Faizan Malik
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Case study · Fintech / Mobile

Azima: Micro-loans, rebuilt to convert.

Azima offers no-collateral micro-loans in Uganda. The client came with a version that was not converting: an inherited user base, a rough interface and a loan flow people abandoned. We rebuilt the app end to end, on a new frontend and backend, with a new design and a loan flow that takes a few taps. I owned the native Android app.

Problem

The client had an existing microfinance user base and an app that was not converting them. The interface was rough, the loan flow was confusing, and people dropped off before finishing a request.

Solution

A full rebuild on a new frontend and backend. A clean, focused interface, a loan request that takes a few taps, repayment through the channels people already use, and a status flow that tells borrowers exactly where their money is. I built the native Android app.

Result

The rebuilt app passed 100,000+ downloads on Google Play, and far more people who opened it finished a loan request than on the version it replaced.

A loan in a few taps

The home screen puts the two things borrowers came for, taking a loan and paying one back, above everything else. Requesting a loan is a single amount screen with the limit shown up front, so there is no guessing and no long form.

  • Home dashboard with loan limit, recent activity and one-tap Get Loan and Pay Loan
  • Loan request on a single screen with the maximum limit shown up front
  • Account and transaction history in plain language
  • Built for low-end Android devices and patchy connections

Repayment that fits how people actually pay

Borrowers repay through the channels they already use. The app takes them from choosing a method to confirming with a PIN without a detour, and keeps the amount and limit in view the whole way.

  • Repay by mobile money, card, PayPal or Apple Pay
  • Amount entry with the outstanding limit always visible
  • PIN confirmation with a clear "do not leave this screen" state
  • Forgot-PIN recovery built into the flow

Every request, tracked to payout

Lending runs on trust, so the app never leaves a borrower guessing. A live status flow walks each request through verification and enrolment to payout, and ends on a plain confirmation of what was paid.

  • Step-by-step loan status from verification to completed transaction
  • Clear payout and repayment confirmations
  • Support contact surfaced right where questions come up
  • Consistent states for success, waiting and errors

Rebuilt front to back

The old app was inherited, and its interface lost people before they could borrow. The team rebuilt it on a fresh backend and frontend, and I owned the native Android app: new design, new flow, new interactions. It ran in production for years and passed 100,000 downloads. The business has since pivoted in a new direction, but this is the version that got Azima there.

  • Native Android in Kotlin on an MVVM architecture
  • Talks to a rebuilt backend over REST APIs
  • Device management with Nuovo
  • Full redesign of screens, flow and interactions

Faizan Malik, Flutter and full-stack mobile app developer · contact@faizanmalik.com