đ The perfect game for budgeting
How might game mechanics improve the popularity of budgeting features?
Context
At the end of 2023, I joined the product team of a a B2B fintech platform that provides customizable modules to digital wallet apps.
As a product design contractor, I was tasked with designing and enriching with game mechanics several budgeting-related modules.
Goal
The modules had to nudge users towards learning enough about their spending habits to set up emergency funds and budgets.
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Greatest UX challenge
To introduce fun game elements for budgeting features that donât patronize users. (Re: without using words like âexperts recommendâ.)
The client provided expert-backed research on good financial habits. I put the goal of having 3-6 months of savings in the context of motivation-driven game mechanics.
Gamification can be placed strategically in the app to encourage budgeting. I storyboarded a userâs journey to highlight good moments to place gamification elements in.
A push notification opens the first module (emergency fund). V1 emphasizes playful visual language and V2 required less screens for the Goals section.
The initial request for the second module was a quiz. Quizzes tied directly into budgeting, but the problem was its singular focus on a single category.
Researching others apps, I found flash cards a good game to contain more expense categories.
Short-term memory provides intrinsic motivation, and an iteration of a scratch card (with a gift card beneath) provided extrinsic motivation.
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Impact
Thoughtful behavioral design with game mechanics led to user-friendly budgeting modules for client apps.
What's next?
Read the Clear & organized paydays case study.
Email me at work@florianpopescu.com to learn more about this case study.
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