Product solution
Apply a simple mechanism to categorize "needs" (fixed expenses) versus "wants" (flexible expenses), before users drop off. Calculate a single Mint number as a daily spending allowance. This solution was created for users who have trouble controlling their discretionary spending and would like an easier way to manage their expenditures.
Current flow problems
- User engagement rate is low.
- Users don’t understand the original design. What do green, yellow, and red mean?
- Too much information creates an uphill battle and leads to low motivation.
Survey on top wanted features
30% of users want to see what’s left to spend
Conduct user interview
I talked to users to understand their spending behaviors and how they managed their money from a day-to-day perspective.
User pain points
- Amy wants to control her constant temptations to spend.
- Amy only has a $100-$200 left at the end of the month, causing an extremely stressful situation.
- Amy is finding it difficult to track her budget and is feeling overwhelmed.
Amy's income and expenses
It was difficult for Amy to figure out what is left to spend.
Idea explorations
Idea 1: 50(needs)/30(Wants)/20(Savings)
Elizabeth Warren popularized the "50/20/30 budget rule". It is an easy way to allocate spending based on needs, wants, and savings.
Idea 2: Make it fun
Focus on millennials. Gamify the whole budgeting experience. Use passes/cards instead of money to limit spending every month and create a leaderboard to compete with friends.
Idea 3: Financial scale
Daily “left to spend” number gives users an allowance to spend every day. This number is self-adjusted, based on what is spent that day.
Team work
Shared work, generated ideas, and got feedback from cross-functional teams.
Lean experiment map
This map helped us document various experiments and share iteration stories about what experiments have been shipped and what insights were learned.
Final design
