FinTech

UFinance: Empowering Students to Master Their Finances

uFinance is dedicated to transforming personal financial management by delivering an intuitive and empowering experience for students. The goal is to enhance user engagement, offer personalized financial insights, and help students build confidence around achieving their financial goals.

Project type

Product Design

Tools Used

Figma, FigJam, Adobe Photoshop

Team

5 students

Industry

FinTech

Role

UX Researcher and Designer

Timeline

3 months

The Problem: "Oops, where did all my money go?"

As a student balancing school, work, and personal life, managing money can feel overwhelming. Many students lose track of daily expenses and monthly budgets, leading to overspending and financial stress. Our challenge was clear: students needed a centralized, intuitive tool to track expenses, manage budgets, and build financial awareness—without adding complexity to their busy lives.

Our research revealed two common personas:

Gloria, a master’s student in NYC who needed a simple way to track spending and build habits.
Ashok, an MBA student in Ann Arbor who craved efficient, analytical tools to optimize savings and manage both physical and digital finances.

This balance between simplicity and sophistication became the core design challenge for UFinance.

The Design Process: From Discovery to High-Fidelity Prototype

1️⃣ Research & Discovery

We conducted user interviews and surveys to understand student pain points:

Disorganized expenses
Confusing budgeting tools
Lack of motivation for savings

We conducted user interviews and surveys to understand student pain points:

Disorganized expenses
Confusing budgeting tools
Lack of motivation for savings

2️⃣ Design Strategy

We translated insights into tangible product goals:

Simplified quick logging of expenses and income
Automated categorization and recurring payment tracking
Group expense management for housemates and friends
Clear savings goal tracking

We translated insights into tangible product goals:

Simplified quick logging of expenses and income
Automated categorization and recurring payment tracking
Group expense management for housemates and friends
Clear savings goal tracking

3️⃣ Iterative Prototyping & Testing

Our early usability tests highlighted friction points:

Users found “Inflow/Outflow” labels confusing → we switched to “Income/Expense”.

Our early usability tests highlighted friction points:

Users found “Inflow/Outflow” labels confusing → we switched to “Income/Expense”.

Low-fidelity graphs were overwhelming → we redesigned them for clarity and focus.

Users were disoriented by the transactions homepage → we introduced a dedicated Home screen summarizing key financial data.

Additionally, users wanted better savings tracking. We introduced:

Monthly income, savings targets, and category-specific budgets
Inputs for frequency of saving and per-contribution amounts

Additionally, users wanted better savings tracking. We introduced:

Monthly income, savings targets, and category-specific budgets
Inputs for frequency of saving and per-contribution amounts

Final Design Highlights

UFinance allows students to:

Log expenses and income effortlessly
Categorize spending
Manage shared group expenses
Track subscriptions and recurring payments
Set and visualize progress toward savings goals

UFinance allows students to:

Log expenses and income effortlessly
Categorize spending
Manage shared group expenses
Track subscriptions and recurring payments
Set and visualize progress toward savings goals

Impact and Reflection

UFinance empowers students to reduce financial stress and build healthy financial habits.
Our usability-focused iterations resulted in:

Improved task completion time during testing
Increased user satisfaction with the clarity and flow of the design

The design also incorporated safeguards against over-reliance or privacy violations, including robust data security measures and clear consent prompts.

This project strengthened my skills in human-centered design, rapid prototyping, usability testing, and iterative improvement. It also deepened my appreciation for balancing simplicity with powerful functionality.

UFinance empowers students to reduce financial stress and build healthy financial habits.
Our usability-focused iterations resulted in:

Improved task completion time during testing
Increased user satisfaction with the clarity and flow of the design

The design also incorporated safeguards against over-reliance or privacy violations, including robust data security measures and clear consent prompts.

Let's create impactful designs together!

If you're on the lookout for a dedicated and impassioned digital designer to breathe life into your vision, your search ends here. Let's unite to craft unforgettable experiences that resonate deeply, leaving an enduring mark.

hey@gmail.com↗

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