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Finance & Payments

Objective:
Allow anyone to shop, transfer money, and more without a debit or credit card or the need to visit a physical bank or store.
My Role:
UX Designer
Step 1

Step 1

  • Identify a problem:
    • Current personal finance or payment apps are too specialized. This means a user likely has to have multiple accounts / apps in order to simply exist.
  • Hypothesize a solution: 
    • Design an app built for simplicity yet robust enough to replace a User's bank and payment / finance apps. 
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Utilizing competitive analysis and interviewing users of extant payment apps i was able to identify a problem space within which to operate.

"What if the rest of personal finance was as simple as Venmo?"
 
"Currently i have my bank app, Venmo, Paypal, and Cashapp."

-User Interview

Step 2

  • Observe the target user:

    • Focussing in on the financial needs and motivations of the user through user interviews was crucial to rounding out the first goal of 'Understanding' the problem space.

    • After user interviews i was able to use an affinity map to match the nuggets of wisdom from users with different research goals.

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  • Findings:

    • ​What i found was not surprising. Finance is complicated. Users are trying their best to be financially responsible without spending every second on it.

    • Every user had multiple finance apps on their phone and considered this to be normal. this is where i know Puls3 could step in provide a simpler solution.

Step 3

  • Empathize through user personas and journey maps

    • Tommy is the primary persona and represents a modern millennial struggling to find financial security while also trying to enjoy life and have experiences worth posting about on instagram.

    • ​Lauren is our secondary user because she already has her finances on lockdown. Maybe she doesn't need as much help coordinating the various aspects of personal finance. ​​​

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Step 4

  • Ideate with our personas 

    • Now that we can picture Tommy and Lauren it's important to think about their ability to use their funds whenever and wherever, without needing multiple finance and payment apps. 

    • By forecasting the steps necessary to complete the core functions of the app we are able to identify potential pain points where we can preempt the discomfort of our users. 

    • The work done at this phase will become the basis for our wireframes and eventual prototypes. 

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Step 5

  • Wireframing allows for rapid iteration

    • Now that we have decided what the steps are for Tommy to be successful at paying for things online or in person, or sending money, its time to explore what those steps look like. 

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  • Process:

    • Using pencil and paper i explore multiple solutions to see what might best suit each sequence.

    • By starting with simple, rough designs, I can quickly test and iterate on ideas, ensuring that I am creating a product that meets the needs and goals of our friends Tommy and Lauren.

    • A lo-fi Figma prototype helps confirm usability without getting distracted by subsequent design steps.

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Step 6

  • Hi-fi prototyping & user testing

    • Getting the design to this stage of the process allowed me to continue testing the functionality with users to establish what was and wasn't working early on. 

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Here are some of the problems identified by users and my solutions. 

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Step 7

  • Establishing a design system & testing finished prototype

    • Here we consider the emotional and aesthetic parts of a user interface, in doing so establishing consistency across the app. At this phase of design i was able to take feedback from every fidelity and apply it to the function of the finished product. 

    • Overall these considerations promote reusable design elements that help ensure consistency and cohesiveness in the user interface of Puls3.

 

Browse the style guide below and find the Language System here.

Click To Explore Prototype

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Conclusion

Ultimately the real test for Puls3 is to attempt to cut down on the required number of accounts the average milennial uses to control their finances while increasing users' overall financial well-being.

 

I think the increased optics of having everything in one place will allow usesrs to keep a closer eye on their finances while simultaneously spending less time than ever shuffling between payment, finance, and bank apps.

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Opportunities

If successful at it's primary goal of "general simplification" of modern finance apps, Puls3 will be uniquely positioned to offer the secondary need identified by user interviews. This need is best described as "financial coaching." many users mentioned never having been taught anything about personal finance. Puls3 could offer a premium service with access to a "wealth coach."

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