Apple Budget

The implementation of a budgeting feature in Apple Wallet. 
Role - UI/UX Designer & Researcher
Timeline - 2 week
Tools - Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Rotato
Jump to the final design
Summary
Implementing a budgeting feature in Apple Wallet empowers users to budget effectively, increasing engagement and benefitting both users and Apple.
Overview
Problem
People struggle to effectively track and manage their finances, leading to overspending and difficulty reaching savings goals.
Design Process
For this project, I followed this design process due to a constrained timeline. This design process covered all the necessary steps to discover and align both users' and Apple's needs and goals.
01) Discover
02) Define
03) Develop
04) Deliver
Opportunity
Apple has been expanding and innovating in the fintech industry since the introduction of Apple Pay in 2014. The company is focused on attracting more opportunities in payment processing technology and infrastructure for future financial products. Recent studies have shown that mobile banking usage has consistently risen, surpassing desktop usage. Additionally, 73% of respondents indicated that they would be more interested in financial services offered by tech giants such as Google, Apple, Amazon, PayPal, or Square than by their current bank. As a company with a strong presence in the fintech industry, Apple has the ability to design and develop financial products that are user-friendly and meet the needs of its customers. By introducing innovative budgeting feature, Apple can provide the users with useful and effective tools for managing their finances.
Research
Research Goals
  • Understand the key demographics and empathize with users
  • Contextualize user budgeting behavior and motivations
  • Identify major pain points in budget planning
  • Explore the relationship between user behavior and dopamine levels.
Competitive Analysis
The goal of the competitive analysis was to understand the strengths and weaknesses of other budgeting apps (Bank of America, Mint, G.S. Marcus).
  • All competitors included interactive charts, which allowed users to easily and quickly visualize their spending habits.
  • Some apps lacked certain features or functionality that users would find useful, which made them less effective at helping users manage their finances.
User Interviews
The principles of variable rewards
Provide users with unpredictable rewards that keep them engaged and motivated.
Secondary Research
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the brain's reward and pleasure centers. The principles of dopamine can be applied to design a more effective and engaging user experience that motivates users to take desired actions and encourages them to continue using the feature.
80% of the users still tracked their expenses in these 6 categories such as rent, utilities, groceries, shopping, dining, and transportation at least once a week.
100% of the participants previously had negative experiences with budgeting and have not had much success.
80% of the users expressed concerns about data privacy when using budgeting apps, but did not mind when their banks tracked their spending.
The principle of triggers
Link a desired action or behavior with a specific cue or trigger, such as a notification or reminder.
Solution
Personas
After conducting research, I created personas to reflect the goals, needs, and behaviors of the target audience.
How might we incorporate gamification and other interactive elements into the budgeting feature to make the experience more fun and engaging?
Idea
A budgeting feature that includes fun visuals and interactive elements, similar to Spotify's yearly review, to provide a more engaging and effective user experience for helping users understand and manage their spending.
Bi-Weekly Summary Feature
Encouraging language in the first two or three summaries to help users establish good financial habits and build confidence in their ability to manage their finances
Quarterly Summary Feature
Uses personalized bitmojis and charts to provide users with a fun and engaging way to track their progress and learn from their spending habits, helping them make more informed financial decisions.
Information Architecture
Site Map
With a solid idea defined, I studied and mapped out the existing flow of the app to identify potential entry points for the feature. I then mapped out the user flows and task flows to understand the user journey and determine which screens would be needed for the low-fidelity wireframes. This allowed me to gain insights into the user experience and design a feature that would be easy, intuitive, and engaging for users. 
Wireframes
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
After identifying the key screens for the budgeting feature, I moved on to creating mid-fidelity wireframes to capture my design ideas. I then conducted a usability test to evaluate the flow of the screens and identify any potential roadblocks or pain points for users. This helped me to refine the design and ensure that it provided a smooth and intuitive user experience.
Design System
I found it difficult to learn and apply the Apple design system because Apple Design Resources website was so comprehensive and hard to navigate to find the correct information. However, once I understood the guidelines and components, I was able to make more efficient and effective design decisions, and allowed me to create a consistent and cohesive user experience that aligned with the Apple brand.
High-Fidelity Prototype
Design Solution
01 Easy Access and Reminders
The first flow focuses on allowing users to easily access their bi-weekly and quarterly spending via notifications on their locked screen, providing a convenient and timely reminder of their financial goals and progress. This could help to motivate and engage users, and could provide valuable insights and feedback that can be used to optimize their financial management and decision-making.
02 Budgeting can be Fun and Delightful
The second flow focuses on allowing users to access the information via the Apple Wallet. As you can see, the quarterly slides incorporate fun and customized visuals with users' spending to positively reassociate the relationship between budgeting and users. I aimed to create an engaging and enjoyable experience to help users develop a positive attitude towards budgeting, and motivate them to engage with the feature more frequently and consistently. This could help them achieve their financial goals and improve their financial stability and well-being.
03 Customized Bitmoji and Charts
The third flow allows users to access their summaries via notifications on the Apple Pay screen. Personalized bitmojis and charts provide a fun and engaging way for users to track their progress and learn from their spending habits, helping them make more informed financial decisions. This would help users feel more connected and engaged with their budgeting goals and progress.
Figma Prototype
Usability Testing
Feedback
"Knowledge is power. This feature allows you to track where your money is going in a delightful way so you are able to make better decisions."
Iteration
  1. All users did not associate the Dollar Icon with budgeting.
  2. 75% of the users were confused with the use of word "Dates" for the past summaries.
Reflections
Takeaways
Designing a feature that aligned with the existing design system was initially challenging, but once I learned the details and guidelines, it became more efficient and effective. This was a valuable learning experience, as it provided insights into what it would be like to work for a company and follow established design standards.
Also, developing a feature that met both user and business goals was challenging, as I needed to find a way to add value to users' daily lives while also benefiting Apple. I hypothesized that the budgeting feature could achieve this by financially empowering users and incentivizing them to use the Apple Wallet app more frequently, which would lead to better retention and engagement rates.
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