Financial Assistant

Design Brief

The recurring issue among salaried employees is the difficulty of saving money by month-end, even when income seems sufficient.

We wanted to uncover the root causes through research, not just assumptions.
Are people spending unconsciously? Or are their fixed costs simply too high?
By gathering deeper behavioral and contextual insights, we aimed to understand the emotional and cognitive pain points around money management and savings habits.

To make sure we're staying on track in the design process, we used double diamond framework to map out our design more efficiently.

Step 1: Discovery and Research

We began with mind mapping and collecting domain knowledge to understand the full scope of the problem and identify initial hypotheses.

As the next step, we defined our target segmentation and outlined our interview goals and questions to uncover users’ financial behaviors, motivations, and challenges.

Our target segment included individuals with a monthly income below AED 8,000 (converted for clarity), such as:

• Young adults and early-career professionals seeking financial stability

• Independent students and freelancers managing irregular income streams

• Families with limited disposable income striving to balance expenses and savings

This segmentation helped us ensure diversity in financial habits and goals, providing a more holistic view of users’ day-to-day financial decisions.

Step 2: Research Insights & Problem Definition

After conducting our user interviews and organizing the findings through affinity mapping, we began to identify recurring patterns across different spending and saving behaviors.

By clustering user frustrations, needs, and pain points, we mapped our insights into five main branches. From there, we moved into solution brainstorming, focusing on how to help users gain a greater sense of control and empowerment over their finances.

User Persona

To bring these insights to life, we developed a representative persona that captured users’ key motivations, challenges, and emotional drivers around money management, serving as a guide for design decisions throughout the process.

Core Problem Statement

Users struggled to maintain a balance between their inflows and outflows.

Step 3: Product Specification & Feature Prioritization

Competitor Analysis

We analyzed several personal finance apps to understand market standards, feature gaps, and user experience patterns. The goal was to identify opportunities for differentiation, focusing on simplicity, goal-oriented budgeting, and emotional connection rather than data overload.

Feature Specification

Based on research insights, we defined the product’s structure through two main feature layers:

Feature Prioritization (MoSCoW)

Using the MoSCoW framework to help align the MVP scope with both user needs and development feasibility.

Information Architecture

Creating the site map and user flow to outline navigation structure and visualize how users move through the product to achieve their goals.

Step 4: Design Validation & Learnings

We brought the final design to life, focusing on a clean and calm interface that makes financial management feel simple and approachable.

Usability Testing

Once the prototype was ready, we ran usability tests to see how users interacted with the flow in real scenarios.

Reflection

This project was more than just a budgeting app; it was an exploration of how design can simplify something as emotionally heavy as money management. Throughout the process, we learned that users don’t struggle with numbers alone; they struggle with clarity, discipline, and the anxiety tied to finances. By focusing on calm visuals, goal-driven interactions, and a sense of progress, we were able to design a product that feels supportive rather than stressful.

This experience reminded me that good design isn’t just about features; it’s about helping people feel more in control of their everyday life.