Finance Wellness App
Designed a mobile app for a regional credit union to help members improve financial literacy and achieve their financial goals through an intuitive, user-centered experience.
“I like that it focuses on my potential instead of missed opportunities.”
Challenge
A regional credit union wanted to better support its members’ financial wellbeing but lacked a digital channel beyond basic banking. Many members—particularly younger users—struggled with budgeting and saving due to limited awareness of financial literacy resources.
The challenge was to design a mobile experience that teaches, motivates, and empowers members to manage their money confidently, without feeling judged or overwhelmed.
Goals
Increase member engagement with financial literacy tools.
Help users set and track personalized savings goals.
Integrate seamlessly with existing banking systems.
Convince C-Suite on the benefits of a modern, digital offering.
Constraints
C-Suite uncomfortable with taking risks on a new product.
Compliance with financial data security and accessibility standards.
Members’ comfort with technology varied widely, so the app needed to feel simple and intuitive across all literacy levels.
Research
To understand members’ needs, I led:
User interviews with 10 members across age and income groups.
Stakeholder interviews with 6 members from various segments of the client’s business.
Survey analysis from 50+ responses about financial confidence.
Competitive audit of 5 major wellness apps.
Key insights:
Many users felt anxious about finances and avoided detailed charts.
Members valued small, encouraging progress indicators over long-term projections.
Trust and clarity were critical—too much jargon caused drop-off.
Educational content performed best when tied to real-world goals
(e.g., “Save for a trip,” “Pay off a credit card”).
These insights shaped our design principle:
Financial confidence grows through clarity and encouragement, not guilt or shame.
Design Process
I began by mapping user journeys for common tasks like setting a savings goal and tracking daily spending. Early sketches focused on emotional tone—making the app feel friendly and achievable rather than transactional.
Through multiple iterations in Figma and user testing, I explored:
Modular home dashboard summarizing progress toward goals.
Gamified interface that celebrate milestones.
Community tab with opportunities to connect with other users as well as financial experts.
Weekly critiques with stakeholders ensured alignment with the credit union’s business needs.
95% success rate
during usability testing tasks
32% of members
joined the app and set a goal
68% increase
in engagement with financial-literacy content
Solution
The final app experience includes:
A personalized Goal Tracker where users set savings or debt-reduction goals.
Smart Insights surfacing relevant educational tips based on selected goals.
Gamified progress badges reinforcing motivation through small wins.
A lightweight design system for consistent UI across iOS and Android.
Visual design emphasized cool tones, rounded shapes, and clear typography, aligning with the brand’s friendly, trustworthy voice.
Reflection
This project deepened my understanding of how emotion, tone, and accessibility shape user trust—especially in financial experiences. Designing for both literacy and motivation required balancing empathy with simplicity.
If I were to revisit this project, I’d experiment with integrating AI-driven recommendations for personalized coaching and explore partnerships for third-party educational content.
Ultimately, this project reaffirmed that user-centered design isn’t just about usability—it’s about confidence, empowerment, and respect.
