expansion
Established reusable patterns that made future transactions faster to ship.
Usability Test
Usability testing shifted our priorities. Users consistently chose Balance Inquiry before Cash Out.
04Impact
Financial access, beyond the smartphone.
By expanding access instead of adding features, Chipper could serve users wherever connectivity was limited.
Expanded access
account channels
Project scope
engagement
Product scale
Designed for a product serving 5M+ registered users across Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, US and UK.