September, 2022

February 12, 2022

(2021 - 2024)

Agrotoken: Financial Innovation for Agribusiness

Agrotoken: Financial Innovation for Agribusiness

Agrotoken: Financial Innovation for Agribusiness

Agrotoken is a Latin American fintech that turns grain commodities into digital tokens, giving rural producers a new financial tool. In partnership with Visa, the project focused on understanding producers in Argentina and Brazil to design a secure, transparent payment solution integrated with their workflows. Launched during a time of economic instability, especially in Argentina, it aimed to connect advanced financial technology with the practical needs of a traditional yet resilient agricultural sector.

Agrotoken is a Latin American fintech that turns grain commodities into digital tokens, giving rural producers a new financial tool. In partnership with Visa, the project focused on understanding producers in Argentina and Brazil to design a secure, transparent payment solution integrated with their workflows. Launched during a time of economic instability, especially in Argentina, it aimed to connect advanced financial technology with the practical needs of a traditional yet resilient agricultural sector.

Agrotoken is a Latin American fintech that turns grain commodities into digital tokens, giving rural producers a new financial tool. In partnership with Visa, the project focused on understanding producers in Argentina and Brazil to design a secure, transparent payment solution integrated with their workflows. Launched during a time of economic instability, especially in Argentina, it aimed to connect advanced financial technology with the practical needs of a traditional yet resilient agricultural sector.

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Year

2022

Company

Agrotoken + Visa

Project Type

Mobile Application

Role

End-to-End UX/UI Product Design for a Fintech MVP

Platform

Mobile Application (iOS/Android)

Tools

Figma, Mural, Power Point and Google Meet
Figma, Mural, Power Point and Google Meet

Category

Blockchain-based Fintech Product
Blockchain-based Fintech Product

Product Duration

3 months
My Contribution

I served as Senior Product Designer, collaborating closely with international teams from Argentina and Mexico. I was directly responsible for the visual design of the mobile app MVP and the creation of a scalable design system.

I served as Senior Product Designer, collaborating closely with international teams from Argentina and Mexico. I was directly responsible for the visual design of the mobile app MVP and the creation of a scalable design system.

My key contributions included
My key contributions included

  • Active participation in strategic UX discussions and research activities

  • Conducting user interviews and co-creation workshops

  • Mapping user journeys, defining personas, and designing user flows

  • Delivering high-fidelity, navigable prototypes for validation

  • Building a consistent visual identity and UI components for future scalability

  • Active participation in strategic UX discussions and research activities

  • Conducting user interviews and co-creation workshops

  • Mapping user journeys, defining personas, and designing user flows

  • Delivering high-fidelity, navigable prototypes for validation

  • Building a consistent visual identity and UI components for future scalability

Problem Statement
“How might we design a digital solution that enables agribusiness users to issue, renew, and manage their financial credentials using tokens in a smooth, frictionless, and value driven way?”
“How might we design a digital solution that enables agribusiness users to issue, renew, and manage their financial credentials using tokens in a smooth, frictionless, and value driven way?”

This question set the foundation for a user-centered design process grounded in discovery, co-creation, validation, and iterative prototyping.

This question set the foundation for a user-centered design process grounded in discovery, co-creation, validation, and iterative prototyping.

Context & Goals

In Latin America’s agribusiness sector, financial operations rely on traditional practices like grain barter, local banking, and informal agreements. Producers, especially in Argentina, face major challenges with liquidity, financing, and outdated payment systems.

In Latin America’s agribusiness sector, financial operations rely on traditional practices like grain barter, local banking, and informal agreements. Producers, especially in Argentina, face major challenges with liquidity, financing, and outdated payment systems.

Agrotoken partnered with Visa to address these issues. Using blockchain technology, they allow producers to tokenize grain and turn it into a usable digital asset for payments and credit, creating a new financial infrastructure rooted in agriculture.

Agrotoken partnered with Visa to address these issues. Using blockchain technology, they allow producers to tokenize grain and turn it into a usable digital asset for payments and credit, creating a new financial infrastructure rooted in agriculture.

Key goals

Key goals

  1. Understand the real financial workflows and pain points of grain producers in Argentina and Brazil

  2. Identify behavioral and technological barriers to adopting blockchain-based solutions

  3. Design a mobile-first experience that allows users to:

    • Manage tokenized grain assets

    • Issue and renew financial credentials

    • Make secure, seamless payments

  4. Develop a consistent and scalable visual identity and design system aligned with Agrotoken’s growth roadmap


The final goal was to deliver a validated MVP that could function as a proof-of-concept and foundational platform for scaling digital financial services in rural Latin American markets.

The final goal was to deliver a validated MVP that could function as a proof-of-concept and foundational platform for scaling digital financial services in rural Latin American markets.

Personas: Two Realities
“Argentina is like a chessboard. We’re constantly evaluating any financial tool to survive.”

“Argentina is like a chessboard. We’re constantly evaluating any financial tool to survive.”

Gastón Martín – Argentine Producer
Gastón Martín – Argentine Producer

  • Family business manager, responsible for finances

  • Prudent and data-driven; consults grain prices daily

  • Relies heavily on WhatsApp groups for quotes and advice

“Credit is like medicine: in the right dose it heals, in the wrong one it kills.”

“Credit is like medicine: in the right dose it heals, in the wrong one it kills.”

João Silva – Brazilian Producer

João Silva – Brazilian Producer

  • Leads his operation after inheriting debt from prior generations

  • Cautious, risk-averse, and community-centered

  • Waits for peer validation before adopting new tools

Strategic Insights

Our research was distilled into six macro insights, uncovering core behaviors, friction points, and motivations:

Our research was distilled into six macro insights, uncovering core behaviors, friction points, and motivations:

  1. Production and Planning Complexity

  • Producers must navigate climate, markets, regulation, and currency risks

  • Grain trading strategies (e.g., forwards, barter, puts/calls) are common

  • Blockchain is misunderstood and linked with scam-like connotations

  1. Fragmented Payment Methods

  • Producers use a wide mix: barter, PIX, Echeq, checks, corporate cards

  • A streamlined, multi-channel payment experience is highly needed

  1. Grain as a Currency

  • Grain acts as a stable “store of value” in volatile markets

  • Producers prefer “thinking in grain” over fiat money

  • Digital grain wallets must offer liquidity and transparency

  1. Credit and Financing Behavior

  • Producers seek less bureaucracy, faster decision-making, and trust

  • Financial decisions are often made within their close networks

  • Traditional banks are avoided due to inflexibility and complexity

  1. Digitization with Human Support

  • Producers embrace tech when it’s simple and backed by people they trust

  • WhatsApp is the core communication and learning tool

  • Onboarding must be gradual, assisted, and benefit-oriented

  1. Blockchain and Tokenization Perceptions

  • Mixed familiarity: some are crypto-savvy, most are skeptical

  • Interest rises when benefits are clearly aligned with real scenarios

  • Agrotoken must distance itself from “crypto scams” narratives

User Journey

A full journey map helped visualize decision points and identify where friction occurs:

A full journey map helped visualize decision points and identify where friction occurs:

Stage

Challenge

Opportunity

Pre-harvest

Pre-harvest

Accessing credit

Accessing credit

Token-backed loans with quick onboarding

Token-backed loans with quick onboarding

Harvest

Harvest

Paying debts with grain

Paying debts with grain

Grains-as-currency tools with scheduling

Grains-as-currency tools with scheduling

Post-harvest

Post-harvest

Market speculation

Market speculation

Real-time grain price dashboards and alerts

Real-time grain price dashboards and alerts

Day-to-day payments

Day-to-day payments

Tool fragmentation

Tool fragmentation

Unified token wallet with multiple payment channels

Unified token wallet with multiple payment channels

Product Strategy

Based on user input, we proposed key features for validation:

Based on user input, we proposed key features for validation:

Results

The design process led to tangible and validated outcomes:

The design process led to tangible and validated outcomes:

  • Successful delivery of the MVP after iterative user-centered design

  • High adoption and satisfaction in initial validation rounds

  • Faster credential issuance compared to legacy systems

  • Clear usability improvements, confirmed by qualitative feedback

  • Robust and scalable design system, ready for expansion

Final UI — MVP Highlights

Below are selected screens from the final product. Each reflects a key part of the producer experience:

Below are selected screens from the final product. Each reflects a key part of the producer experience:

Screen

Screen

Description

Description

Login

Login

Secure onboarding tailored to user profile

Secure onboarding tailored to user profile

Home Dashboard

Home Dashboard

Balances in grain tokens, local currency, and forecasts

Balances in grain tokens, local currency, and forecasts

Grain Prices

Grain Prices

Real-time pricing with trends and alerts

Real-time pricing with trends and alerts

Token Conversion

Token Conversion

Seamless exchange interface with preview and confirmation

Seamless exchange interface with preview and confirmation

Payment

Payment

Unified checkout integrating PIX, Echeq, and token balance

Unified checkout integrating PIX, Echeq, and token balance

Card Management

Card Management

Digital Agrotoken card with control, limits, and transparency

Digital Agrotoken card with control, limits, and transparency

Design System Overview

This project included the creation of a robust and flexible design system to support Agrotoken’s current and future needs. Below is a curated snapshot of core UI components used across the mobile experience, from typography and color styles to buttons, forms, cards, and iconography.

This project included the creation of a robust and flexible design system to support Agrotoken’s current and future needs. Below is a curated snapshot of core UI components used across the mobile experience, from typography and color styles to buttons, forms, cards, and iconography.

Experience Agrotoken in action

Explore the key user flows of our MVP, from checking grain token balances to making secure payments, in a fully interactive prototype designed for mobile.

Explore the key user flows of our MVP, from checking grain token balances to making secure payments, in a fully interactive prototype designed for mobile.

See navigable prototype
See navigable prototype
See navigable prototype
See navigable prototype
Conclusion

Agrotoken exemplifies how user-centered design and financial innovation can merge to solve deep, systemic challenges in rural economies. By designing not just for usability, but for trust, context, and value, we co-created a product that empowers producers not just with tokens, but

Agrotoken exemplifies how user-centered design and financial innovation can merge to solve deep, systemic challenges in rural economies. By designing not just for usability, but for trust, context, and value, we co-created a product that empowers producers not just with tokens, but

Got something cool in mind?

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CONTACT NOW

Drop me an Email hi@ottomiranda.design

Text me anytime +351 967 596 244

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Got something cool in mind?

I’m around. Let’s make it happen!

CONTACT NOW
Find me where ideas keep flowing — and follow along for thoughts on design, AI, and life.
LinkedIn
Twitter

Got something cool in mind?

I’m around. Let’s make it happen!

CONTACT NOW

Drop me an Email hi@ottomiranda.design

Text me anytime +351 967 596 244

Find me where ideas keep flowing — and follow along for thoughts on design, AI, and life.
LinkedIn
Twitter

Got something cool in mind?

I’m around. Let’s make it happen!

CONTACT NOW

Drop me an Email hi@ottomiranda.design

Text me anytime +351 967 596 244

Find me where ideas keep flowing — and follow along for thoughts on design, AI, and life.

LinkedIn
Twitter