SaveUP
Responsive Savings App
2024
SaveUp is a responsive financial app built to help users save money quickly and intentionally: for trips, weddings, major purchases, or debt reduction. It offers a clear dashboard, smart budgeting features, and personalized savings plans, all accessible across devices.
Figma
Chat GPT
Pen and Paper
Microsoft office
Balsamiq
Solo Project
My role
I led end-to-end product design for SaveUp from:
Problem Statement
The Problem
Managing money feels overwhelming and saving for a specific goal within a timeline is harder than it should be.
Users feel overwhelmed by personal finance management
Saving toward goals within a timeline is a common challenge
Existing tools lack motivation and clear visual feedback
Frictionless experience is key to building saving habits
The Solution
A cross-platform savings app that simplifies money management and keeps users motivated toward their goals.
SaveUp helps users track income and expenses in real time, visualize spending by category, set goals with deadlines, and access their savings plan seamlessly on mobile or desktop.
Goal Tracking
Budget Visualization
Cross-Platform
Personalized Plans
Target Users
Tech-savvy professionals 25–45 saving for meaningful goals
Core Need
Visual clarity and motivation without spreadsheet complexity
Design Approach
Goal-first flows · Data visualization · Cross-device
Design Thinking Framework
User Goals
every layout decision traced back to saving, tracking, and staying motivated
Clean, minimal layouts
designed for clarity and ease of use reducing cognitive load for users already stressed about money
Data visualization
in a friendly, non-intimidating way, making financial information feel accessible, not overwhelming
Iterative refinements
every major change in the final version came directly from testing driven by user feedback across devices
User Persona
User stories
Visual Finance Overview
"I want to see a dashboard of my finances clearly and visually, how much I'm spending on what at a glance."
Design Decision
Designed a dashboard with category-based spending rings, progress bars, and a persistent summary
Personalized Savings Plan
"I want to receive a personalized savings plan so I can save enough money to reach my goal in time."
Design Decision
Built a goal-setting flow that takes target amount and deadline, then generates a weekly savings breakdown, making the path to the goal concrete and actionable.
Income & Expense Input
"I need to input money I'm receiving and spending so I can see an overview of my finances."
Design Decision
Designed a transaction entry flow with category tagging and a collapsible transactions page. Tested and refined based on direct user feedback.
Goal Deadlines & Progress
"I need to set goals with deadlines and stay on track and know when I'm falling behind.
Design Decision
Added budget warning indicators for categories at or over the planned amount, and renamed "budgeted" to "planned" after testing revealed the original label caused confusion.
User flow
Step 01
Step 02
Step 03
Step 04
Step 05
Visuals
Logo
The SaveUp logo is designed for flexibility and clarity across contexts. It works effectively on both light and dark backgrounds. On colored or photographic backgrounds, it may appear in solid white or its original green/gold palette for optimal contrast.In tight spaces or smaller sizes, the tree icon can be used independently - with or without a background shape such as a circle, square, or badge - for brand consistency at any scale.
Component Examples
Color and typography
low fidelity wireframes
Mapped the core user paths: expense tracking, budgeting, goal setting
Mid-fidelity wireframes
Introduced layout patterns and UI structure for testing.
Testing and iterations
3 Participants
Usability Testing
Testing Scenario
As someone who’s trying to save money for a specific goal (like a trip, a big purchase, or paying off debt) explore the app and tell us how the experience feels.
What worked
Dashboard visual hierarchy rated clear and easy to scan
Goal-setting flow completed without guidance
Visual design and color system received positive responses
Onboarding flow felt intuitive and low-friction
What needed to improve
Transactions page felt static, users expected collapsible sections
Dashboard lacked personalization, users wanted to customize their view
"Budgeted" label caused confusion, unclear if planned or already spent
Budget categories at or over limit had no warning signal
Hi fidelity screens
Takeaways
What I Learned
Designing SaveUp emphasized the importance of balancing simplicity with functionality.
Changing "budgeted" to "planned" taught me how much copy affects user confidence with money.
Visual clarity and motivation are inseparable in fintech because users disengage when the data feels overwhelming.
next steps
Refine budgeting flow, enhance filters and category management
Explore bank and spreadsheet integrations for seamless data tracking
Improve onboarding with AI-personalized savings plans
Scale desktop version and conduct additional cross-platform testing
