MySecretStash

Case Study

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Observation & Understanding

MySecretStash is a conceptual fintech mobile application designed to simplify how users manage their financial lives in one centralized platform. The idea originated from a personal frustration: modern banking experiences are fragmented. Users often rely on multiple applications to complete essential financial tasks such as budgeting, paying bills, monitoring credit scores, filing taxes, tracking investments, and managing debt.

I wanted to design an experience that reduced financial complexity by creating a unified ecosystem where users could:

  • Monitor all financial accounts in one dashboard

  • Pay recurring bills and subscriptions

  • Track credit and debt repayment

  • Manage savings and investments

  • File taxes directly within the app

  • Understand financial health through visual analytics

The goal of the project was to explore how UX design could improve financial accessibility, transparency, and confidence for everyday users.

Core Features

  • Financial dashboard

  • Wallet & transaction tracking

  • Fixed bill payments

  • Credit monitoring

  • Savings & investment tracking

  • Guided tax filing

RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

Methodology

Research Goals

The research phase focused on understanding:

  1. How users currently manage finances

  2. Pain points across existing financial tools

  3. Behaviors around budgeting and debt management

  4. Emotional responses tied to financial stress

  5. Expectations for an all-in-one financial application


I conducted competitive analysis on products such as Mint, Wealthsimple, Credit Karma, RBC Mobile, and TurboTax. I also interviewed 8 participants between ages 22–40, including students, freelancers, and working professionals.


Key Insights


  • Users relied on 4–7 apps to manage finances

  • Financial management created stress and confusion

  • Users wanted better budgeting visibility

  • People frequently forgot recurring payments

  • Tax filing felt intimidating and overly complex


One major theme emerged:


Users wanted a single place to understand and control their financial lives.



Key Findings


1. Users feel overwhelmed by multiple platforms


Most participants used between 4–7 apps to manage finances.

“I constantly switch between apps just to understand where my money is going.”


2. Financial management creates anxiety


Participants associated budgeting and taxes with stress and confusion.


3. Users want automation and reminders


Participants valued automated bill reminders, payment tracking, and progress visualization.


4. Users struggle to understand financial progress


Many participants had difficulty understanding:


  • Spending habits

  • Debt repayment progress

  • Savings growth

  • Investment performance


5. Trust and security heavily influence adoption


Participants emphasized the importance of:

  • Clear interfaces

  • Transparency

  • Security indicators

  • Familiar financial patterns

DEFINE

Problem Statement

Young professionals struggle to manage finances efficiently because financial services are fragmented across multiple platforms. This creates cognitive overload, reduces visibility into financial health, and increases stress.


Design Challenge


How might we create a centralized financial experience that simplifies payments, budgeting, savings, credit tracking, and tax filing while maintaining trust and accessibility?

IDEATE

Information Architecture

BRAINSTORM
Wireframing

Key UX Decisions


Dashboard


Designed to give users immediate visibility into:


  • Net worth

  • Budget progress

  • Spending insights

  • Income sources


Payments


Created a fixed-payment tracking system to reduce missed bills using:


  • Due-date reminders

  • Paid/unpaid indicators

  • Recurring payment organization


Tax Filing


Simplified taxes into guided step-by-step workflows to reduce overwhelm and improve completion rates.


Constraints & Tradeoffs


A major challenge was balancing large amounts of financial information without overwhelming users.


To solve this, I used:


  • Modular card layouts

  • Progressive disclosure

  • Simplified navigation

  • Visual hierarchy

The visual design focused on creating a calm, trustworthy, and modern fintech experience.


Design Choices


  • Muted blue tones to communicate security and trust

  • Large financial metrics for quick scanning

  • Card-based layouts for organization

  • Minimal visual clutter for readability


Accessibility Considerations


I applied WCAG-informed design practices including:


  • High contrast text

  • Large touch targets

  • Clear typography hierarchy

  • Color-independent status indicators

  • Step-based forms to reduce cognitive load


The bottom navigation was also optimized for thumb-friendly mobile interactions.


Engineer Consultation

Although this was a personal project, I researched technical constraints commonly faced by fintech products.

Key considerations included:


  • Open banking integrations

  • Data privacy regulations

  • Authentication requirements

  • API limitations

  • Financial encryption standards

  • Real-time transaction syncing

DESIGN

High Fidelity

VALIDATE

Prototype Iteration

Key Testing Methodologies


  • 5-Second Recall Test: Validated visual hierarchy. 85% of users successfully identified their total debt balance and upcoming payments within five seconds.


  • Expectation Mapping: Users pointed to static elements and predicted the outcome. This revealed a need to refine the "Stash" icon to better align with a "security vault" metaphor.


  • Comprehension Analysis: Tested financial microcopy. I replaced jargon like "Principal" with "Amount Owed" after finding that simplified language increased user confidence by 40%.


Results & Iteration


These tests proved that while the "navy and minimalist" aesthetic felt professional, the initial dashboard was too crowded. I pivoted to progressive disclosure, hiding granular debt details to reduce cognitive load. This data-driven approach ensured the design felt empowering rather than overwhelming, securing a foundation of trust before a single line of code was written.

Impact & Reflection


This project taught me:


  • Simplicity builds trust in financial products

  • Clear financial visibility reduces stress

  • Accessibility improves usability for all users

  • Iteration is critical for refining complex experiences


Future Improvements


As I continued developing My Secret Stash, I would explore:


  • AI-powered financial insights

  • Personalized budgeting recommendations

  • Smart subscription management

  • Advanced accessibility features

  • B2B features for enterprises

  • Multi-device experiences


MySecretStash helped me understand how thoughtful UX design can empower users to feel more confident and in control of their finances.


Before coding or high-fidelity styling, I conducted evaluative research on static wireframes to ensure the underlying logic and information architecture were sound. By stripping away visual distractions, I focused purely on user trust and cognitive clarity which are essential pillars for a fintech application.