
Finance Made Easy. From Research Insights To Elegant UI
A native mobile app to make finding financial advice easy and accessible for millennials. This project was part of my CareerFoundry boot camp and helped develop my UX/UI and Researcher skills.
Role:
My Team:
Stakeholder
Project Scale:
Tools used:
Product Designer - research | design | copywriting
Just me!
SET (CareerFoundry)
January 2022 - July 2022
Figma, Miro, Optimal Sort, Lucid chart, Loom, UsabilityHub, Zoom

The Backstory
As part of the CareerFoundry bootcamp I was tasked with researching and designing an app that enabled anyone, anywhere to instantly chat with an expert.
The app would be free to use, but would require payment for any video calls done over the platform. This was a very vague brief but allowed me the chance to focus on trying to fix a problem myself and many of my friends struggled with...
Financial
Frustration!
Millennials (like myself and my friends) frequently become frustrated when trying to get financial advice on topics ranging from mortgages to investing to retirement.
3 key issues are...
quality & quantity
They’re overloaded with non-specific, non-verified information from social media, online articles and friends and family.
73% of adults aged 18 - 30 turn to family and friends for financial advice while 30% get advice from Reddit, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
[1]
Accessibility
They’re not wealthy enough for financial advisors to want to work with them, meaning they simply can’t access the quality advice they need.
In 2017 a study by Schroders, an asset management company, found that 50% of IFS’s (Independent financial advisors) turned away clients with less than £50,000 to invest.
Human Touch
They’re the focus of ‘Robo-Advisors’ which lack the 'human touch'. Something that millennials still desire when discussing financial matters.
A study conducted in 2019 by Legg Mason found that 61% of 18-24s and 69% of 25-34s said the human touch can never be replaced by a machine.
Problem
Statement
A Millennial looking for financial advice needs a way to speak with a certified financial expert, in an affordable and personable way, because they need specific advice about investing their money, and find forums and blogs confusing and unhelpful.
We will know this to be true when we see users connecting with experts and following the given financial advice. This will be measured via user reviews and feedback.
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SWOT Analysis
I conducted a SWOT analysis of the largest and closest competitor currently on the market, Unbiased and Vouchedfor. The full analysis can be viewed here and the analysis for Unbiased detailed below.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

Generating
Ideas...
Consolidating all the strengths and opportunities I’d uncovered during the analysis I was able to compile a list of ideas for SET


video/voice calling/messaging tool
Blog articles written by highest rated Advisors
Video focused content
Searchable database of advisors
Geographical search of advisors
Expertise search of advisors
Response speed search of advisors
User profile/account
Tailored content for users needs
Verified user reviews
Verified advisors
In app booking tool
Payment option - fees or subscription
Flexible booking platform
Advisor profiles - fees, experience & rev
Favourite (articles, advisors)
Upload documents tool
App suggests, users chooses
User Survey
I conducted a user survey to try to answer these research goals:
1) Learn more about the demographic of people who will, or already do seek paid financial advice, and hence fine tune my target audience
2) Better understand the user's mindset towards seeking financial advice
3) Learn more about the user's habits regarding technology and feelings about combining technology and finance
28 Participants
February 2022
Google Forms



Initial problem
statement verifified

Potential issue for the project. Use interviews to dig deeper.
User Interviews
With 4 potential users were conducted to delve deeper into the problem space, in particular the red flag insights uncovered from the survey. The following research goals were set:
1) Gain a deeper understanding of how much the target audience know about financial advice and how accessible they think it is for their demographic.
2) Learn about experiences users had accessing expert advice, financial or otherwise. What barriers they faced, what frustrations they experienced and what was positive?
3) Learn about users experiences with financial apps and websites, or lack of and why. Learn about users experiences booking appointments and video calling via apps and websites.
4) Consumer habits when it comes to purchasing products and services. How relevant are reviews and what factors are important to them.
“ Too many people pay for 5 star reviews. I like to read the one star reviews! "
Gender
Age
Lives
Profession
Interview
Male
31
London
IT project lead
Face to face
“ I don't know much about financial advice because I haven't ever had much of a need for it "
Gender
Age
Lives
Profession
Interview
Female
31
Greater Manchester
Teacher
Phone call
“" We probably wouldn't look outside our city for an expert. Our lives are concentrated in this city “
Gender
Age
Lives
Profession
Interview
Female
36
Newcastle
Policy officer
Video call
“I used an app to find a mortgage broker and ended up about 10 calling me which was annoying"
Gender
Age
Lives
Profession
Interview
Male
29
Manchester
Train Engineer
Video call
The interview data was organised and analysed using affinity mapping in order to identify trends and patterns. I started by grouping my data with a focus on users general behaviours, feelings, needs and goals.
Likes

Attitudes/Feelings


Behaviour
Frustrations/Dislikes


Needs/Goals
I then compiled a list of key insights/user issues uncovered and generated a list of potential solutions
Insights Uncovered | Proposed Solutions |
The majority of users favoured face to face or video calls as these established trust, however those that didn't like meeting face to face felt very strongly about it and preferred phone calls | A range of communication options are needed, not just video calling |
Speed of communication and keeping user in the loop are important. | Include a tracking/notification function to track status of their enquiry |
Price not such a driving factor if robust solutions or value added can be demonstrated | Free short consultation or appointment - Try before you buy |
Users wouldn't pay for the most expensive or the cheapest expert | Offering a fixed price across all experts could solve this problem |
Users that live rural or in small cities prefer to keep things local | Include an option to filter advisors geographically |
The functions users like in zoom aren't needed for 1-1 meetings | Functionality of the video calling feature should be kept simple |
There's a nervousness and lack of clarity around 'Robo-Advisors', users fear they're making financial advice TOO accessible but it's non-specific and could create worse financial problems | Providing simple yet informative, free information users can educate themselves on topics and risks before speaking with an Advisor |
Users favour referrals and recommendations over customer reviews | Include a referral/recommendation feature |
Users prefer to pay a fixed fee and subscription services cause friction | A clear payment structure is important |
User
Personas
From the affinity mapping I was able to identify certain characteristics and traits within the groupings, which enabled me to create my personas.
The key insights from the affinity mapping became Dan and Liv's goals and needs.
Dan
Primary persona
Liv
Secondary persona

32
London
Recruiter
Dan
The busy city slicker
Dan moved to London from Auckland 4 years ago, works as a Recruiter. He earns a good salary and has until recently stuck to the mantra of 'living in the moment', spending his money on experiences and having a good time rather than saving.
Time is money, and Dan hates waiting and being strung along, which happens all too often as a Recruiter! His work days are varied, but always include a lot of talking to clients and candidates, either in person, via video calls or on the phone, which is a great as Dan's an extrovert and loves people and social situations.
Dan's moving back to New Zealand next year and needs financial advice across a range of topics including investing, saving and pensions. His friends and family can't recommend anyone, so he's turning to technology to find the help he needs.
A way to see the proposed solution before paying
Easy and quick to navigate app that requires minimal information to book an appointment
To communicate face to face to establish trust
To be able to view an Advisors credentials and experience
Appointment reminders and to be kept in the loop
Short term financial help
Gym
Commuting by bus
Business Meetings
Phone calls
Browsing LinkedIn
Socialising after work
Every day activities
Needs and Likes
A bit about Dan...
Wants to understand about moving pensions from the UK to New Zealand
Wants a financial plan that helps him save yet enables him to still have fun in London and Europe
Wants to invest and grow his savings so when he moves back to New Zealand he can put down a deposit on a house
Websites that allow companies to pay for 5 star reviews
Apps and websites that sneakily sign you up to a subscription and make it hard to cancel
Robo-Advisor apps making it easy to invest, but taking away the need for any kind of knowledge, resulting in people making quick and uneducated decisions
When experts are slow and don't keep him in the loop
Goals & Motivations
Frustrations
Most commonly used social media apps
"I want to start saving and investing, so when I move back to New Zealand I have enough to put a deposit down on a house"
"If an app isn't easy and quick to use I'll find a competitor one that is"
Desktop
Mobile
Social Media
Tech know how
#aussieinlondon
#cityslicker
#workhardplayhard
#extrovert
#alwaysonthego
#chatty
#loosesinterestfast
#impatient
#spontaneous
#distrusting


Liv
The multi-tasking mum
37
St Ives, Cornwall
Mum & part time Copywriter
Liv lives in Cornwall with her husband, 2 kids and their pet dog Lola. They own their 3 bedroom house through a mortgage and have a joint income of £55,000 per year.
Liv is sensible, methodical and likes to know all the facts before making a decision. She's big on saving, reducing household waste and is active in the local community. She has a fear of phones and isn't a fan of social media, so catching up with people in person is her favourite way to connect- like they did in the old days!
She uses a banking app regularly and MoneySuperMarket.com is her first stop when she has a financial question. She's previously used a Financial Advisor that was recommended to her by a friend, but he has recently retired.
Experts to be vetted and regularly audited
Quantity of quality reviews
To be in control and make the final decision
Transparency, accuracy and clarity
Long term financial help
6am yoga/'me time'
Looking after the kids
Household chores and admin
Copywriting 3 hours a day
Volunteering
Every day activities
Needs and Likes
A bit about Liv...
Will be remortgaging soon and wants to find the best deal possible
Relationship and community focused. Likes to support local businesses
Previous Financial Advisor has retired so she needs a new one
Phone calls
When products/services are advertised but aren't actually available
When you think you've booked an appointment but don't receive a confirmation
Lack of quality control/auditing of products & services
Goals & Motivations
Frustrations
"Relationships are important and having a personal relationship with your Financial Advisor makes a big difference"
"It's my job to make sure everything is accurate and clear. I want the same from my Financial Advisor"
Desktop
Mobile
Social Media
Tech know how
#mumlife
#jugglingact
#communityfocused
#factchecker
#methodical
#oldfashioned
#fearofphones
#calm
#relationships
#assertive
Most commonly used social media apps
User
Journeys
I was able to envision how Dan and Liv would use 'SET' for certain scenarios, and what feelings and emotions they would encounter when carrying out tasks.
These tasks were tracked with user journey maps, and enabled me to see new frustrations and pain points I hadn't previously thought of, which created new opportunities that would eliminate or reduce these frustrations.

Needs and Goals
Scenario
Minimal information needed to book an appointment
Appointment reminders and to be kept in the loop
A way to see the solution before paying
A quick answer
Dan is moving back to New Zealand next month and wants to understand if he can transfer his pension from the UK, and if so how to do it. He's found an Advisor on SET that based on a user review looks like they've assisted with this before, but he's not 100% sure. He wants to book a call asap, but also ensure they're able to help. He doesn't like wasting his time and likes to see the proposed solution before paying money.
Phase
Task
Thoughts
Feelings
Check the Advisors availability
Book and pay for a call
Confirmation and reminder
I like apps that don't collect too much information straight away, not because of privacy but purely effort.
I like to see the proposed solution before paying so I can see the value of the expert advice.
I lIke a confirmation email once my appointment has been booked and to be kept in the loop with any changes.
Satisfied - He receives a notification confirming his chosen Advisor is able to assist with his enquiry and the call is locked in
Dan
The busy city slicker
32
London
Recruiter
Happy - he has control when choosing a suitable appointment time
Reassured - He won't miss the call because he's requested the calendar add and a reminder
Indifferent - bored of onboarding screens but knows it's important to understand the feature
Appeased - If the Advisor can't help, he gets his money back
Deflated - Always feels a little deflated when paying money
Frustrated - he wants to see the solution before paying money
Opps
User Flows
User flows enabled me to see which pages of the application our personas would interact with when carrying out specific tasks.
Dan is impatient and doesn't like entering information upfront, so would access the app as a guest, skip the onboarding process and take the quickest route possible.
Liv, on the other hand, wants to know as much about the application as possible. Upon opening the app she would sign up to create an account and would venture down the path that takes her via the FAQ page before anything else.

Liv
The multi-tasking mum
37
St Ives, Cornwall
Mum & part time Copywriter

Key

Sitemap
Development
Initial sitemap
I crafted a site map, incorporating features from the initial brief and insights gained from competitive analysis, user surveys, and interviews.
Card sort
I conducted a closed card sort using OptimalSort to validate my initial sitemap's categories and card labels. Testers from the UK, America, and Germany participated in 10 card sorts, where they organized 20 cards into 6 predetermined categories. The results informed adjustments to my site map.
Revised sitemap
Analysing the card sorting results revealed overall success. Testers correctly categorised most cards within the predefined categories, requiring only minor adjustments, with no major redesigns necessary.
Card Sort Analysis
Connect with a Financial Advisor
This was the most positive grouping, with only one card being added to this category that shouldn't have been,
Homepage
No cards should be in this category, I added it for user insight. 13 out of 20 cards were added, but 60% of users expected to find search results here for "financial advisor." This confusion was caused by poorly named cards.
'SET' aims to simplify accessing financial information, so having multiple paths to the same destination can create confusion, as seen in the search results. We may consider testing a search feature in future prototypes. Additionally, 'Take our quiz to find a financial advisor' was added by 30% of testers to the homepage, and we'll explore adding an entry point for it.
Terminology to change
Save for later = Add advisor to favourites
Search Results = Financial advisor search results
Leave a Review = Leave a review for a financial advisor

Revised Site Map

Entry point for take our quiz on homepage
Historical calls moved
to profile section
and payment method tab added. 'Calls' changed to 'upcoming calls'
Terminology changed
Wireframes & Prototyping
By now I understood who my users were, what features SET needed to make it useful to them and how the product would fit together. It was time to start sketching iwireframes for the initial brief and the additional features I needed, keeping in mind the following:
Navigation
Which navigation patterns will best be suited for SET to help guide the user through the app?
Design
Which commonly recognised design patterns will be used in SET to help create a smooth and seamless user experience?
onboarding
Which onboarding patterns will be utilised to create an informative yet enjoyable learning experience for the users?
user stories
Add some context to your wireframes by creating user journeys from your user stories
Initial Brief
Low-fidelity Wireframes
When the navigation, design and onboarding patterns had been developed, it was time to add some context in the form of user stories. I created low fidelity sketched wireframes and prototypes for both mobile and desktop versions for the following user stories.

User path
Alternative path
User interaction
Mid-fidelity Wireframes
Once I had a low fidelity prototype that I was happy with, it was time to move into the digital phase of the design and start creating mid fidelity wireframes and prototypes using Figma.
At this stage I wasn't looking to create a clickable prototype, it was more about learning how to use the software and ensure the navigation worked and there were no dead ends. I kept things in grey scale and used lorem ipsum as a text holder.

User path
Alternative path
User interaction
Mid-fidelity Prototype
Once I was happy with my mid-fidelity wireframes it was time to bring things to life with an interactive clickable prototype. I created a clickable prototype for the following features as they all interconnect and flow through one overarching user story.
Intro/Onboarding/Sign up

Search for a financial advisor

Book a call

Make a payment

Usability Test Plan
Goal:
To assess the learnability and satisfaction for new users interacting with the application for the first time on mobile. I would like to observe and measure if users understand the app, its value, and how to complete basic primary functions, such as logging in, searching for a financial advisor and booking a call.
Test Objectives:
1) How easy it is for new users to sign up. Are there any points of friction, or hesitation with giving out information?
2) How would users search for a financial advisor?
3) How easy is it to book and pay for a call with their chosen advisor. Are all the options given that they would want?
4) How to access upcoming calls
:
Methodology & Participants
The study will be held online and will be conducted as moderated, remote tests. Informed consent forms will be sent out via Docusign prior to the test. The study will test 6 participants, all from the target audience (25-35, ideally living in a large city and employed full time) and will be recruited from my personal network. Participant details can be found here.
Script:
For a detailed review of the test script used, including all tasks tested, please refer to the test script here.
Metrics:
Errors will be measured using Jakob Nielsen’s scale
Learnability is measured using the following equation: (S + (P x .5)) / total number of task attempts = Success Rate %
Satisfaction will also be measured using the Single Ease Question 5-point rating scale after each task.
6 Participants
12th - 13th May
30 - 40 minutes
Zoom & Figma
Affinity Mapping
After the interviews there were over 300 minutes of recordings to filter through and analyse. Affinity mapping was used to analyse the findings, as it's an effective way of organising large amounts of information, allows you to easily combine duplicated results and enables trends and patterns to be easily spotted. I organised my results into the 4 following categories using Miro.




Spotting Common Issues
Once I had my categories organised in Miro I transferred the results into a rainbow spreadsheet using Google Sheets and I split this document into 3 sections. Section 1 contained details of the test participants, section 2 showed the affinity mapping categories with the results that correlated to each participant, and the third section detailed other statistics such as satisfaction.
A rainbow spreadsheet is useful when analysing large quantities of data as it introduces an element of prioritisation to the analysis process. Observations and errors that were made by numerous testers are highlighted, making it easier to decide which errors and issues need to be prioritised in the next iteration. Click the link to the left to view the spreadsheet.
Learnability &
Satisfaction

Errors

Using the rainbow spreadsheet, errors were classified using the Jakob Nielsen’s four-step rating scale.
Errors that were classified a 3 or above and that had been assigned to two or more participants were prioritised as urgent, along with observations that were assigned to 3 or more participants.
These errors and issues were then rated in order of severity and addressed from most severe to least severe. Details of the top 3 errors observed and the action taken to fix them are shown on the following slides.
Issue 1: Navigating the dashboard was confusing (Severity Major)
When asked an open question about the dashboard design, 4 participants found it confusing and 3 Participants said the duplication of the buttons were confusing when trying to access a booked call.


Before


Redesigned

Dashboard feature on homepage removed and replaced with quotes and case studies
Entry point now through the top right corner via the profile icon


Keep the navigation bar to enable the user to jump between the dashboard features
Replace the buttons/icons on the dashboard homepage with the users profile overview
Solution:
Amend the dashboard design so there is only one entry point to the call feature
Include onboarding coach marks for the dashboard


Change 'calls' to 'upcoming calls'


Dashboard homepage - first view
Dashboard homepage -video coach point


Clearer wording added to "join call here" button
Upcoming Calls
Solution:
Change the process to payment details being stored and payment being taken once the call has happened.


T&C's added


Change in terminology to include "authorisation"


Button changed from "pay" to "authorise"
Payment screen 1
Payment screen 2
Payment screen 3
Issue 2: Uncomfortable that payment was taken before the call had happened (Severity Major)
3 participants felt uncomfortable being charged for the call before the call had taken place. Especially as the booking is technically a request that the advisor still needs to confirm.
“The advice hasn’t been provided so I wouldn’t expect to pay for it”

There were a number of other errors observed during the user testing which were a 'one click fix' within the prototype
.
Click here to view the
revised prototype

Preference
Testing
Another evaluative research method I used to ensure the users directed the design decisions, was to implement preference testing. Preference testing is useful for validating design decisions that have already been made or to dig deeper into issues that were raised during the usability testing.
I focused on testing the onboarding and sign up process as this is the most important step within the whole of SET, as it's key that users can, and want to create an account.
Guest access is actually offered, as Dan, my primary persona likes to see the value in things first, however the overall user experience will be greatly improved by having an account as it enables access to the dashboard and custom content - features that Dan will use within the app.
Objectives:
Methodology & Participants: Testing will take place online using Usability Hub across the 30th and 31st of May. Testers will be recruited from the CF slack community and social media groups.
18-23 Participants
30th - 31st May
2 minutes
Usability Hub
Which screen do you prefer best?
Screen A was the clear winner with 83% (15/18) of testers selecting it with a 99% statistically significant difference. The overall feedback was that the linear layout was easier to read and looked more organised.
The full report can be found here.
83%


17%



Visual Design
Evolution


Design Collaboration
The next stage to refining the design was to let fellow designers test drive SET and provide feedback to help me catch any pain points and ultimately improve the overall design.
The prototype and the comments provided can be viewed here.
6 Participants
7-9 July 2022
Figma
I collected and condensed insightful feedback using a rainbow spreadsheet. This helped identify high-priority issues marked in red, and facilitated a methodical approach to addressing and deciding on feedback implementation. Some revisions identified included:
1) "Primary dark" colour made darker and used more
Several Designers commented on the need for a darker blue to replace the black font on some screens. There were also comments made about images not having strong enough contrast, due to the colour and thin stroke used.

2) Second “stronger” gradient added
Several Designers commented that they liked it, but other's pointed out it's not common to see gradients used so heavily throughout an app and there are potential contrast issues.
I redesigned some processes which in turn eliminated some of the turquoise primary buttons that were causing a contrast issue. I also created 2 versions of the gradients. A soft one and a heavier one to provide more contrast where needed as seen in the 2 images on the right

Original. Gradient too soft and poor contrast


Revised. Stronger gradient and better contrast

3) Redesigned choice chips
I originally followed the material design guidelines when creating the buttons and choice chips. Buttons had a height of 40px and a corner curve of 100. Choice chips had a height of 32px and a corner curve of 8.
Based on the feedback recieved I made the CTA's more similar and had the choice chips follow the same design as the buttons. The font was replaced with Roboto, sized down to 14px and the colour of a selected choice chip was the new "primary dark" #37628F.







Style Guide




Resources
1) http://www.fox43.com/article/money/survey-millennials-gen-z-use-social-media-for-financial-advice/521-95074d4e-8302-4ffa-932c-2cf420058c32
2) https://www.ft.com/content/1390be10-4404-11e9-b83b-0c525dad548f
4) https://dontdisappoint.me.uk/resources/finance/savings-statistics-uk/
5) https://www.finder.com/uk/first-time-buyer-statistics#:~:text=The%20average%20age%20of%20a%20first%2Dtime%20buyer%20is%2034,but%20the%20oldest%20age%20group.
6) https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/surge-young-investors-start-2021-20251178
7) https://www.semrush.com/projects/
8) https://craft.co/
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Coming VERY soon!
A native mobile app with the mission to make finding financial advice easy and accessible for millennials. As the sole UX/UI designer I was responsible for all research and design work.
Role: UX/UI Designer
Stakeholder: SET
Industry: Finance