The goal was to digitize the fragmented process of estate payments in Nigeria and to simplify how communities interact with utilities. The product needed to serve two audiences: everyday users managing personal bills and estate administrators handling collective payments for services like security, waste, water, and electricity. KoboSmart would reduce administrative errors, speed up settlements, and improve transparency between residents, admins, and security teams.

Nigeria’s urban estate communities are expanding fast. According to market data, more than 2.5 million households now live in structured residential estates. Yet, most of these communities still rely on manual payment methods. This gap represents a growing market for digital estate tools. With rising smartphone adoption, KoboSmart could become the standard for community-based digital finance.

Our forecast focused on steady adoption within gated communities and private estates. The strategy was first to build trust by making bill management seamless for residents. Then empower estate admins with tools that feel professional but not intimidating. This approach positioned KoboSmart as more than a payment app. It became a digital companion for modern estates.

My role as lead designer was to shape how people experienced this product. I needed to translate administrative complexity into simple, guided workflows. The goal was to design a mobile-first experience for residents and admins, supported by a responsive web system for super admins and non-resident users paying public bills.

We began with contextual interviews in five estates across Lagos. We observed how residents tracked payments and how admins managed records. Most used a combination of receipts, phone notes, and WhatsApp groups. Security teams confirmed that visitor verification was verbal, based on recognition, and prone to error.This discovery shaped our guiding question:“How can we simplify estate payments without disrupting existing trust structures?”

We began with contextual interviews in five estates across Lagos. We observed how residents tracked payments and how admins managed records. Most used a combination of receipts, phone notes, and WhatsApp groups. Security teams confirmed that visitor verification was verbal, based on recognition, and prone to error.This discovery shaped our guiding question:“How can we simplify estate payments without disrupting existing trust structures?”

1. User Experience Gaps: Most competitor platforms focus heavily on functionality without considering how intuitive navigation should feel. Users often have to click through several screens to complete actions that should take seconds. KoboSmart bridges this by designing shorter, more predictable flows.
2. Fragmented Solutions: Sesa excels at communication and dues tracking, while Clannit handles gate access control. However, neither offers a comprehensive solution that manages both finances and community operations in one environment. KoboSmart fills this gap by providing a unified ecosystem for all estate-related needs.
3. Lack of Automation and Transparency: Competing platforms rely on manual updates or external confirmation steps for dues and settlements. KoboSmart automates recurring payments, ledger updates, and settlements, which improves accountability between residents and admins.
4. Security and Role Limitations: Clannit focuses mainly on visitor management, while Sesa lacks role differentiation entirely. KoboSmart introduces layered roles: Resident, Admin, Security, and Super Admin, ensuring that each user type sees only what they need, minimizing confusion and maintaining data security. Unrefined Reporting Systems: Reporting in competitor products is basic or non-existent. KoboSmart’s analytics and settlement features allow estate admins and super admins to understand payment patterns, outstanding balances, and estate performance in real time.

After gathering insights from user interviews and analyzing estate management behaviours, we defined the key personas that shaped the KoboSmart experience. Each user type (residents, estate admins, and security) interacts with the system differently, so their stories helped us translate needs into actionable design features. These narratives guided decisions on navigation, hierarchy, and workflow, ensuring every screen supported a real goal.

1. Seamless Navigation: Navigation had to be effortless across mobile and web. I tailored experiences for estate admins, residents, and security officers, focusing on intuitive hierarchies and consistent visual cues to minimize learning time.
2. Accessibility Standards: KoboSmart's design prioritized accessibility and user confidence, not just aesthetics. I adhered strictly to WCAG guidelines, ensuring every element, from colour contrast to button placement, reinforced the principle that clarity builds trust.
3. Security Features: Security and privacy were central. Features like BVN/NIN verification, encrypted transactions, and consent modals were seamlessly integrated. The design ensured users always understood data usage, reinforcing trust in the system.
4. Business-Centric Design: The design philosophy was business-centric, balancing functionality with financial responsibility. The interface allowed admins to clearly monitor settlements, track bills, and analyze collections, prioritizing operational efficiency.

After consolidating the findings from our user research, the next challenge was figuring out what to build first. KoboSmart had the potential to serve many user types (residents, estate administrators, security officers, and super admins) each with their own needs. To avoid spreading efforts too thin, the product team and I organized a design workshop to brainstorm features that aligned with both user pain points and business goals.We began by mapping out every idea on a whiteboard. Nothing was off-limits at this stage. Some suggestions focused on streamlining bill payments for residents, others explored data analytics for estate admins, while a few revolved around community-driven features like guest access and maintenance requests. Once we had all ideas visible, we needed a framework to bring structure to this creative chaos.

1. Team Alignment: One of the biggest challenges was maintaining alignment across a distributed team of designers, developers, and business stakeholders. Everyone had different priorities, and bringing those perspectives together required frequent communication and collaboration. It was not enough to simply share designs. We had to ensure that each decision reflected both user needs and technical realities.
2. Role Consistency: Residents, estate admins, and security users all interacted with the app differently, yet the experience needed to feel consistent. We approached this by defining clear interaction boundaries for each group. Residents focused on payments and community updates, security users handled verification tasks, and estate admins oversaw analytics and management. Every interface had to feel intuitive on its own while still belonging to the same product ecosystem.
3. Technical Constraints: Integrating real-time payment systems came with unexpected constraints, especially when certain APIs could not support the desired level of interaction. Instead of compromising the user experience, I collaborated closely with developers to identify alternative workflows that preserved intent and usability.

The user flow for residents on KoboSmart was designed around simplicity and efficiency. Paying a bill follows a clear, minimal path and visual feedback reassures users at every stage, while options for recurring payments make managing regular dues effortless.

Right from the start of the design phase, it was clear the mobile experience was everything for KoboSmart. Most residents and estate admins preferred using their phones to manage day-to-day activities like payments, guest passes, and communication. Prioritizing mobile was not just a design choice. It was a reflection of how people live, pay, and interact with their communities.The design approach focused on clarity and accessibility. We aimed to make every interaction smooth, whether a user was viewing a bill or signing up, ultimately building trust and a feeling of simplicity. Each flow was built around real-world actions that users perform daily, tested against scenarios drawn from interviews and mock simulations with early adopters.The result was a cohesive system that connects everyone in an estate: residents, admins, and security.

Welcoming Start: A friendly splash screen explains KoboSmart helps you pay bills effortlessly, with clear “Create Account” and “Login” options.

Smooth Registration: Minimal input fields (email and password) with clear password validation and Google sign-in for easy access.

Secure Verification: OTP confirmation ensures user authenticity, with an option to resend the code if needed

Profile Setup: Users add personal details like name, photo, and address to personalize their account and enable estate linking later.

Identity Verification: Users verify their BVN or NIN by matching their full name and date of birth, promoting accuracy and compliance.

Confirmation and Onboarding Complete: A success screen with a unique KoboSmart ID and a single “Go to Dashboard” button finalizes onboarding, reinforcing trust and readiness.

Estate Bill Overview: The top section clearly displays the total amount of estate bill owed and due date, with a bold “Pay All Bills” button for quick payment.

Categorized Bill Options: Icons for Airtime, Cable, Data, and Electricity are neatly grouped, with badges like “10% off” to encourage engagement. Upcoming features like Betting and Taxes are marked as “Coming Soon.”

Estate Management: Residents can easily join an existing estate or recommend a new one. The forms for joining capture essential details such as address, building type, and number of bedrooms.

Linking Card for Auto-Pay: Users can link their bank account or debit card to enable automatic payments. A clear verification process is explained, including the one-time ₦100 validation charge and refund.

Seamless Verification Flow: The design builds user trust through step-by-step prompts that confirm successful account linking with friendly visuals and clear feedback.

Multi-Estate Management: Residents can belong to multiple estates. The “My Estates” screen allows easy switching between estates, showing at a glance how much is owed and the next due date.

Clear Role Identification: Each estate clearly indicates the user’s role (for example, Member or Admin) ensuring transparency in permissions and accessible features.

Transparent Bill Breakdown: The estate dashboard displays an itemized bill summary (e.g., electricity, waste management) with due dates and payment statuses for each item.

Guest Access Control: Users can generate digital guest passes by entering visitor details (name, email, vehicle plate, visit duration). This improves estate security and visitor tracking.

Comprehensive Overview Dashboard: The estate admin dashboard gives an at-a-glance view of all essential metrics. This helps admins track estate finances and engagement effortlessly.

Quick Actions Panel: Admins have quick access to core estate management tools all organized for efficiency and ease of navigation.

Resident Admission Management: The admin can review, approve, or reject admission requests from residents. Each request shows detailed resident and apartment information for verification before approval.

Detailed Member Overview: The Members page lists all estate members with essential details such as name, role, status, and date joined. This allows admins to quickly assess estate participation and track member activity.

Role & Visibility: Admins can filter members by role (Resident, Security, Admin) or payment status, making it easier to manage responsibilities and identify overdue residents.

Quick Member Action: Each member row includes quick actions like Edit, View Details, Suspend, or Remove. This gives admins control without navigating away from the page.

Member Details: Clicking on a member opens a detailed side drawer showing profile information, contact details, apartment type, and payment history, all organized for clarity.

Status Indicator: Visual cues (e.g., green for paid, red for owing) immediately show who’s in good standing and who needs follow-up.

Centralized Overview of Overdue Payments: The first screen presents a clear, minimal view of all overdue payments, making it easy for admins to track estate-wide payment status.

Details for Each Bill Type: When an admin taps “View,” they’re taken to a detailed list of members who owe for that specific bill. Each row includes the member’s name, the due date, and quick access actions, creating a transparent record of unpaid obligations.

Confirmation for Reminders: A lightweight modal confirmation screen appears when sending reminders. This prevents accidental triggers and provides a sense of control and assurance for the admin.

Detailed Setup: Administrators can define the bill name, due date, and whether the bill is recurring. Flexible Pricing: Bill amounts can be configured to be the "Same amount for all buildings" or varied "By Building Type."

Confirmation & Review: A final review screen ensures all details are correct before a "Bill Created Successfully" confirmation is displayed.

Quick Financial Snapshot: The Quick Overview provides immediate views of both "Recent Settlements" and "Recent Payments."

Export Functionality: Both the Transactional and Settlement reports include an "Export" or "Download Report" option for external use.

Settlement Tracking: The Settlement Report displays the "Total Amount Settled," the "Next Settlement Date," and a history of all transfers.

Ledger Balance View: The Ledger Report tracks the "Pending Settlement" amount and provides a detailed breakdown of the amounts contributing to that ledger.

Member & Guest Verification Access: Security officers have dedicated access to verify the identity of estate members and guests.

Recent Activity Log: A timeline of "Recent Activities" tracks who has been recently verified, including members and guests.

Bill Status Check: The system verifies if members have paid all necessary bills before granting access.

Guest Pass Validation: Guest verification is based on validating a pre-existing "Guest Pass" created by a resident.

After completing the first design iteration, we conducted moderated usability testing with 12 participants (a mix of residents, estate admins, and security personnel) from different housing communities. The goal was to understand how easily users could navigate the app, complete core actions like paying bills, and manage estate activities without confusion.We structured the sessions around five key tasks:

1. A resident paying an electricity bill and setting up recurring payments.
2. An estate admin creating a new monthly bill.
3. A security officer validating a guest pass.
4. A super admin reviewing estates and approving new admins.
5. A resident requesting to join an estate through the app.

1. Information Hierarchy Mattered: Many users hesitated during the bill payment flow because the amount summary appeared below the payment options. We moved the summary higher up and added a confirmation step that improved clarity.
2. Security Role Clarity: Security users were initially unsure about how to verify guest passes. We added a clearer call-to-action—“Verify Guest”—and reduced the number of steps required.
3. Admin Overload: Estate admins felt overwhelmed by the number of settings during bill creation. We introduced tooltips, grouped related fields, and collapsed advanced options to reduce visual noise.
4. Positive Feedback on Flow: Across all roles, testers appreciated how the system reflected real estate hierarchies and transactions, saying it felt “easy to use” and “well thought-out.”

KoboSmart positioned itself as both a financial and community infrastructure tool. Early testing showed that admins spent 60% less time reconciling payments. Residents reported higher satisfaction due to timely reminders and transparent records. The system’s ledger and settlement modules built trust between estates and KoboSmart’s platform.

Designing KoboSmart was an exercise in translating human behavior into digital systems. It taught me how community habits shape product expectations. What began as a payment app grew into a social layer for how estates operate.