A Dive into FinTech
How might we create a mobile app that streamlines the process of choosing a new credit card and manages the incentives that come with it?
The Challenge
Having more financial responsibility can be difficult to handle without adequate support. How do we create an app to help people manage their finances for efficiently?
Overview
The project was prompted by Rice University's "Level-Up" Design-a-thon, a three-day, nation-wide event that challenges students to use design thinking skills and collaboration to provide a solution to modern-day problems.
EMVY is an application that streamlines the process of keeping track of your credit cards and rewards and simplifies the experience of choosing new credit cards to apply for. EMVY accomplishes this with two main technologies:
1. A location feature that recognizes when you’re at a store where they have valid rewards and sends a push notification with suggestions for which card to use
2. A filter feature that allows users to browse credit cards based on the rewards/benefits they want
My Role:
I worked with my partner to conduct User Research within the first 24 hours, where we were able to collect a lot of insight into people's experiences with FinTech and finance in general. I lead us in designing our functioning prototype in the next 18 hours using a dark FinTech-inspired color palette!
UX Researcher:
Shelly Sagy
Tools:
Figma, Google Suite, Zoom, Qualtrics
Timeline:
October 2022 (48 Hours)
Awards:
2nd Place for FinTech Apps
The Solution
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User Research
Research Synthesis & Affinity Mapping
Pain Points
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Final Prototype
Research Insights
-> Users often forget which cards to use in order to receive rewards such as Cash Back, Miles, or Points.
Solution:
Push Notification
Notifies users when they arrive at a location where their credit card rewards are applicable.
Research Insights
-> Users want to be able to quickly view what rewards are available
Solution:
In-App Notification Center
Users can view old push notifications here and track old rewards. Having it readily available will save them more time than if they were to use the manual search feature.
Research Insights
-> Some users might feel uncomfortable allowing the app to use their location.
-> At times when location services might not be working or if a user may be shopping online, they still want access to an organized list of all their credit card awards available.
Solution:
Manual Reward Search
Users can manually use their location to see what rewards are available at the stores around them and online. This may be useful if users have location services off, but still want to use EMVY to track their rewards.
Research Insights
-> During User Testing, questions about location errors were brought up. What do we do if the app suggests the wrong store?
Solution:
Location Error State
This might occur if the app suggests the user use rewards at a store that they are not actually at but might be close to.
Research Insights
-> Credit card companies usually require you to manually activate a certain reward in order to receive the benefits.
-> Users can often forget that a new reward period is starting and don't activate it until the cycle is almost over.
Solution:
Reward Activation Reminders
EMVY will tell you what rewards your credit card is offering in the future
This feature will send you a reminder when it’s time to activate your new rewards.
Research Insights
-> There's too much scrolling through different posts about ride offers and people searching for rides
-> The hashtag feature on UCD Facebook group is helpful for filtering out certain riders and drivers
Solution:
Credit Card Shopping
Having a filter can ease the process of searching through different credit cards to find one that best assists with your financial goals!
View our full Project Documentation!