Upturn Financial IOS End-to-end

Upturn Financial IOS End-to-end

Upturn Financial IOS End-to-end

Project Overview

Role

UI/UX Designer

Team

Individual project mentored by Carolina de Bartolo, peer consult from Ruth L., Sally L, and Talya G.

Timeline

8 weeks, January 2025-March 2025

Tools Used

Figma, Google Meets, Zoom, Design Thinking, Agile Methodology, Figjam, Canva, Pinterest, Chat GPT

Note

Upturn is an original design concept of mine for my final Designlab capstone

Upturn Style Tile and UI Kit

Upturn Style Tile and UI Kit

The Context

Problem

Many new savers want to save money but struggle to do so because they feel overwhelmed by budgeting or have difficulty setting aside savings manually. Some lack financial education, making it difficult to understand how small, consistent savings can lead to long-term financial stability.

Solution

Introduce a seamless roundup savings feature that automatically transfers spare change from purchases into a savings account, ensuring users save passively without needing to think about it.

What is Upturn?

Upturn is a financial app for new and old savers. In this app, users can set up "Rounding Rules" that determine how much they automatically save from each transaction. Ex: If a user sets their "Rounding Rule" to $1 per transaction, $1 will go into their savings each time they make a purchase. Users will also be able to set savings goals and visually track their savings progress.

Project Goal

Make saving money effortless and automatic so users can build good financial habits without stress.

Upturn User Persona

Upturn User Persona

Defining User Needs

User Interviews

I interviewed 5 people ranging from new to saving and interested in starting, and casual savers looking to get more serious.

User Interview Results

  1. Participants save for long-term goals like homeownership, emergency funds, and retirement

  1. Some save for short-term goals like vacations or making large purchases guilt-free

  1. Most participants save to create a financial cushion and reduce financial stress

  1. Many participants are visual learners and prefer charts, infographics, and graphs to track progress

  1. Seeing savings progress in a visual format is highly motivating and reinforces saving behaviors

Upturn Lo-Fi Wireframes

Upturn Lo-Fi Wireframes

Upturn Mid-Fi Wireframes

Upturn Mid-Fi Wireframes

Upturn Site Map

Upturn Site Map

User Feedback

Usability Testing

Results of usability testing are based on 5 participants. Demographics ranging from 23 years old to 34 years old, located in the United States (4) and UK (1). Savings experience ranging from novice (3) to intermediate (2).

Revising and Iterating

Based off direct user feedback, this is what I changed:

  • Adding a progress bar to onboarding

  • Improving clarity in rounding rules and saving explanations (single page, clearer examples)

  • Allowing users the option to set goals later on instead of while onboarding

  • Revise terminology (ex: replace "wealth" with "savings", “award alerts” with “milestone achievements”)

  • Clarify Activity page by separating savings and transaction totals

  • Add Quick Add savings function with a clearer purpose

Upturn Usability Testing Results

Upturn Usability Testing Results

Upturn Hi-fi Wireframe Screenshots

Upturn Hi-fi Wireframe Screenshots

Key Takeaways

Reflection

Designing this financial app pushed me to think about clarity and trust in a way I hadn’t before. Money can be stressful, so creating an interface that feels approachable while still being informative was a balancing act. I spent a lot of time simplifying complex information, and it was really rewarding to see the final prototype feel clear and intuitive without losing function.

Future Notes

In future projects I want to explore more ways to build trust through design. I’d like to experiment with little touches that build trust, like friendlier onboarding or subtle animations to make the app feel more alive. Every project teaches me something new, and this one was a great reminder that less is (almost always) more.

Upturn Prototype

Upturn Prototype

Project Overview

Role

UI/UX Designer

Team

Individual project mentored by Carolina de Bartolo, peer consult from Ruth L., Sally L, and Talya G.

Timeline

8 weeks, January 2025-March 2025

Tools Used

Figma, Google Meets, Zoom, Design Thinking, Agile Methodology, Figjam, Canva, Pinterest, Chat GPT

Note

Upturn is an original design concept of mine for my final Designlab capstone

Defining User Needs

User Interviews

I interviewed 5 people ranging from new to saving and interested in starting, and casual savers looking to get more serious.

User Interview Results

  1. Participants save for long-term goals like homeownership, emergency funds, and retirement

  1. Some save for short-term goals like vacations or making large purchases guilt-free

  1. Most participants save to create a financial cushion and reduce financial stress

  1. Many participants are visual learners and prefer charts, infographics, and graphs to track progress

  1. Seeing savings progress in a visual format is highly motivating and reinforces saving behaviors

The Context

Problem

Many new savers want to save money but struggle to do so because they feel overwhelmed by budgeting or have difficulty setting aside savings manually. Some lack financial education, making it difficult to understand how small, consistent savings can lead to long-term financial stability.

Solution

Introduce a seamless roundup savings feature that automatically transfers spare change from purchases into a savings account, ensuring users save passively without needing to think about it.

What is Upturn?

Upturn is a financial app for new and old savers. In this app, users can set up "Rounding Rules" that determine how much they automatically save from each transaction. Ex: If a user sets their "Rounding Rule" to $1 per transaction, $1 will go into their savings each time they make a purchase. Users will also be able to set savings goals and visually track their savings progress.

Project Goal

Make saving money effortless and automatic so users can build good financial habits without stress.

User Feedback

Usability Testing

Results of usability testing are based on 5 participants. Demographics ranging from 23 years old to 34 years old, located in the United States (4) and UK (1). Savings experience ranging from novice (3) to intermediate (2).

Revising and iterating

Based off direct user feedback, this is what I changed:

  • Adding a progress bar to onboarding

  • Improving clarity in rounding rules and saving explanations (single page, clearer examples)

  • Allowing users the option to set goals later on instead of while onboarding

  • Revise terminology (ex: replace "wealth" with "savings", “award alerts” with “milestone achievements”)

  • Clarify Activity page by separating savings and transaction totals

  • Add Quick Add savings function with a clearer purpose

Key Takeaways

Reflection

Designing this financial app pushed me to think about clarity and trust in a way I hadn’t before. Money can be stressful, so creating an interface that feels approachable while still being informative was a balancing act. I spent a lot of time simplifying complex information, and it was really rewarding to see the final prototype feel clear and intuitive without losing function.

Future Notes

In future projects I want to explore more ways to build trust through design. I’d like to experiment with little touches that build trust, like friendlier onboarding or subtle animations to make the app feel more alive. Every project teaches me something new, and this one was a great reminder that less is (almost always) more.

Let’s problem solve together!

hihilaryy@gmail.com
Linkedin

Let’s problem solve together!

hihilaryy@gmail.com
Linkedin

Project Overview

Role

UI/UX Designer

Team

Individual project mentored by Carolina de Bartolo, peer consult from Ruth L., Sally L, and Talya G.

Timeline

8 weeks, January 2025-March 2025

Tools Used

Figma, Google Meets, Zoom, Design Thinking, Agile Methodology, Figjam, Canva, Pinterest, Chat GPT

Note

Upturn is an original design concept of mine for my final Designlab capstone

The Context

Problem

Many new savers want to save money but struggle to do so because they feel overwhelmed by budgeting or have difficulty setting aside savings manually. Some lack financial education, making it difficult to understand how small, consistent savings can lead to long-term financial stability.

Solution

Introduce a seamless roundup savings feature that automatically transfers spare change from purchases into a savings account, ensuring users save passively without needing to think about it.

What is Upturn?

Upturn is a financial app for new and old savers. In this app, users can set up "Rounding Rules" that determine how much they automatically save from each transaction. Ex: If a user sets their "Rounding Rule" to $1 per transaction, $1 will go into their savings each time they make a purchase. Users will also be able to set savings goals and visually track their savings progress.

Project Goal

Make saving money effortless and automatic so users can build good financial habits without stress.

The User

User Interviews

I interviewed 6 people who expressed interest in expanding their social life. We gathered their priorities and found areas where we could address common needs.

User Interview Results

Interest in hobbies

Challenges in forming new relationships

Desire for more social time

Openness to meeting new people

Use of technology for social connections

Potential for a platform to facilitate connections

Group vs one-on-one settings

User Feedback

Usability Testing

Results of usability testing are based on 5 participants. Demographics ranging from 23 years old to 34 years old, located in the United States (4) and UK (1). Savings experience ranging from novice (3) to intermediate (2).

Revising and Iterating

Based off direct user feedback, this is what I changed:

  • Adding a progress bar to onboarding

  • Improving clarity in rounding rules and saving explanations (single page, clearer examples)

  • Allowing users the option to set goals later on instead of while onboarding

  • Revise terminology (ex: replace "wealth" with "savings", “award alerts” with “milestone achievements”)

  • Clarify Activity page by separating savings and transaction totals

  • Add Quick Add savings function with a clearer purpose

Key Takeaways

Reflection

Designing this financial app pushed me to think about clarity and trust in a way I hadn’t before. Money can be stressful, so creating an interface that feels approachable while still being informative was a balancing act. I spent a lot of time simplifying complex information, and it was really rewarding to see the final prototype feel clear and intuitive without losing function.

Future Notes

In future projects I want to explore more ways to build trust through design. I’d like to experiment with little touches that build trust, like friendlier onboarding or subtle animations to make the app feel more alive. Every project teaches me something new, and this one was a great reminder that less is (almost always) more.

Defining User Needs

User Interviews

I interviewed 5 people ranging from new to saving and interested in starting, and casual savers looking to get more serious.

User Interview Results

  1. Some save for short-term goals like vacations or making large purchases guilt-free

  1. Participants save for long-term goals like homeownership, emergency funds, and retirement

  1. Most participants save to create a financial cushion and reduce financial stress

  1. Many participants are visual learners and prefer charts, infographics, and graphs to track progress

  1. Seeing savings progress in a visual format is highly motivating and reinforces saving behaviors

The User

User Interviews

I interviewed 6 people who expressed interest in expanding their social life. We gathered their priorities and found areas where we could address common needs.

User Interview Results

Interest in hobbies

Challenges in forming new relationships

Desire for more social time

Openness to meeting new people

Use of technology for social connections

Potential for a platform to facilitate connections

Group vs one-on-one settings