# Zé Monteiro > Fintech Product designer ## Posts - [Killing the Excel monster: pattern-level payment rejection management](https://zemonteiro.com/rejection-management/): 30s TL;DR The brief was “make the legacy tool in‑house.” My research showed the real work was happening outside it: payment ops teams were managing payment rejections by relying on offline workarounds, with analysis and decisions happening outside the platform. From the UI-refresh request, I got buy-in for a workflow redesign. It brought analysis, bulk actions and the resolution archive into the platform, so teams could understand and resolve groups of rejections in one place. The result is a faster, safer workflow: fewer single-record clicks, no export round-trips, and a direct path from “there’s a problem” to “we’ve applied the right […] - [Atomic: Habit Tracker - Concept Prototype](https://zemonteiro.com/atomic/): Role: Product strategy, UX and UI design, rapid prototypingScope: Solo concept projectTimeline: 1 week 30s TL;DR I designed a concept for a habit tracker app inspired by Atomic Habits. Most trackers feel heavy or gamified, so my goal was to make something lighter and more motivating. The design highlights a gentle but intentional onboarding flow for good retention rates, small daily actions, celebrates consistency, and introduces a simple social layer for accountability. The prototype was built in Figma with Android in mind, using components that could grow into a system. Future iterations would include onboarding to help users clarify why they […] - [CHIMPAN zine: Online Presence & Strategy](https://zemonteiro.com/chimpan-zine-online-presence-strategy/): The zine’s reach needed a boost to make it a viable and self-sustaining project, as it required more funding from advertising backers. The wider the audience, the more people the zine and its contents could reach. This effort made the 2nd and 3rd issues possible, funding 100% of each issue’s increasing production costs. This project involved: The project did not have any online presence. As so, I created a website and developed the project’s social media presence – on Instagram. An anticipation model strategy was drawn, along with a storyline created – fused with the project’s personality. The process was to […] - [How many hats do you need to publish a CHIMPAN zine?](https://zemonteiro.com/chimpan-zine-2/): Friends back home kept asking the same questions: “Zé, you never post anything online. What have you been doing? How are we supposed to know?” Instead of a social media account, I decided to create something more personal, more tangible: a print magazine. That decision meant wearing my very first hat: self-publisher. One hat quickly became many What began as a personal experiment soon transformed into a full-scale creative project. CHIMPAN zine became a way to capture stories, share inspirations, collaborate with others, and build a community around creativity. Each stage of the project asked me to wear a different hat: […] - [Trading OMS: Designing a tool for day traders](https://zemonteiro.com/trading-oms/): This content is password-protected. To view it, please enter the password below. Password: - [Why Notion is my platform of choice](https://zemonteiro.com/why-notion-is-my-platform-of-choice/): It all follows the system of the second brain that Tiago Forte wrote about. Ideally, I’l like all my memories in a format that i can easily access. Random notes, books i have read (and ideallly have my own notes/comments on, doctors appoitments notes, shopping list, you name it…). I just want it there, ready to be pulled up and read again whenever i need it. So far, Notion is housing all this. Of course, this raises a few concerns: First of all, all these concerns are valid, and i don’t have good explanantions for everything. Memory-wise, ideally, i’m dumping information […] - [ModuLine: an illustration system](https://zemonteiro.com/moduline-illustration-system/): A modular and geometric mix-and-match illustration system, built for speedy applications and effortless customisation. - [CHIMPAN zine](https://zemonteiro.com/chimpan-zine/): Friends back home kept asking “Zé, you never post anything online. What have you been doing? How are we supposed to know?” - [Why did I start publishing CHIMPAN zine?](https://zemonteiro.com/why-did-i-start-publishing-chimpan-zine/): At the time, I’d been in London for one year and a half years, and my friends back home were constantly asking me what was I doing. - [What is Screen Printing? And why should you get on board with it](https://zemonteiro.com/what-is-screen-printing/): Most visual creatives thrive for immediate results in their work. You work on what you see and you see what you are working on. It is not about speed, it’s about the constant sensorial stimulus of a project and the effort that is behind it all. When talking to several artists, the most common answer to “why do you enjoy screen printing?” is that they feel like they can produce something themselves. It’s all about taking matters into your own hands. Isn’t that the pure essence of freelancing?   Screen what? You might have heard of “Screen printing” or “Silkscreen printing”, […] ## Pages - [Design consultancy](https://zemonteiro.com/design-consultancy/): Sharp design direction for ambitious ideas I help founders, teams, and creators turn complex ideas into sharp, functional visual systems. Fast, direct, and outcome-driven. The first step is alwaysa 60-minute diagnostic Great design decisions start with clear alignment. Before jumping into execution or long-term commitments, we sit down for an initial strategy session. We will audit your current design setup, map out priorities, and decide the exact model of engagement that fits your goals, whether that is high-level guidance, full project execution, or an ongoing partnership. How we can work together Advisory & Audits Focused strategy, UI/UX audits, and visual direction. […] - [Case studies](https://zemonteiro.com/case-studies/): Below is a selection of case studies, whether corporate or personal projects. Some details have been omitted or anonymised due to NDAs. ✉️ Please get in touch for my availability and/or portfolio. Societe Generale CIB Trading OMS: Designing a tool for day traders Designing an internal Trading Order Management System to replace an oversized tool, simplify trader workflows across regions, and create a scalable foundation for future phases. X Societe Generale CIB Killing the Excel monster: Faster and safer in-platform payment rejection management The legacy tool forced teams to manage payment rejections case by case and in Excel. We rebuilt it […] - [Maintenance Page](https://zemonteiro.com/maintenance-page/) - [Home page](https://zemonteiro.com/): End-to-end fintech product designer, maker and storyteller. I enjoy making stuff work, exploring the whys and why-nots, and I love a good story. Main projects Some of the projects I’ve worked on over the years Societe Generale CIB Currently an end-to-end Product Designer at SGCIB, optimising user experiences for financial products and collaborating with amazing people. Some select projects: CHIMPAN zine I self-published, edited, designed, screen-printed and sold a series of CHIMPAN publications. The magazine features what I’ve been up to and who I’ve been meeting with, along with their projects and ideas. Mintel On a daily basis, I translated complex […] - [Blog](https://zemonteiro.com/blog/) - [Design Portfolio](https://zemonteiro.com/design-portfolio/):  Description: Here you can see select projects in the following design fields: Art Direction; Editorial Design; Branding & Strategy; Illustration; Information Design. Have you seen something you’d like to have a chat about? Please drop me a line at zemonteiro@gmail.com - [Terms & Conditions](https://zemonteiro.com/terms-and-conditions/) - [About me](https://zemonteiro.com/about/): Hi, I’m Zé!I live somewhere between fintech product design, travel journaling, magazines and illustrations. Always curious, always learning. 💻Fintech Product DesignI’m currently an end-to-end Product Designer at Societe Generale optimising user experiences for financial products and collaborating with amazing people. I’m experienced in leading product strategies and create intuitive interfaces. I’m also skilled in: 📖Journals and magazinesDocumenting travels and publishing small print publications. I’m working on a Japan travel journal now. ✉️ Up for a chat? Feel free to leave me a message line at zemonteiro@gmail.com ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/zemonteiro.com/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)