Student Budgeting App
About the project
UFinance aims to empower students with the tools they need to manage their personal finances efficiently, reduce financial stress, and build better spending habits for the future.
My role:
Web design, Framer build.
Timeframe:
4 months.
Project Overview
Many college students struggle with managing their finances often losing track of spending, overshooting budgets, and experiencing financial stress. UFinance empowers students to take control of their personal finances through an intuitive, educational, and student-tailored budgeting app.Design Philosophy
The design focuses on clean layouts, bold typography, and vibrant visuals to ensure a memorable user experience. Every element is carefully crafted to reflect professionalism and innovation.
The Problem
Students often lack clear visibility into their spending. Without intuitive tools, they fall into habits of overspending, forgetting due payments, and mismanaging money across multiple platforms (e.g., Venmo, Cash App, credit cards).
How might we help students easily track daily spending across categories like food, transportation, and entertainment to plan expenses and identify areas to save?
User Research & Insights
User Interviews 💬
We interviewed 10 college students (ages 18–26) with varied financial habits and tools (Excel, Mint, pen & paper). Key findings:
Familiarity Wins Trust 🔨
“I’ve been using Excel for years. I trust it more than apps because I can see exactly what’s happening.”Privacy is Paramount 🔒
“Privacy is always a concern when handling sensitive financial information.”Need for Visual Clarity 📊
“It would be great if apps categorized Venmo payments automatically.”Peer Pressure = Overspending 🛍️
“Living in NYC, it’s hard not to overspend—especially with my friends.”
Personas 👤
We developed two core personas—Gloria and Ashok—based on our interviews, representing diverse budgeting goals and tech habits.
Design Process
Design system 📐
Before we started creating our high-fidelity designs based on our research we created a design system/brand guide to maintain consistency across all of our screens and reduce the development time.
click image to zoom 🔎
Wireframes and User Flows ✏️
We created low-fidelity wireframes and user flows for each screen, including:
Quick Entry 💲
Transactions & Goals 💰
User Profile & Notifications 👤
Summaries 📊
Groups 👥
Usability Testing 👩💻
10 college students tested our prototype through structured, scenario-based tasks.
Scenarios included:
Add a new expense
Create a group and split a bill
Connect a bank account
View spending breakdown
Set savings goals
Key Issues Discovered:
Goals Page: Confusing savings progress visuals
Transactions: Unclear pie charts and terminology
Bank Integration: Poor button placement and navigation flow
Group Splits: Limited options and vague language
Iteration and Implementation
Based on testing feedback, we made major improvements:
✅ Redesigned Goals Page with clear progress bars and simplified terms
✅ Updated Transaction Summaries with intuitive, accessible charts
✅ Streamlined Bank Integration for better navigation
✅ Introduced a Homepage with personalized financial overview
✅ Improved Group Features with better split options and confirmation screens
Task Analysis
Click image to zoom 🔎
High Fidelity Mockups 📱
Highlights:
Quick Entry: Frequency-based entries for recurring bills like rent
Transactions/Goals: Renamed "inflow/outflow" to "income/expenses" for clarity
Summaries: Cleaned up visual hierarchy and graph comprehension
Groups: Consistent split features + confirmation screens
Homepage: Central hub for budgets, subscriptions, and trends
Onboarding: Clearer user journey from start
Interactive Prototype 👇🏽
Click through the embedded Figma prototype of our entire app below:
Reflections and Impact 💭
Working on UFinance was both creatively fulfilling and personally impactful. It deepened our understanding of the financial realities students face and the power of well-designed tools to improve lives.
📊 Clarity
Users now have a centralized, easy-to-understand snapshot of their finances.
💡 Convenience
All-in-one platform replaces the need for multiple tools or manual methods.
💪 Empowerment
The app promotes financial literacy and helps reduce budgeting anxiety.
What’s Next?
🤖 AI Chatbot Integration: Personalized financial coaching and tips
📘 Financial Literacy Modules: Educational content for investing and saving
Key Takeaways 🔑
User-Centered Design is Essential: Deep research drives real impact
Small Changes, Big Results: Visual summaries go a long way
Think Ahead: Incorporating future tech (AI, automation) strengthens relevance
UFinance has inspired me to keep exploring how technology can drive financial empowerment—especially for those just starting their journey.