In the evolving tech landscape, product designers are no longer just visual problem solvers, they are strategists, facilitators, and culture shapers. Habeeb, a product designer at Moniepoint, exemplifies this broader impact, bringing systems thinking, design advocacy, and ethical foresight into the core of how digital products are imagined and scaled.

In this interview, Habeeb shares how he’s championing scalable design practices, driving cross-functional collaboration, and helping shape the next generation of design in Africa and beyond.

Let’s start with your role. What does being a product designer at Moniepoint look like day-to-day, and what excites you most about the work?

Being a product designer at Moniepoint means thinking beyond screens, it’s about solving for complexity at scale. Every day, I collaborate with PMs, engineers, and sometimes customer-facing teams to explore and define how millions of users experience our financial products. A big part of the role is navigating real-world constraints, from limited connectivity to diverse levels of digital literacy and still delivering a seamless experience.

What excites me most is the impact. We’re not just optimizing margins or polishing UI; we’re giving small businesses and everyday people tools that genuinely improve their lives. That kind of purpose keeps me curious and motivated.


You’ve spoken about building with scale and inclusivity in mind. What sparked that focus for you and how does it show up in your work today?

That mindset really comes from lived experience. I didn’t grow up with perfect tech or constant connectivity. I know what it means to run into a paywall, or to feel confused by an app that wasn’t built for you. So now, when I design, I try to build products that include people by default and not as an afterthought.

For example, we pay attention to device performance, not just interface polish. We use simplified flows, local language cues, and test on the types of phones our users actually use. Inclusion isn’t just visual, it’s functional and cultural.

What’s a specific product challenge you’ve worked on that reflects that kind of thinking?

A great example was with our cash management feature. Many of our users are merchants who don’t have a formal finance background. They just want to understand how much they made and how to manage cash better  without jargon or overly technical flows.
So we rethought the experience: less dashboard overload, more visual summaries. We also introduced contextual tooltips and streamlined navigation. The result wasn’t just prettier; it was more usable. And usage increased significantly post-launch.

How do you balance user empathy with business goals, especially in high-stakes fintech environments?

It’s easy to say “user first,” but the reality is that we’re designing within business constraints, timelines, targets, compliance. My job is to constantly reframe trade-offs into design opportunities. For example, when we had to introduce friction into an onboarding flow for the cash suppliers, I worked closely with PMs and engineers to make sure that friction felt educational, not punitive. That way, we meet both business and user needs.

What role does data play in your design decisions?

Data helps me validate intuition. I use both quantitative and qualitative data, metrics like conversion or drop-off, but also usability tests and open-ended interviews. For one project, we noticed a pattern of user hesitation mid-way through a payment flow. Heatmaps and session replays confirmed it, but talking to users gave us the why: lack of clarity. That insight led to a copy and hierarchy change that improved task completion significantly.

How do you stay inspired and avoid creative stagnation in fast-moving environments?

I try to learn something new every quarter that’s outside the immediate scope of product design. Lately, I’ve been exploring procedural texturing in Blender and storytelling in games. These areas sharpen my eye for detail and narrative structure, which I bring back into interface work. I also surround myself with a global design community like Twitter, Figma Community, even Reddit to stay challenged and fresh.

What do you think the African design ecosystem needs most right now to thrive globally?

We need more original thinking rooted in our realities and not just adapting Silicon Valley patterns. We also need more shared infrastructure: open-source tools, documented case studies, and platforms that elevate African design voices. But most of all, we need confidence. The talent is here so now we just need to back ourselves, collaborate boldly, and build things the world hasn’t seen before.

You’ve been active in speaking, and mentoring. What motivates you to share your knowledge so consistently?

When I was starting out, communities gave me the tools and confidence to keep going. So sharing now feels like a full-circle moment. Whether it’s publishing a Figma kit or giving a talk, I want to demystify product design for others, especially designers in Africa who may not have access to traditional pipelines.

How do you see the role of designers changing over the next five years  particularly in emerging markets?

I think designers will become more like product architects. The expectation won’t just be “make it look good”, it’ll be “help us think this through.” That means more strategic influence, more ownership of outcomes, and more involvement in shaping company culture.

In emerging markets, where many digital experiences are being built for the first time, designers have a huge responsibility and opportunity to lay strong, ethical foundations. We’re not just designing screens, we’re designing norms, behaviors, and trust.

Looking ahead, what kind of impact do you want your work to have?

I want my work to expand access to opportunity,dignity,and digital tools that make life easier. That could be for a business owner trying to track income or a student learning with limited internet.

But beyond that, I want to contribute to a stronger, more collaborative ecosystem, one where African designers don’t just consume global trends, but set them. Whether it’s through mentorship, community-building, or creating platforms for others to shine, I want my work to spark momentum that lives beyond me.