From 0 to launch: building Loop's first bookkeeping system
How did I add value?
I was the only designer at Loop Financial and joined as an intern, but took on a role that spanned far beyond that title. I redesigned the platform end to end and built core features like accounting, multi-currency accounts, approvals, and expense management. Along the way, I worked closely with the CEO, my product manager, compliance, and senior developers to balance usability with business and regulatory needs.
Collaborating across the company
Even as a solo designer, I was never working alone. I partnered with:
- Product Manager: Guided priorities and supported my growth
- CEO: Aligned on product direction
- Engineers: Ensured designs were feasible and scalable
- Compliance: Kept accounting accurate across Canada and the US
- Customer Service: Understood real user pain points
What is Loop Financial?
Loop Financial is a Canadian fintech startup that helps small & medium-sized businesses manage money across borders.
With multi-currency accounts, corporate cards, and seamless spend management, Loop makes it easier to operate globally. Unlike big banks, Loop offers no foreign exchange fees and a simpler, more transparent experience, giving businesses financial tools that are faster and more cost-effective.
Seamless Global Payments
Multi-currency Accounts
Corporate Cards
What does Loop offer?
Yes
- Multi-currency accounts
- Corporate cards (physical + virtual)
- No FX fees
- Spend management & team controls
- Cross-border transfers
- Cashback on spend
- Fast digital setup
No
- Accounting dashboard
- QuickBooks/Xero integrations
- GL code mapping
- Merchant category mapping
- Seamless approvals
- Invoice automation
- Payroll/HR tools
Outside In Research
After understanding what Loop was already offering SMBs, I began by exploring how other fintech competitors like Venn, Wise, and Keep were approaching accounting and integrations.
| Features | Loop | Venn | Wise | Keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-currency accounts | ||||
| Corporate cards | ||||
| No FX fees | ||||
| Spend management & approvals | ||||
| Cashback on spend | ||||
| Fast digital setup | ||||
| Accounting dashboard | ||||
| QuickBooks/Xero integrations | ||||
| GL / merchant category mapping | ||||
| Invoice automation | ||||
| Payroll / HR tools |
Venn
Automates expense categorization with custom rules, saving time and ensuring consistency.
Wise
Focuses on cross-border payments with reporting features that help businesses reconcile international transactions.
Keep
Provides in-house integration directly through its platform, allowing SMBs to sync and reconcile transactions.
Key Findings & Opportunities
From both internal data and competitor research, one pattern was clear: accounting was the biggest gap in Loop's offering compared to competitors like Venn and Keep. Support data showed this gap drove the highest volume of customer requests, from missing integrations to manual reconciliation. For SMBs, accounting was critical to closing books on time and staying compliant.
Accounting was the missing piece
Accounting stood out as the largest gap in Loop's product offering and drove the highest volume of customer requests.
Competitors already offered accounting
Platforms like Venn and Keep already offered accounting tools, creating pressure for Loop to close the gap.
How might we design a 0 → 1 accounting experience that helps SMBs seamlessly integrate Loop with their existing tools, while reducing manual work and support dependency?
Shaping the First Accounting Experience
With the challenge defined, I explored what the foundations of a 0 → 1 accounting experience at Loop should include. The goal was to cover the essential workflows SMBs asked for most, while keeping setup clear and approachable.
QuickBooks/Xero connection
Guided flow for linking Loop with existing accounting software.
Manual GL + tax code setup
Fallback option for mapping merchant categories manually.
Bookkeeping dashboard
A table for assigning GL codes, mapping categories, and uploading receipts.
These focus areas shaped my early sketches and wireframes, balancing automation with flexibility for SMBs.
Design Principles
To guide design decisions, I defined a few key principles for building Loop's first accounting experience.
Keep it simple
Minimize jargon and reduce cognitive load.
Guide users
Use clear steps, examples, and tooltips.
Ensure accuracy
Support compliance and reduce errors.
Build trust
Make data handling transparent and reliable.
Iterative Approach: The design process involved exploring 20+ concepts for intelligent categorization interfaces, building interactive prototypes with real transaction data, and validating with 8 user testing sessions across 2 iterations.
High Level Interactions
GL Code Mapping with Xero
Connect Loop to Xero and automatically map transactions to the right GL codes.
Manual Mapping Dashboard
Assign GL codes to transactions directly within the Loop dashboard.
Splitting GL Codes
Split a single transaction across multiple GL codes, classes, or departments.
Recruiting
We partnered with local accounting firms and bookkeepers who manage SMB clients. This ensured our testing was grounded in real-world accounting workflows, from GL code setup to reconciliation.
Testing plan
To validate the accounting prototype, we asked participants to:
- 1. Connect Loop to QuickBooks and confirm GL code mapping.
- 2. Manually assign GL and tax codes to a set of transactions.
- 3. Split a single transaction across multiple GL codes, departments, and classes.
- 4. Upload receipts and add notes to transactions.
Research findings
I really valued the guided QuickBooks connection flow, but we need clearer error handling for failed syncs.
This would save us hours each week compared to manual reconciliation.
The dashboard gave me confidence in reconciliation, though I'd love automatic receipt reminders.
Key learnings from this complex project.
Becoming a design unicorn
At a fast moving startup like Loop, design roles often blur. I found myself balancing product design, content design, and user research. For the accounting dashboard, how we explained complex financial workflows to non technical SMB users directly shaped their experience. To bridge that gap, I took the initiative to define our first set of content principles, working closely with the product and compliance teams.
Words matter as much as pixels
Designing for SMBs with varying levels of financial literacy taught me that how you explain something is just as critical as how it looks. Clear, human language turned complex accounting workflows into something approachable, and that clarity became a core part of the product experience.
What I'll carry with me.
Take the time to learn the full product.
As the only designer, I had to make sure my work didn't just look good but actually fit into the bigger picture. I spent time with compliance, customer service, and developers to see the product from every angle. Taking that extra time up front made my designs stronger and saved me a lot of time later.
Have confidence in your design and strategy decisions.
Being early in my career and the only designer in the company, I was nervous to push back on the CEO and senior developers when we disagreed. Over time I realized that different perspectives help us understand the product better. Backing my choices with research gave me the confidence to speak up and advocate for what I believed was right for the users.
Always plan and do your research.
Rushing almost always leads to rework. I learned that planning ahead and doing the research properly makes everything clearer and more actionable. When I was building big features like accounting and booking, that meant digging into Canadian and US tax regulations to make sure the design worked the way people actually needed it to.
Summer 25 Interns!
Endless Snacks
My Desk :)