BUDGETLY
End-to-end MVP experience for an early stage fintech startup
Role
Freelance Product Designer
Team
1 Product Designer, 2 Founders, 1 SWE
Platform
Web, Tablet, Mobile
Budgetly is an early stage startup that allows users of diverse financial backgrounds to take charge of their finances. This project involved leading design of their end-to-end MVP.
Business impact
$60k
pre-seed funding raised using my prototypes
0 to 1
end-to-end MVP, desktop and mobile
PROBLEM SPACE
In an evolving economy, people lack accessible tools to meaningfully track and understand their finances.
CHALLENGE
Build a finance-tracking experience with real differentiation from other personal finance platforms in the US.
THE AUDIENCE
Financial awareness across all demographics, especially young adults just beginning to manage their own money.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Differentiate from established budgeting apps through market research, whitespace opportunities, and launch-ready design.
Strategy
The Approach
Creating an MVP
As an early-stage startup in personal finance, the team needed to meaningfully differentiate from established budgeting apps. I approached this through market research, whitespace analysis, and translating insights into focused ideation, interactive prototypes, and launch-ready design.
DISCOVERY
Journey Mapping
Journey mapping surfaced emotional friction across the existing flow, accessibility gaps and dense touch points that increased cognitive load. Below is an artifact I sent to the team after testing their original prototype.
Full testing session, capturing emotional highs and lows across landing, sign up, dashboard, and everyday use, mapped to the highlights above.
RESEARCH
Competitive Analysis
I analyzed the competitive landscape, Mint, NerdWallet, PocketGuard, and Personal Capital, to identify market trends and where Budgetly could differentiate.
RESEARCH
Qualitative Interviews
Peer interviews on how people currently track and manage their finances surfaced recurring pain points that directly informed the design.
College Student, Early 20s
"I have issues keeping track of my finances in college. I don't fully know how much I am spending until my parents send me my bill..."
Young Working Adult, Mid-20s
"I'm more financially aware than I have ever been since I got laid off due to Covid. I don't have a finance-tracking app at the moment, but I use my bank's personal app."
Working Adult, Mid-40s
"I am not as careful with my spending as I should be. I usually just check my bank statement and make sure my spending isn't too excessive."
FINAL DESIGNS
Desktop and Mobile Experience
End-to-end MVP design across desktop and mobile, covering Overview, Budget, Wallet, and Trends.
Overview
A snapshot of accounts, transactions, upcoming bills, and monthly spending at a glance.
Overview
A snapshot of accounts, transactions, upcoming bills, and monthly spending at a glance.
Budget
Monthly spending broken down by category, tracked against budget.
Wallet
Linked cards, balances, and a searchable transaction history.
Trends + Net Worth
Net worth over time, tracked yearly or by custom range.
outcomes
Impact
$60k