2026 · Business finance & bookkeeping
Kobo Books
Know your business without becoming an accountant.
Tools: Figma · React Native · Expo
Business finance in the owner’s language
I designed Kobo Books’ mobile finance experience, created its original illustrations and implemented invoicing. The product is in development, with an experience built around understandable business setup and financial records.
Inside this case study
Finance, in a business owner’s language
Kobo Books is a mobile business-finance application for owners who want a clearer picture of their money. I designed the experience around understandable questions: what does the business own, what does it owe, and what is left? The work brings business setup, bank connection, opening balances, financial views and invoicing into the same product.
My contribution across design and implementation
I worked on the mobile interfaces and created the illustrations myself. I also implemented invoicing as part of the wider application. The screens in this case study are a selection of my work, covering onboarding and financial setup rather than the entire product. My role spans product design, illustration and implementation while the application remains in development.
A first screen that explains the value
The welcome screen leads with “Know your business” and explains tracking sales and expenses without needing to be an accounting expert. I used an original illustration of money and a hand to introduce the subject visually, alongside a direct path to sign in. The illustration is part of the experience I designed, rather than an unrelated decorative asset.
From an account to a business
Account creation and business setup have different jobs, so I separated them. The first establishes the account; the next collects the business name, type and location. A completion screen then introduces the setup step with a clear next action. This gives each screen a specific purpose instead of asking the owner to understand the entire product at once.
Connect a bank, or come back later
I designed the bank-connection entry point to explain the journey before asking the user to begin: choose a bank, connect the account, then import recent transactions. The “I’d do that later” option gives the owner another path through setup. I created the bank illustration used here as part of the product’s visual language.
Review the starting point before moving on
The opening-balance review groups information into assets, liabilities and owner’s funds. Each group has its own edit action, with confirmation before continuing. The intention is to make the starting financial position inspectable and correctable, so the owner has a chance to review their entries rather than simply submit a long form.
Make a balance sheet easier to enter
The overview translates accounting categories into “What you own,” “What you owe” and “Owner’s value.” The detailed views retain the accounting structure and show the assets that sit behind the summary. Colour helps distinguish the groups, while labels carry the meaning. The supplied values are design examples, not live business data or reported product results.
Invoicing: work that goes beyond these screens
I also implemented invoicing within Kobo Books. It is part of the broader product work beyond the onboarding and balance-sheet visuals shown here. The financial views recognise customer invoices as money owed to the business, connecting the invoicing work with the product’s wider picture of business finances.
A product still taking shape
Kobo Books is currently under development. This case study presents the designs, original illustrations and invoicing contribution I can share now. It reflects a product being built, with further flows and implementation details to follow as the work progresses.
My work across product, illustration and implementation
- Designed mobile onboarding, business setup and financial views
- Created original illustrations for the application
- Implemented invoicing within the wider product
- Presented financial information through plain-language summaries and detailed views
There’s more to this product. The next part of the story is still taking shape.