Natalia Dzhioeva
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Neuron

From asset-based farming to strategy-led investing

As founding product designer, I partnered with the founder on a two-month pivot: changing how users choose an investment, understand its mechanics and commit capital.

MY ROLE
Founding Product Designer · Part-time
TEAM
6 people across the project · Sole designer
MILESTONE
Two-month pivot · Beta release

THE CHANGE

What changed — and why

Before. Asset-first farming centered on headline APY.

Why change. Options strategies required clearer investment logic before deposit.

My contribution. Reorganized strategy selection and capital flows with the founder.

Outcome. On-time beta, a reusable design system and stronger first-deposit conversion.

Neuron strategy catalogue: portfolio overview, deposited positions and available investment strategies.

01 / WHY WE CHANGED

The interface no longer matched the investment decision

The asset-first farming interface emphasized APY but left users to understand the options strategy and its risks elsewhere. During a two-month pivot, I worked with the founder to reorganize the product around the investment decision.

I put strategy comparison first, then yield composition and conditions before deposit. This preserved financial depth while introducing it in stages.

BEFORE · ASSET-FIRST FARMING

Choose a farm by input asset and APY, then configure a deposit.

AFTER · STRATEGY-FIRST INVESTING

Compare named options strategies, with the underlying asset, APY and deposits shown together.

02 / THE NEW MODEL

Explain the strategy before the deposit

I separated base yield, the options strategy and governance incentives, placing allocation limits, historical performance and transaction conditions alongside them. This hierarchy explained where returns came from instead of relying on headline APY.

NEURON · Strategy returns

Where does the return come from?

I made each source of potential return visible, with incentives clearly marked as conditional.

Pool yield

Return from the underlying liquidity pool.

Base return

Option premium

Income from the strategy’s option-writing component.

Additional return

Token incentives

NEUR locking, veNEUR and buyback mechanisms.

When eligible
Potential strategy return

Estimated APY, not a guaranteed outcome.

Before depositing, check

Pool limits
Capacity and allocation caps
Past performance
Historical results and backtests
Transaction terms
Conditions and confirmations
See how the catalogue presents the strategy

03 / PUTTING THE MODEL INTO PRACTICE

Make each financial commitment clear

I separated configuration, wallet permission and execution. Users choose a pool—or explicitly skip it—before entering an amount. Withdrawals distinguish immediate actions from scheduled requests.

Migration reviews show source, destination and capital movement before confirmation. Disabled, loading, pending and completed states explain what users can do and whether funds have moved.

NEURON · Deposit decision

Choose the pool before entering an amount.

The interface makes “with a pool” and “without a pool” explicit choices within deposit setup.

  1. 01

    Choose your setup

    Add a liquidity pool, or continue without one.

    With a poolCompare and select a pool
    or
    Without a poolSkip pool selection
  2. 02

    Enter the amount

    Both options lead here. Set the deposit amount and review your setup before submitting.

Desktop · Pool selection and amount entry are separated.
Mobile · Select a pool or continue without one.

04 / MOBILE

Prioritize the next decision on a smaller screen

I prioritized projected APY and allocation over dense tables. Staged inputs, modal pool selection and explicit confirmations kept deposit, withdrawal and boost manageable on mobile without hiding their financial implications.

05 / DELIVERY

A beta product and a shared interface foundation

I was the sole designer in a six-person project team, owning architecture, capital flows and interfaces with the founder.

The redesign reached beta on schedule, supported by responsive flows and a shared component system.

50+Reusable components implemented
50% fasterDesign delivery after the system refactor

ACTIVATION OUTCOMES

From a connected wallet to a first deposit

~12% → ~27%Wallet connection → first-deposit conversion
~25% lowerDrop-off between strategy viewing and deposit

Approximate project outcomes, based on my recollection and reflecting cross-functional delivery. Drop-off is expressed as a relative reduction.

NEXT PROJECTThe Number
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