Stride
Leading the research, design, and product strategy for an AI-based social finance app for young women
why i chose this topic
My dad is a stockbroker, and my mom has a degree in finance — yet, managing money makes me anxious.
As a computer engineering student, I was surrounded by male classmates who openly discussed their investments and credit scores. On the other hand, I couldn't recall the last time my female friends and I talked about our finances. I noticed this was a trend among most women — and it was affecting how we handled our money.
background
2 out of 3 women don't feel confident about investing money. [source]
There have been long-standing stereotypes about women being bad with money — misconceptions that influence women's financial decision-making even today.
initial exploratory research
Social Listening (a.k.a. living on Reddit & Instagram)
Explore challenges and motivations for becoming financially literate.
User Interviews
Interviewed 7 young women (ages 20-27) about their financial mindsets, habits, goals, and family influence.
Diary Study
Analyzed real-time financial decision-making and emotional responses of 6 young women daily for 1 week.
problem & user needs
Women today are learning about managing finances, but they struggle to implement it in their lives.
When it comes to learning, women in their 20s have access to 3 main sources - all of which fall short of their needs.
translating user needs into DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
FEATURE prioritization - CHANGE
Text here about doing ??continuous/ongoing?? user research to finalize features and iterate designs
creating the brand & ASSETS
TEXT ABOUT BRAND
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Progressive Disclosure in onboarding to build trust
Explain progressive disclosure + why I did this (because finance is personal) - Helping users discover the value of this product quickly
Consideration 2 - Designing the AI's Tone of Voice
approach
We brainstormed different use cases where this concept could be useful and mapped out the experience using the 5E framework.
final screens & design decisions
Stride