BACKGROUND

Over the course of two sprints, my primary objective was to design a new section within our financial app that guided users through their educational journey.

From our research in the discovery phase, it was evident that many users felt unsure about where to start on their path to financial stability. With insights from our staff financial advisor, I created a journey that was interactive, educational, and easy to navigate.

PROBLEMS & HOW I SOLVED IT

Problem

Many users were overwhelmed and had no clear starting point when it came to managing their finances. This created a sense of stress and hesitation, preventing them from taking proactive steps toward financial freedom.

Solution

Develop an intuitive and user-friendly journey that instilled trust, reduced stress, and made the experience enjoyable.

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

To gain a deeper understanding of user needs, we conducted user surveys that highlighted the pain points in learning how to manage personal finances. In addition, we held interviews with financial advisors and budget experts to ensure that the goal structure we implemented was aligned with proven strategies for achieving financial freedom. These insights provided a foundation for crafting a journey that was both practical and inspiring.

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Our brainstorming sessions focused on developing a user journey tailored to different user segments based on their financial starting points. Inspired by the immersive nature of video games, particularly The Witcher, we incorporated gamification elements to make the journey more engaging and less stressful.

Research indicated that gamification led to higher user engagement and a positive user experience. Leveraging existing icons and brand colors from our design system allowed for efficient wireframing, enabling us to progress swiftly through the sprint.

testing & validation

A significant challenge during this sprint was defining the user journey itself. The first iteration relied heavily on whether users connected their bank accounts or provided detailed financial data, which limited our ability to accurately guide them.

Due to time and budget constraints, we couldn’t implement a more comprehensive assessment method in this release.

However, we adapted by providing optional starting points that users could select based on their comfort level.

The release of the educational journey feature led to a notable increase in user engagement. Early feedback showed that users appreciated the gamified approach, which made the experience feel more interactive and less daunting. Users reported feeling more confident and motivated to follow through with their financial plans.

CONCLUSION & REFLECTION

This project underscored the importance of conducting sufficient research to guide design without overextending timelines. Utilizing our existing design system facilitated an efficient release, allowing us to focus on user engagement and feature quality. Implementing gamification elements was a particularly rewarding aspect, as it transformed a potentially stressful process into an enjoyable one.

Overall, these sprints deepened my understanding of balancing thorough research with development constraints and highlighted the powerful role of gamification in enhancing user experiences.