CreditMate App

Overview: Google Certification Project - June 2024. First project in the Google Certification program to learn and advance current knowledge of Figma for phone applications.

Role: Student: UX Researcher, UX/UI designer

Toolkit: Figma, Adobe CC, FigJam, Pen and paper

Overview

To create an intuitive, user-friendly app that helps users consolidate and manage their financial information, making it easy to navigate credit score management, calculate financial decisions, and access financial education.

The Problem: Users often have to manage financial data from multiple sources—credit score apps, calculators, financial articles—leading to confusion and inefficiency.

Solution: CreditMate helps users better manage their finances, improve their credit health, and become more financially empowered.

Target Audience

Primary Audience: Individuals seeking to improve financial literacy, track their credit score, and manage personal finances effectively.

Secondary Audience: Young adults, new credit card holders, or anyone seeking financial guidance.

Key Features

Credit Score Dashboard

• Overview: Displays a real-time credit score and credit history.

  • Easy-to-read credit score visualization.

  • Breakdown of factors affecting the credit score (e.g., payment history, debt levels, credit length).

  • Credit score trends over time with improvement tips.

Financial Calculators

• Overview: Offers a variety of calculators for making informed financial decisions.

  • Loan affordability and mortgage calculator.

  • Credit card interest calculator.

  • Savings and investment growth calculator (e.g., compound interest, retirement).

Personalized Financial Articles

• Overview: Provides curated, easy-to-understand articles and guides on various financial topics.

  • Articles on improving credit score, managing debt, building savings, and investing.

  • Categorized content tailored to the user’s financial profile.

  • Push notifications for new articles and tips based on user behavior.

Financial Health Alerts

• Overview: Sends alerts and reminders for important financial actions.

  • Bill payment reminders.

  • Notifications for credit score changes.

  • Alerts for unusual financial activity or credit report changes.

User Journey

User Flow Overview

Onboarding:

• Users are guided through a simple signup process.

• Initial credit score data retrieval and personalized settings setup.

• Overview of app features via a tutorial.

Main Dashboard:

• Users land on a dashboard that highlights their credit score, recent financial activities, and recommended articles or actions.

Feature Access:

• Credit score details, calculators, and financial articles can be accessed from the main menu with dedicated sections for each feature.

Wireframes

Simplicity: The app should present complex financial data in an easy-to-understand format. Clean, minimal UI with intuitive navigation.

Transparency: Clearly communicate financial health and impacts of actions without confusing jargon.

Personalization: Tailor content, calculators, and recommendations to the user’s specific financial profile.

Usability Test

In this usability test for CreditMate, participants were asked to complete tasks such as checking their credit score, using the loan calculator, and reading a personalized financial article. We observed how easily users navigated these features and identified any pain points or areas of confusion. Feedback on ease of use, clarity of information, and overall experience was collected through a post-test survey

Wireframe Findings

Positive Findings:

• Ease of Navigation: Most users found the app’s layout intuitive and appreciated the clean, organized design of the dashboard.

• Clear Credit Score Display: Users liked the real-time credit score feature, finding it easy to access and understand, with useful breakdowns of factors affecting their score.

• Helpful Calculators: The financial calculators, especially the loan and debt consolidation tools, were praised for being simple to use and providing clear, actionable results.

Negative Findings:

• Confusion in Financial Articles Section: Some users felt that the articles were not well categorized, making it difficult to find specific topics.

• Lack of Real-Time Notifications: Users suggested that the app could benefit from more proactive notifications for credit score changes and upcoming bill reminders.

High Fidelity

Takeaways

Learning Figma reinforced the importance of consistency in design and the value of wireframing and prototyping. The iterative design process was crucial, as feedback helped refine the app’s user flow and improve usability. Figma’s collaboration features made it easy to work with others, ensuring smooth communication.