Lapse
A calm subscription tracker that shows every renewal before it hits your card.
Role
Product Designer
Scope
Product strategy · iOS app · Design system · Light and dark
Problem
People forget what they pay for until the bank statement.
Lapse is a concept for a subscription tracker that answers one question: what is about to charge me? I started from an earlier version that worked but read like an AI report, full of scores and suggestions. I rebuilt it around a renewal calendar, real brand marks and one number per screen, then designed the flows, the system and both themes in Figma.
THE CHALLENGE
Bank apps list every charge but never group them, so a $15.99 renewal looks like a coffee. People find a forgotten service months later, after paying for it the whole time.
Most trackers answer with dashboards, scores and AI tips. They look smart but ask the user to read before they can act, so the app gets opened once and forgotten too.
THE IDEA
I designed Lapse around three rules:
Calendar first
Numbers, not advice
The user decides
Renewals are a time problem, so home is a month view where each charge shows up as its brand. Every screen leads with one plain number instead of a score or a tip. Lapse shows what changed and what it costs, then the user chooses to keep, cancel or snooze.
USER FLOW
From first launch to a cancelled subscription. Onboarding reaches a real calendar in under a minute, every path starts from that calendar, and the user always makes the final call.
Anatomy of the calendar. A renewal is the brand, not a dot. Past charges fade back, today is always findable, and a +2 badge covers days with more than one renewal. One quiet entry point leads to review.
DESIGNING FOR
People who pay for more services than they can name, and only notice them on the bank statement.
Lapse is for people with ten or more subscriptions. They don't want a budgeting app. They want to know what renews next, what got more expensive, and how to leave without a phone call.
Nina Park, 29
Product marketer · 14 subscriptions · Austin
“I don't mind paying. I mind paying for things I forgot I had.”
What she needs
See what renews this week
Know when a price quietly goes up
Cancel without a phone call
No charges after a forgotten free trial
VISUAL SYSTEM
Quiet surfaces. The brands bring the color.
Lapse uses one variable collection with a Dark and a Light mode. The interface stays neutral: near-black or warm paper surfaces, three text levels and a single orange for actions and money that needs attention. Real brand marks are the only other color, so a renewal is recognised before it is read.
Lapse Orange
Hex: #FF6842
Ink
Hex: #0C0C0D
Secondary
Hex: #A3A3A8
Positive
Hex: #7EE2A8
Paper
Hex: #F5F4F0
TYPEFACE
Main typeface · Inter
$96.40 a month. Netflix renews Nov 3.
SCREENS
OUTCOME
Lapse is a concept, not a shipped product. What it shows is the method: I rebuilt a crowded first version from user needs, kept the numbers consistent across every screen, and designed both themes from one variable collection. Brand logos are used for illustration only; Lapse is not affiliated with any of these companies.