Travel Rule Compliance

Crypto Regulations

  • Problem

    Shifting EU crypto rules, including the Travel Rule, disrupted payments, receivables, and beneficiary flows—demanding scalable UX aligned with compliance.

  • Goal

    Create a seamless, scalable experience that meets regulatory demands without disrupting user trust or flow.

Project Details

  • Role

    Lead Product Designer with the support of the eCommerce Product Designer

  • Tools

    FigJam, Figma, Jira (tickets), Slack (communication)

  • Team

    Worked closely with 2 PMs, 3 Developers, 5 Engineers, and the Compliance & Legal teams.

  • Duration

    4 months (Jan - May 2025)

Design Process

  • 1. Discovery

    Partnered with PM and Compliance to turn a vague Jira ticket into a clear, conditional user flow based on regulatory needs.

  • 2. Define

    Scoped 21 compliance cases across Treasury and eCommerce—covering both fiat and crypto flows.

  • 3. Ideation & Design

    Owned end-to-end UX. Designed 21 forms and 84 flows, including full eCommerce coverage during teammate leave.

  • 4. Validation

    Worked closely with Compliance to resolve edge cases and refine flows—balancing regulatory complexity with usability.

  • 5. Impact

    Launched on schedule with zero compliance issues or support tickets. Recognised for adaptability and cross-functional collaboration.

Initial Travel Rule diagram (types of senders)

  • Sender flows (Individual + Business)

User Flow (Inbound payments)

  • This flow was designed in collaboration with the eCommerce Product Designer for the initial scope of the project.

Download PDF

Ideation

  • During Ideation, I collaborated with the eCommerce Designer in a workshop to annotate legacy screens with post-its, exploring seamless integration of new Travel Rule elements—like the ‘Info Required’ status and updated form modal—while minimising user disruption.

Inbound Payments flow (sender types)

Mandatory Forms

  • Primary Principal Data Location (PPDL) + Primary Principal Operating Unit (PPOU)

    As scope evolved rapidly, I adapted swiftly to shifting priorities under tight timelines. Below are examples of PPDL and PPOU forms driven by conditional logic.

Conditional Logic

(PPOU + PPDL)

Results

  • Final Delivery

    21 UI forms and 84 flows across products and jurisdictions. Orbital’s customers were all onboarded on time.

  • Final Results

    Delivered all of the designs ready for shipping on time. Customer support noted less than 10% of customer ticket issues in the first 3 months of launching. Compliance team were happy that all of the PPOU + PPDL forms were present and correct.

Recognised Impact

  • “Sarah made a high-impact contribution by delivering the Travel Rule on schedule, a complex business and regulatory requirement. This success was driven by her exceptional cross-team collaboration and ability to meet an aggressive deadline.”

    — Lead Product Designer & Manager, Orbital

Reflection

  • Translated complex crypto regulations into a scalable, user-centered design system spanning 21 forms and 84 flows.

  • Delivered under pressure through strong cross-team collaboration, balancing compliance demands with seamless user experience.