Google UX design certificate project #2
Financial management responsive design
Project overview
Develop user-friendly financial tool for tracking expenses, budgets, investments, and, goals. Enhance financial management for personal and business use.
Date
Role
UX/UI + Reacher + Visual + Branding
February 2023 - March 2023
Tools
Figma + XD
The problem
The lack of financial literacy among young adults is a growing concern, with many entering adulthood without the skills to manage their finances effectively. This can lead to debt, poor credit, and financial insecurity. It is crucial to address this issue and provide accessible resources to improve financial literacy among young adults, empowering them to make informed financial decisions and achieve financial stability.
The goal
Designing a responsive product and responsive website to improving financial literacy and help solve the problem of young adults' lack of financial knowledge. This product could provide accessible and interactive resources, such as educational content and tools for budgeting and investing. By leveraging the convenience and accessibility of mobile technology, this solution could empower young adults to develop essential financial skills and achieve greater financial security.
Understanding the user
User research
Personas
Problem statements
Competitive audit
User research: summary
To understand the needs of the users I'm designing for, I conducted interviews and created empathy maps. Through this research, a primary user group emerged: working adults who are seeking to improve their financial management skills. These users expressed a need for a solution that can help them track expenses, manage budgets, and make informed financial decisions. By leveraging these insights, I aim to design a user-friendly financial management tool that meets the unique needs of this user group.
User research: pain points
Uncertainty
Young adults may feel uncertain about investing due to a lack of knowledge about financial markets, risks involved, and future economic conditions.
Accessibility
Limited access to investment opportunities, complex financial terminology, and high initial investment requirements can deter young adults from investing their money.
Priorities
Young adults may prioritize immediate financial needs and goals, such as paying off debt, saving for emergencies, or covering daily expenses, over long-term investment planning.
Persona: Limbani
Problem statement:
Limbani, an emergency room nurse in Sleepy Hollow, IL, has limited time and energy to learn about financial literacy due to working three 12-hour shifts per week. This poses a challenge for Limbani and his wife, who are planning to buy a house and raise a family. Without sufficient financial knowledge, they may struggle to make informed decisions and achieve their goals.
Persona: Lori
Problem statement:
Lori, a new high school graduate who is about to start college, lacks knowledge about the basics of personal finance. Lori needs a resource that can help her understand how to make a budget, invest in stocks, and save for retirement. Without this knowledge, Lori may struggle to manage her finances effectively and prepare for her financial future.
Competitive audit
Mint is a free personal finance management tool that allows users to link their bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts. It provides users with an overview of their financial health, including budget tracking, bill reminders, and investment tracking.
Personal Capital is a free financial management tool that offers budget tracking, investment management, retirement planning, and other financial planning services. It also provides users with access to a team of financial advisors.
Overall, these financial management tools offer a range of features, including budget tracking, investment management, and retirement planning.
Starting the design
Paper wireframes
Digital wireframes
Low-fidelity prototype
Usability studies
Paper wireframes: Ideation
I conducted a quick ideation exercise to address gaps identified in the competitive audit. My primary focus was on easy-to-use features for budget tracking, expense tracking, investment management, and financial goal setting to help users achieve financial stability and success.
Low-fidelity prototype
The low-fidelity prototype enabled users to manage finances and pay bills while having control over their financial information and payment methods. It also addressed privacy and security concerns with secure login and authentication features.
Digital wireframes
Main navigation
The shift from paper to digital wireframes allowed for a clear understanding of how the redesign could improve the user experience by addressing pain points. As part of my strategy, I prioritized the placement of useful buttons and visual elements on the homepage to enhance the user experience.
Compiled the most important financial tools into a single, easily accessible location and have also translated the look and feel of these tools into the responsive web design. 
Refining the design
Mockups
High-fidelity prototype
Accessibility
Mockups
The participants found the app to be generally easy to navigate but suggested improvements to enhance the user experience, such as the need for a clearly defined information hierarchy.
Before
After
Mockups
Based on the feedback from the participants, mini graphs were added for each stock/crypto, clear back buttons were added on all pages, the difference between Net Worth and Cash Flow was indicated through color coding, and the issue of having to double click to go from Spending to Investment was fixed. The results of this usability study will be used to improve the app and provide a better user experience.
Before
After
Mockups: mobile
High-fidelity prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presented a cleaner user flows and compiled the most important financial tools into a single, easily accessible location.
Accessibility Considerations
Simplify
Used easy to understand icons and graphs to help the user navigation experience easier.
Streamline
Focused on an intuitive and user-friendly design to ensure the users could benefit from the APP without feeling overwhelmed.
Responsive design
Information architecture
Responsive design
Sitemap
Difficulty with website navigation was a primary pain point for users, so I used that knowledge to create a sitemap.
My goal here was to make strategic information architecture decisions that would improve overall website navigation. The structure I chose was designed to make things simple and easy
Responsive designs
The final responsive high-fidelity prototype presented a cleaner user flows and compiled the most important financial tools into a single, easily accessible location.
Going forward
Takeaways
Next steps
Takeaways
Impact
Simplified budget tracking features
Streamlined expense tracking capabilities
Comprehensive investment management tools and customizable financial goal setting options
What I learend
Iterative design based on usability studies and user feedback
Focus on user-friendliness and meeting user needs
Enhanced user experience and prototype development through iterative refinement
Next steps
Conduct another round of usability studies to check whether the pain points users experienced have been addressed.
Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need.
Lets connect!
Thank you for your time reviewing my work on the Arkad financial management responsive app! If you’d like to
see more or get in touch, my contact information is provided below.