World Logistic
Mobile APP
2024
Wave Of Wealth (WoW)
Mobile app designed to help young adults build essential financial skills like budgeting, saving, and investing — all through gamified, story-driven experiences. The app combines educational tools, interactive tasks, and personalized guidance, making financial literacy approachable, engaging, and even fun.
- Categorycase study
- YEAR 2025
- PlatformMobile APP
- MY ROLE
UX researcher - UX/UI designer
- prototyping
Why Is It So Hard for Young People to Manage Money?
1. High Debt Levels Among Gen Z
2. Low Financial Confidence and High Anxiety
3. Conflicting Saving Habits
Project Idea
Research shows that 85–95% of young people aged 18–24 use smartphones as their main device. Based on this, I’m creating a mobile app that helps young adult users build essential financial skills — like budgeting, saving, and goal planning — through interactive simulations, gamified tasks, and rewards.
The Problem
Many young people struggle with managing their personal finances due to a lack of engaging, accessible, and practical financial education. Traditional budgeting tools are either too complex, too dry, or fail to motivate long-term financial behavior change.
What makes my solution unique?
It is the combination of personalized financial learning with playful, scenario-based simulations and an experience modeled after habit-forming, gamified platforms like Duolingo and Habitica.
Research
Interview script:
# 1 About current experience and approach to finance
- 1. How do you usually manage your money? For example, do you budget or keep track of your expenses?
- 2. Are you currently using any financial management apps or tools? Which ones and what do you like or dislike about them?
- 3. How do you define your financial goals? Do you have long-term or short-term financial plans?
# 2 About financial habits and hardships
- 1. What are the main challenges you face in managing your finances? What causes you the most difficulties? Why?
- 2. Is there something you've always wanted to better understand about finance, like saving or investing?
- 3. How do you think your money management skills could be improved?
# 3 About motivation and learning needs
- 1. If you could create the perfect tool for managing your finances, what would it do?
- 2. What would help you stay motivated to achieve your financial goals? For example, are you interested in rewards, tips, gamification? Why?
- 3. Do you find it useful to simulate financial situations (as a game or training)? What situations would be interesting to study?
# 4 About expectations from the interface and functionality
- 1. What do you think a finance app should be like for you to have fun using it on a daily basis?
- 2. How important to you is a user-friendly interface and ease of use? Is there anything you don't like about other financial applications?
- 3. Do you find it useful to simulate financiWould you prefer text explanations, video tutorials, or interactive tips for mastering new information? Why?
# 5 About application format and style preferences
- 1. Would you prefer an app with a more gamified approach (e.g., with achievements and levels) or a classic, serious design? Why?
- 2. What is the most convenient way for you to perceive information? For example, through textual instructions, visual graphics, animations?
# 6 About Social Elements and Feedback
- 1. Are you interested in social features in apps? For example, the ability to communicate with other users, share successes?
- 2. If you had the ability to ask questions of an expert or get personalized advice, would that be helpful to you? Why?
What We Heard from Users
Insight Supporting Quote Users feel overwhelmed by budgeting apps “I never know where to start — it’s too complicated.” They want financial tools that are fun and easy to use “If it looked more like a game, I’d actually use it.” They struggle to stay motivated “I usually give up after the first week.”
Design Solutions
Problem Solution Budgeting feels overwhelming Step-by-step guide in the app Financial tools are boring or confusing Playful, gamified UI and characters to make it feel friendly Lack of motivation Visual savings goals and rewards to keep users engaged
Personas
User Persona #1
Category: Minimal Experience
- Age: 19
- Education: College student
- Hometown: Boston, MA, USA
- Family: Parents and younger brother
- Occupation: Student, part-time tutor
- Quote:
“I want to learn how to handle money properly.
So I can travel and not worry about unexpected expenses.” Goals:
- - Learn to create and stick to a budget
- - To save up money for a laptop and a trip to Europe
- - Learn the basics of financial planning
Frustrations:
- - Poorly understands how to save effectively
- - Not sure where to look for information about finances
- - Feels that existing apps are too complicated
Brief history:
She just moved into a dorm and is managing her own money for the first time. She's worried about overspending on entertainment and wants to save for big purchases. She’s tried budget apps before, but they felt confusing.
User Persona #2
Category: Basic Skills
- Age: 22
- Education: Bachelor's degree
- Hometown: San Diego, CA, USA
- Family: Parents and older sister
- Occupation: Junior Developer at an IT company
- Quote:
“I like the idea of investing, but I don't know where to start.” Goals:
- - Start investing small amounts
- - Understand basic financial terms
- - Create a financial safety cushion
Frustrations:
- - Hard to find clear information for beginners
- - Gets tired of having to analyze data manually for long periods of time
- - Faced with information overload
Brief history:
He got his first job after university and wants to manage his income wisely. He keeps a basic budget in Excel, but feels it's not enough. Now looking for an app with gamification to help understand investments.
Information Architecture
I developed an Information Architecture with root-like structures that reflect the complete information architecture of the product. This diagram organizes key elements such as financial management functionality, educational resources, and customizations.
User Flow
Creating a Budget
Screens:
- 1. Welcome screen
- 2. Income Entry Screen
- 3. Expense Entry Screen
- 4. Confirmation screen
- 5. Dashboard screen
User Decisions:
- 1. Determine income categories to add
- 2. Determine expense categories to add.
User Actions:
- 1. Select the “Create Budget” option
- 2. Specify income categories
- 3. Enter current income
- 4. Specify expense categories
- 5. Enter current expense
- 6. Save the settings
Set a savings goal
Screens:
- 1. Welcome screen
- 2. Goal Details
- 3. Contribution Plan
- 4. Suggestions screen
- 5. Success Screen
- 6. Dashboard screen
User Decisions:
- 1. Choose a plan
- 2. Add more goals
User Actions:
- 1. Select “Set a savings goal” option
- 2. Enter information
- 3. Select reminder options
Sketches
Creating a Budget
Set a savings goal
Wireframing
Prototyping
User Interface Design
Color Styles
Typography
Learning Outcomes
What I learned:
I learned how to understand real user needs, turn their struggles into design opportunities, and create solutions that are both useful and fun. This project helped me improve my skills in research, ideation, and visual design.
What’s next:
Next, I’d like to build a full prototype and test it with real users. With the right support, I’d work with developers and financial experts to launch the app and help more young people feel confident about money.
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