Saving money and planning out a budget is one thing but actually sticking to it for the long haul is another. There are many ways and different products out there to help someone save money by budgeting. Each product or app seems to have a different perspective on the “best” way to budget. All of them have one thing in common, they are very easy to be forgotten overtime and maybe not so easy to stick with.
Balance Money is based on 2 key concepts;
Roles
As a Lead Designer & Co-Founder, I assumed the following roles:
Deliverables
Product Design:
Marketing:
Honourable Mention:
Tools
Creative:
Product:
With inflation on the rise and things costing more and more each day it is no secret that saving money is difficult. Statistically speaking, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Subscriptions are everywhere now and it is easy to get caught up in having too many monthly payments when our income isn’t quite there to match.
Making matters worse, banks seem to be out to get us too with fees and apps that have been the same since the birth of online banking. Banks are in the business of making money off of people not helping them budget and save. The more you spend on that ol’ credit card of yours the better it is for them. Banks and credit card companies love those fees and interest!
Initial research started as competitor analysis.
Before we had a working product or prototype, we interviewed and talked to many people using similar apps that are trying to solve the budgeting problem. We were able to identify many pain points people have and in many ways validate that what we were working on is an important problem to solve for so many.
We also used the jobs to be done framework to empathize with our customer and understand what their end goal would be if they were to used a tool to help them with their money.
My team and I worked off of our consistent user interviews to continue filling our roadmap and backlog with jobs and tasks to work on.
Through our research, we identified several key insights.
First, we learned that users were looking for a platform that could help them set and achieve financial goals.
Second, we found that many users were overwhelmed by the complexity of personal finance and were looking for a simple and intuitive platform to help them manage their finances.
Finally, we discovered that users valued security and privacy when it came to financial information.
Eliza
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Its time to gather what data we have collected and put pen to paper (so to speak.) Although I did not keep alot of the initial wireframes I drew out on paper, our team ideation process consisted of constant white-boarding and brainstorming.
Armed with our research insights, we began the ideation process. We held brainstorming sessions with the product team, designers, and developers to generate ideas and identify potential solutions. We used design thinking methodologies to prioritize ideas and created prototypes to test with users.
One of the key ideas that emerged from the ideation process was the concept of goal-setting.
We recognized that users were looking for a platform that could help them set and achieve financial goals, so we made this a central feature of the platform.
We also focused on creating a simple and intuitive user experience, with a clean and minimalist design that made it easy for users to navigate the platform.
With our ideas in place, we began the design process. I worked closely with the product team to ensure that the design aligned with the overall product vision and user needs. We created wireframes and mockups to test with users and iterated on the design based on feedback.
One of the key design decisions we made was to focus on creating a visual language that was both aesthetically pleasing and user-centered. We used a simple and clean design aesthetic, with a color palette that was calming and inviting. We also made sure to incorporate clear and simple language throughout the platform, making it easy for users to understand and use.
Lo-fi mockups
The design process for Balance Money was a collaborative effort, with input from stakeholders across the organization. By focusing heavily on user research, ideation, and design, we were able to create a platform that was both aesthetically pleasing and user-centered. Our emphasis on user testing allowed us to create a platform that resonated with users and helped them achieve their financial goals. Overall, the design of Balance Money played a critical role in the success of the app, creating a platform that was effective, intuitive, and visually appealing
