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timeline

January - May 2024

my role

Solo student project for Springboard UX Bootcamp

CONCEPT

Level-up your home!

WealthScape is a fun and exciting budgeting app that allows users to level-up their virtual home by completing challenges and reaching financial goals. I utilized a gamified approach to keep users engaged and motivate them to stay on top of their money. Start saving and watch your home grow!

PROBLEM

Early-career professionals struggle staying motivated to effectively manage their budgets - hindering them from reaching their financial goals.

Despite the availability of current financial tools, early-career professionals face persistent hurdles staying motivated to consistently monitor their spending. This lack of motivation significantly impedes their ability to reach their money goals - such as saving for emergencies, paying off debt, or investing for the future.

SOLUTION

An exciting and unconventional budgeting experience will empower users to take control of their finances through...

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virtual home upgrades 

  • Level-up your home by staying on top of your budget.

  • The more you save, the more upgrades you earn for your home!

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personalized financial goals 

  • WealthScape creates an AI generated image of an exclusive home upgrade related to your financial goals just for you!

  • Each goal is broken down into weekly increments for a more manageable target to reach.

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fun educational challenges 

  • Educational challenges help people develop positive financial habits​.

  • Each challenge unlocks a new home upgrade to level up your financial journey

  • The more challenges completed the more you can unlock for your home!

WHITE PAPER RESEARCH

Early-career professionals are spending significantly more than any other age group

A survey conducted by Princeton University revealed that young professionals ages 22-37 are spending significantly more than their elders in four of the six categories examined in the survey. Some of the categories include groceries, gas, eating out to restaurants and cell phone bills.

(Princeton Research Associates 2022) Young Professionals’ Choices in Day-to-Day Spending Can Impact Financial Future

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COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Competitors were not engaging enough

Most budgeting apps on the market lack simplicity and fail to keep users engaged. An influx of information clutters the user interface leaving users feeling overwhelmed. 

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GoodBudget

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Mint Mobile

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YNAB

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NerdWallet

USER INTERVIEWS

Interviewees expressed feelings of frustration with current budgeting tools

After conducting interviews with 5 working professionals new to the workforce, I found that most of them have not had a seamless experience with budgeting. 

"Sometimes I find it hard to stay consistent with my budget... it feels like a chore."

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Record ideas

Group similarities

Define themes

INSIGHTS

Research shows 3 significant themes of visualization, motivation, & education

After synthesizing my data, I recognized 3 major patterns:

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Visualization

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Motivation

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Education

THEME 1

Visualization

Pain point  1

People have trouble visualizing their financial standing​

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Insight   

Simple visual representations make it easy to understand spending habits

How might we help people visualize their financial standing at just a glance?

Home screen design quickly indicates where you are financially. Green UI indicates good financial standing while orange indicates you are behind on your budget.

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THEME 2

Motivation

Pain point  2

People lose motivation trying to consistently track their budgets

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Insight   

Providing an incentive for saving money will keep people continuously engaged

How might we motivate people to consistently track their finances? 

WealthScape creates an AI generated image of an exclusive virtual home upgrade related to your goals! Each goal card contains key elements designed to keep users motivated.

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THEME 3

Education

Pain point  3

People lack awareness of how much they actually spend

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Insight   

Providing fun challenges can teach people positive financial habits

How might we educate people on basic finance principles?

Challenges provide a fun and engaging way for young professionals to learn basic finance principles and develop positive money habits!

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RED ROUTES

Exploring the goal-setting feature

An important red-route in my design is the Goal-setting feature where users are able to set financial goals for themselves and track their progress along the way.

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ITERATIONS

3 major improvements to my design

Based on feedback from my usability testing,  I made several iterations throughout the design process with 3 major improvements.

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Addition of challenges & levels

Home screen redesign includes an emphasis on challenges to encourage users to participate in positive financial practices.

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Main visual on home screen is enlarged to immerse users into the app

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AI generated goals feature

WealthScape uses AI to generate an exclusive image of your goal based on key words and input.

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What better way to keep you motivated than earning an exclusive upgrade of your home catered to your financial goals!

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Informative goal cards

After conducting a usability test with 5 different participants I found the goal cards were not informative enough to help its users.

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A complete redesign of my initial goal cards immerses the users with enlarged progress bars, weekly milestones, visual incentives, and encouraging messages.

COMPLETION

Final Screens

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STYLE GUIDE

Green UI for growth & prosperity

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Link to full figma file here

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REFLECTION

Things I would do differently next time...

Throughout this process, I've learned a lot about empathizing, researching, and prototyping. Looking back, there are a few things I would do differently to make my project more successful.

  1. Frequent User Testing: Implement regular user testing throughout the development process to gather continuous feedback and make iterative improvements. Conduct more comprehensive initial research to understand the specific needs and pain points of young professionals even better.

  2. Additional Iterations & Wireframing: I would incorporate more frequent and detailed iterative testing cycles. By testing early and often, I can identify and address issues before they become larger problems. Additionally, I would create more detailed wireframes, including low-fidelity sketches and high-fidelity prototypes, to better visualize and refine the user interface and experience before development begins.

  3. Comprehensive Data Collection: Gather a wider range of data points and user feedback to create a more comprehensive affinity diagram. This would provide deeper insights into user needs and behaviors.

  4. Early Integration of Accessibility Standards: I would integrate accessibility standards and best practices from the very beginning of the design process. This includes adhering to guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that the app is accessible to users with disabilities. Embrace inclusive design principles to create an app that is usable by people of diverse abilities.

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