Redesigning Trust
Bamaq Consórcio
Consórcio is one of the most widely used financial planning tools in Brazil, but its experience remains outdated and bureaucratic. At Bamaq, customers struggled to complete basic actions like paying boletos, placing bids, or tracking share status. Processes were slow and overly dependent on physical interactions, including printed contracts and in-person visits. Internally, desks were stacked with paper documents, closing a contract could take up to 24 hours, and operational inefficiencies led to high costs. Customers frequently complained on public platforms like Reclame Aqui about poor service, lack of transparency, and confusion about how consórcio actually worked. More than a technical challenge, the project required a cultural shift. We needed to rebuild customer trust and turn a complex service into something clear, accessible, and efficient.
Client:
Bamaq Consórcio
Role:
Product Designer
Year:
2018
Research & Insights
The initiative started almost from scratch, there was no documentation and the journey was mapped by gathering input from internal departments, customers on-site, and reviewing complaints. One of the most important tools was a card sorting exercise, which helped us organize the service around the way users thought and prioritized key features. Benchmarking was limited within the consórcio market, so we looked to financial apps for inspiration. During this immersion, we also identified a strategic opportunity: the Bamaq Group had strong brand associations with Porsche and Mercedes, as well as sports partnerships with strong emotional appeal. However, this brand potential wasn’t reflected in the digital experience. We saw design as a bridge between the rational value of consórcio and an emotional, engaging user journey. Our guiding hypothesis for the MVP was simple: digitize essential actions like contracts and boleto payments, make share data accessible, and eliminate the need for physical interactions. Prioritization was driven by areas with the highest operational cost and complaint volume.
Strategy & Execution
From the beginning, we aimed to do more than digitize — we wanted to transform the consórcio experience into something transparent, trustworthy, and rewarding. I led the creation of the product vision, combining storytelling with a high-fidelity prototype that became the turning point for executive buy-in. It was the moment that unlocked internal support and proved the company could build a product like this internally. With no existing design system, I created user flows, interface documentation, and design assets to support handoff to an external development partner. Consistency and clarity were critical to ensure alignment and quality during implementation. Among the solutions implemented, gamification played a central role. Key actions like paying installments and placing bids were reframed as moments of achievement. Users earned points that could be exchanged for rewards like official jerseys or exclusive dealership visits. This approach brought emotional value to everyday actions, transforming the journey into a continuous experience of progress. "The goal was to turn the consórcio journey into a continuous value experience, not limited to the moment of contemplation." We also redesigned the bidding experience — a key feature of consórcio — introducing real-time transparency and predictability that had never been seen before in the market.
- Complaints on Reclame Aqui dropped drastically. The average rating went from 6 to 9, and basic service-related categories disappeared. - 90% reduction in printing and storage costs for contracts. - Elimination of physical service rooms, improving productivity and reducing overhead. The new bid experience, with real-time and visual feedback, was so well received that it was later copied by other administrators. The project also encouraged the creation of Bamaq’s Technology and Innovation department, paving the way for new initiatives such as the broker app and the internal platform Orbbits.
