Future Visualization
Turn financial goals into interactive experiences
Aura Finance
Empowering financial wellness through gamification
Project Scope
Platform: Mobile
Timeline: 3 months
Early-stage B2C Startup
Role & Team
Designer - Drew Miller
Designer - Mel Martin
Designer - Ellen Worth
Designer - Kate Leary
Deliverables
User Journey Maps & Flows
High-fidelity Prototypes
Design Documentation
Key Metrics
50% Expected increase in stickiness
50+ Financial Modules
100% User Completion rate during trials
PROBLEM SPACE
Financial wellness is a critical aspect of overall well-being, yet many struggle to achieve it.
THE CHALLENGES
Lack of financial literacy
Many individuals lack the basic knowledge to manage their finances effectively.
Emotional Relationship with Money
Financial behaviors are often driven by deep-seated emotional patterns and psychological barriers rather than just knowledge gaps.
Financial Isolation
Social taboos and personal embarrassment around money discussions prevent people from seeking help and learning from others' experiences.
THE OPPORTUNITY
How might we transform financial literacy from an overwhelming challenge into an engaging, social, and empowering journey?
Community Learning
Safe spaces for shared financial growth
Guided Onboarding
Personalized guidance builds confidence
Tangible Financial Visualization
Financial wellness is deeply rooted in personal attitudes and past experiences. The Dream Builder creates positive visualizations of achievable futures, replacing anxiety with hope and transforming abstract financial concepts into tangible goals worth pursuing.
Age Timeline Navigator
Age selector tabs allow users to jump between life stages, helping them see connections between current decisions and future outcomes
Monthly Retirement Translation
Converting lump sum retirement goal to monthly income makes abstract large numbers more concrete and relatable to daily life
Progress Indicator
Added progress percentage toward goal creates immediate feedback and motivation, even for long-term financial planning
Growth Rate Options
Preset growth options (Conservative, Average, Optimistic) simplify complex financial projections without overwhelming users with calculations
Community Motivation: Celebrating Progress Together
Financial progress is often an isolated journey. By creating thoughtfully designed social comparison tools, we break down isolation while avoiding the demotivation pitfalls common in traditional leaderboards.
Success Category Flexibility
Personalized filters for age, location, and time period empower users to find categories where they can measure and celebrate their individual success
Aspirational Without Intimidation
Blurred specific metrics in top-performer view prevent new users from feeling demotivated by seemingly unattainable numbers
Destigmatizing Language
'Success Showcase' framing repositions the feature as celebration rather than competition, reducing negative comparison effects
Guided First Steps: Building Momentum From Day One
The home screen serves as both initial onboarding and ongoing engagement hub. By creating a clear, achievable path forward, we lower the psychological barriers that often prevent users from taking control of their finances.
Compact Task Framework
Redesigned task list allows reuse for daily engagement without dominating the interface
Financial Snapshot
Added stats overview satisfies users' desire for immediate status while subtly encouraging regular financial check-ins
Interactive Progress Element
Progress bar that transforms into an action button upon completion creates a satisfying visual reward
Content Teasing
Partially visible 'Upcoming Events' section creates curiosity and encourages further exploration of the app
INSIGHTS
What I Learned
1
Build in the Right Order
Don't waste time on onboarding until your core functionality works. Our team of 4 designers spent weeks spinning wheels because we designed things out of sequence
2
Domain Knowledge Is Essential
You can't design what you don't understand. Learning the psychology behind financial decisions completely changed our approach. Plus, diving into these new domains was very satisfying for me
3
Effective Leadership Guides Vision
A strong PM is worth their weight in gold. Ours helped cut through ambiguity, kept everyone aligned, and ensured our creative solutions actually provided value
