Budget App Case Study
Design an app and a responsive website that teach users how to save and budget their funds.
The Product
My Role
Lead UX Designer
Responsibilities
User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Study
Project Duration
August 2025-September 2025
The Problem
Users do not understand how to create a budget and live within the set budget for their unique circumstance and season of life (i.e. a new graduate, a busy parent, a single mom, newly divorced, a young professional, etc.)
The Goal
Create an app that walks users through setting up a budget based on their income, life circumstances and goals and set them up for success through awareness and accountability
Understanding the User
User research
Personas
Problem statements
User journey maps
I conducted a combination of secondary research and informal interviews with three individuals at different life stages: a young professional, a recent graduate, and a parent managing family finances. My initial assumption was that most users would primarily need help with tracking their daily expenses. However, after speaking with participants and reviewing existing research on financial habits, I discovered that users are more motivated by long-term goals—such as saving for a home, paying off debt, or planning for family needs—than by day-to-day tracking alone. This shifted my focus toward designing a budgeting solution that emphasizes progress toward personal goals while remaining simple and approachable.
User Research Study
Overly complex budgeting tools
Many users feel overwhelmed by apps that require too much setup or include features they don’t need. Moving forward, the design should focus on simplicity, using guided onboarding and clean visuals to make budgeting feel approachable.
User Research Pain Points
Difficulty managing shared finances
Parents and couples struggle to stay on the same page with budgeting when tools are designed for individuals. The design should support multi-user functionality and shared goals, making collaboration easy and transparent.
Lack of motivation from day-to-day tracking
Users lose interest when they only see spending logs without a clear sense of progress. To address this, the design will highlight goal tracking and progress milestones that celebrate small wins.
Frustration with understanding debt payoff
Recent graduates in particular feel discouraged when progress on loans isn’t visible. The design will include clear debt trackers and payoff timelines to help users stay motivated and see their efforts paying off.
