EconoMe
BUDGETING APP FOR STUDENTS
Client: EconoMe | Timeframe: 4 weeks | UX/UI
EconoMe:
A Financial Literacy & Budgeting App
Empowering students and young professionals to take control of their finances through intuitive design.
Project Overview
Client Goal
EconoMe was developed for a client launching a new financial literacy and budgeting app aimed at helping students and young professionals manage their finances effectively. Over four weeks, I worked on designing a seamless user experience, from research and wireframing to prototyping and usability testing.
The Problem
College students and early-career professionals struggle with financial literacy due to:
A lack of accessible education on saving, budgeting, and spending.
High debt levels from student loans and credit cards.
Impulse spending leading to poor financial habits.
Mental health struggles caused by financial stress.
There was a critical need for an engaging, user-friendly, and intuitive financial tool that would help users gain financial control without overwhelming them.
The Solution
EconoMe is a financial planning app designed to:
✔ Encourage financial stability through goal setting and habit tracking.
✔ Provide real-time budget insights via a personalized dashboard.
✔ Offer financial education with interactive guides and recommendations.
✔ Minimize impulse spending through spending alerts and smart budgeting.
Research & Design Process
TOOLS USED: INDESIGN, FIGMA, ILLUSTRATOR
1. User Research & Discovery
To define the app’s core functionality, I conducted:
Surveys & Interviews with students and recent graduates to understand financial pain points.
Competitive Analysis of budgeting apps like Mint, YNAB, and PocketGuard to identify gaps in the market.
Key Findings:
80% of students find traditional budgeting apps overwhelming.
65% don’t track daily spending and only check finances when “things feel off.”
Users wanted a simple, visual-based system rather than complex number-heavy tracking.
2. Ideation & Information Architecture
Brainwriting & Idea Prioritization:
Defined must-have vs. nice-to-have features based on user feedback.
Prioritized automation & smart alerts to reduce manual effort.
Effort-Impact Matrix:
Focused on quick-win features such as savings goals and spending caps.
Information Architecture & User Flows:
Structured the app into four key sections: Dashboard, Transactions, Financial Education, and Offers.
3. Wireframing & Prototyping
Using card sorting & usability testing, I designed wireframes focusing on:
Minimalist navigation to avoid cognitive overload.
Colour-coded spending categories for easy tracking.
Real-time visual spending insights instead of number-heavy reports.
4. Prototyping & Iteration:
Created low-fidelity sketches to test core interactions.
Developed high-fidelity Figma prototypes incorporating user feedback.
Conducted A/B testing on UI components (dark vs. light mode preference, chart styles, etc.)
5. UI Design & Branding
Color Palette & Typography:
Used calm, trust-inspiring colors (deep blue, mint green) for financial confidence.
Typography emphasized clarity and readability (Sans-serif fonts).
Design System:
Developed a reusable UI component library (buttons, icons, modals, data visualizations).
Ensured accessibility compliance (WCAG standards) for readability.
5. Prototype & Demo
Figma Interactive Prototype
High-Fidelity Mockups
Results & Impact
User Testing & Iterations Led to a 40% Faster Task Completion Rate
Reduced friction by simplifying budgeting interactions.
Users could set a budget in under 1 minute, improving engagement.
90% of Test Users Found the App Intuitive &
Easy to Navigate
Increased Financial Awareness Among Users
70% of test participants reported feeling more confident about budgeting after using EconoMe.
Final Thoughts
EconoMe was more than just a design project—it was about empowering young professionals with the tools they need to achieve financial independence with confidence. This project reinforced my belief in human-centred design, proving that simple, intuitive solutions can make a profound impact.