New feature designed to allow saving through a personalized automated set up.
Solo project done over 4 weeks
In the year 2023
Client - Chase Bank
Overview of the project
Saving money has been on everyone's mind lately. It has become an essential part of life to secure one's future. Everyone wants to save, but not everyone has the time or is willing to make to commitment to do so or just simply doesn't know where to start.
Round ups was created over a four week period of time as a new feature for the Chase mobile banking app. The feature allows users to round up their purchases to a amount previously set up by the user. This feature helps users save small amounts of money without having to think about it too much.
The premise of Round ups lies in the understanding of the user's pain points of finding the process of saving too overwhelming, time consuming or not something that can be done in a small scale.
Conducting detailed user interviews and market research of potential competitors, the project aimed to find out. what the users struggled with and what their goals are.
The final product was a feature that automatically rounded up user's purchases to an amount set by the user. Providing the user with one platform where they can perform all their money related needs, stress free.
Background
Chase Bank, officially known as JPMorgan Chase & Co., is one of the largest and most prominent financial institutions in the United States. With a rich history dating back to 1799. The bank operates thousands of branches and ATMs across the country, providing a wide range of financial services to millions of customers.
Chase Online Mobile Banking is a user-friendly and convenient platform that empowers Chase Bank customers to manage their finances on the go. Available as a mobile app for smartphones and tablets, it offers a wide range of features, including checking balances, transferring funds, paying bills, and depositing checks via mobile capture. The app also provides tools for setting up alerts, monitoring account activity, and locating nearby Chase ATMs and branches. Security is a top priority, with advanced encryption and multi-factor authentication to protect users' sensitive information. Chase Online Mobile Banking exemplifies the bank's commitment to technological innovation, enhancing customers' banking experiences in today's fast-paced world.
Problem
The Chase banking app, a widely recognized and frequently utilized application in the United States, confronts a notable issue concerning its ability to facilitate savings effectively. Users perceive the app as intricate and less conducive for small-scale saving, thereby prompting them to explore alternative financial applications or, in some instances, abandon their efforts to save money.
Hypothesis
“People struggle to save money. I’d like to explore how people use and spend their money. I’d like to remove possible friction and help users navigate their savings and investing journey.”
What did I learn from my users.
User Interviews
To address time constraints, we opted to conduct user interviews with just five participants. This choice was driven by the need for a speedy data collection and analysis process. We specifically reached out to individuals who primarily use Chase as their bank and heavily rely on its mobile app. Our participant group spanned various age groups (20-45), income levels, and employment statuses, including students and full-time workers.
During the interviews, we delved into their financial habits, how they use the Chase app, their savings methods, and any challenges they've faced while using the app. To ensure flexibility in scheduling and accommodate participants from different locations, we conducted these interviews using Zoom.
"I do not know were to start and I am not in the position to save lots or set a lot of time aside for it"
- Interviewee
All participants wanted to start saving or continue saving, however not all participants had an interest in a more hands on approach to saving.
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Student users found the act of saving to be daunting.
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Students were less concerned about saving than those who are employed. 3 participants stated they would like to save if they are able.
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Investing was something that participants who were older and had a steady income were interested about.
What did I learn from my users.
The stressed out student and the overwhelmed teacher.
The culmination of my research revealed to me two clear personas. Mathias, the student currently living in Boston and Maria, the teacher based out of Seattle. Mathias wants to start saving small amounts now so he has some money to fall back on once he graduates and Maria wants to start saving without getting too overwhelmed like she has in the past.
Throughout this project I was able to reference back to my personas to keep me and check and make sure I was addressing my users needs through my design decisions.
User Flows
For the new feature, I designed Three distinct user flows. The initial flow involves setting up the feature, allowing users to select the card or account for rounding up purchases and specifying the desired rounding amount. This flow also facilitates editing feature preferences.
The second flow, "Withdraw Savings," demonstrates the process for users to withdraw their saved funds at any time.
The third flow, "Cancel Round Ups," illustrates how users can deactivate round-up contributions for a specific account or card. These carefully crafted flows aim to ensure a seamless user experience for the new feature.
Low Fidelity wireframes.
As The application is already so well established, it was relatively straightforward as to how to set up each page to not only be functional but also integrate itself seamlessly into the existing application. the biggest challenges was figuring out the existing grid and sizes for the new elements fitting into the existing application.
Design system
Working within the established style guidelines of the Chase application, my primary focus was to ensure design consistency for any new components I introduced. Given the intricacy of the application, my efforts were primarily dedicated to the creation of a select few new icons tailored to the requirements of the new feature. Leveraging color and line-weight adjustments, aligned the visual elements of the new feature with the overarching design language of the existing application
Making sure the new feature works!
User testing was conducted with five participants, all current Chase app users aged between 20 and 35. The testing was carried out via video calls with the primary objective of evaluating the users' ability to effectively and efficiently navigate through the different flows of the new feature. I aimed to identify any challenges or difficulties they encountered during the process through the moderated usability test.
High Fidelity Wireframes
Sign in Screen
Home Screen
Round ups feature home screen
Setting up Round ups screens
Setting up Round ups screens
Product Name
Editing Round ups settings
Editing Round ups settings
Cashing out screens
Cashing out screens
Canceling Round ups screens
Canceling Round ups screens
Making sure the new feature works!
User testing was conducted with five participants, all current Chase app users aged between 20 and 35. The testing was carried out via video calls with the primary objective of evaluating the users' ability to effectively and efficiently navigate through the different flows of the new feature. I aimed to identify any challenges or difficulties they encountered during the process through the moderated usability test.
The overall UI of the application was easy to work through. 5 out of 5 users were able to get through the tasks.
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All users found the new feature to be seamlessly integrated into the already existent application in terms of UI and overall functionality.
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A few of the users had some questions on the limitation of the round ups. They wanted to know if there was a maximum or minimum number that they could select for their round ups.
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Users found some of the buttons to be a bit small and wanted them to be bigger.
Final Screens
Final Screens
What I learned and what I would do differently next time.
What I learned and what I would do differently next time.
Know your user.
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Consistently prioritizing user-friendly navigation, I realized that what's intuitive for me may not work for everyone.
Moving away from the screen
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During the ideation phase of this project, I opted for paper instead of Figma, and I discovered that this approach offered a liberating and refreshing experience for creative thinking.
Simplicity works
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As I delved deeper into the Chase Bank application, I increasingly appreciated the effectiveness of their minimalist UI approach. It underscored the concept that "less is more."
