SICILIA CREATIVE
CardSmart
The Clever Way to Credit
View Prototype in Figma
Project Role
UX Designer
Tools
Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop
Duration
6 Weeks
Year
2024
Project Overview
CardSmart is a credit tracking and management app that simplifies financial literacy, helping users stay up to date on their credit score, debt, and usage. With tools like an AI chatbot, spending breakdowns, a bill calendar and a credit card finder, CardSmart empowers users to take control of their finances with comfort and ease.
Subpar financial education leaves millions of Americans unaware of their financial health, leading to significant debt, poor credit scores, and high interest rates.
CardSmart aims to close the gap to achieving financial literacy, providing the resources needed to improve financial well-being.
User Research
To ensure CardSmart meets the diverse financial literacy needs across America, I focused my research on discovering who my users are, where they live, and the specific challenges they face in achieving financial literacy.
This approach allowed me to uncover key insights into the state of financial literacy, enabling me to design a solution that addresses users' needs regardless of their financial background.
Key Insights
Credit Scores, Debt, and Usage
Income Brackets: Lower-income families have less credit card debt, lower credit scores, and fewer credit cards than higher-income families.
Age Groups: Younger age groups have less credit card debt, lower credit scores, and fewer credit cards than older age groups.
Urban vs Rural: Urban borrowers owe more on credit cards and have lower average credit scores than rural borrowers.
Financial Literacy
Highest: Older adults (51+), Asian and White Americans, and men have the highest financial literacy rates.
Lowest: Younger generations (18-34), African American, Hispanic, and Native American populations, and women have the lowest financial literacy rates.
User Personas
Based on the data I had collected from foundational research, I developed three unique user personas to represent different sets of user needs. This diverse set of users allowed me to keep CardSmart universally accessible while limiting oversight across a wide variety of users.
Ideation
With the key insights from my user research in mind, it was time to start putting knowledge into action with data-driven solutions that would make CardSmart a simple and effective tool for tracking and managing credit, while allowing users to improve their financial literacy along the way.
Solution #1 - Gamification
From a psychological perspective, changing a person’s habits ultimately depends on how their behavior is reinforced, either positively or negatively.
CardSmart subtly implements this concept in order to help users work towards their credit goals through positive UX writing and interactions that reward positive behaviors.
Conversely, CardSmart negatively reinforces bad credit behaviors, while maintaining a positive and encouraging outlook with feedback and recommendations.
Solution #2 - Bill Calendar
According to Experian, payment history makes up about 35% of your FICO credit score. In fact, missing just one payment can result in a deduction of up to 100 points.
For people who live paycheck to paycheck, turning on autopay can be a risky decision, but having multiple credit lines open at once across multiple accounts can be overwhelming and could increase the risk of missing a payment.
CardSmart’s billing calendar allows users to stay ahead of the game and view all of their payment due dates in one spot.
Solution #3 - AI Chatbot
Companies have used chatbots as virtual assistants and user aids for over a decade now, but with recent advancements in artificial intelligence and the development of large language models like ChatGPT, Llama, and Gemini, these chatbots are now more powerful than ever.
By training an open source LLM like Meta’s Llama 3 on a large set of quality data, CardSmart can offer simple, friendly, and accurate advice to all types of users, making financial literacy instantly accessible.
Sketches
Wireframes
Key Takeaways
Designing for Specific User Needs Creates Universal Value
The principle of universal design was evident in this project, where addressing specific user needs also resulted in features beneficial to all users. By focusing on individual financial challenges, CardSmart's features not only assist those with particular needs but also offer valuable tools for a broader audience.
Data-Driven Design Enhances User Engagement
Leveraging insights from user research enabled the creation of tailored features that directly address common pain points. This data-driven approach ensures that CardSmart is not only user-friendly but also highly relevant to its audience. Engaging users with solutions that resonate with their specific needs fosters better adoption and satisfaction with the application.
CardSmart
The Clever Way to Credit
View Prototype in Figma
Project Role
UX Designer
Tools
Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop
Duration
6 Weeks
Year
2024
Project Overview
CardSmart is a credit tracking and management app that simplifies financial literacy, helping users stay up to date on their credit score, debt, and usage. With tools like an AI chatbot, spending breakdowns, a bill calendar and a credit card finder, CardSmart empowers users to take control of their finances with comfort and ease.
Subpar financial education leaves millions of Americans unaware of their financial health, leading to significant debt, poor credit scores, and high interest rates.
CardSmart aims to close the gap to achieving financial literacy, providing the resources needed to improve financial well-being.
User Research
To ensure CardSmart meets the diverse financial literacy needs across America, I focused my research on discovering who my users are, where they live, and the specific challenges they face in achieving financial literacy.
This approach allowed me to uncover key insights into the state of financial literacy, enabling me to design a solution that addresses users' needs regardless of their financial background.
Key Insights
Credit Scores, Debt, and Usage
Income Brackets: Lower-income families have less credit card debt, lower credit scores, and fewer credit cards than higher-income families.
Age Groups: Younger age groups have less credit card debt, lower credit scores, and fewer credit cards than older age groups.
Urban vs Rural: Urban borrowers owe more on credit cards and have lower average credit scores than rural borrowers.
Financial Literacy
Highest: Older adults (51+), Asian and White Americans, and men have the highest financial literacy rates.
Lowest: Younger generations (18-34), African American, Hispanic, and Native American populations, and women have the lowest financial literacy rates.
User Personas
Based on the data I had collected from foundational research, I developed three unique user personas to represent different sets of user needs. This diverse set of users allowed me to keep CardSmart universally accessible while limiting oversight across a wide variety of users.
Ideation
With the key insights from my user research in mind, it was time to start putting knowledge into action with data-driven solutions that would make CardSmart a simple and effective tool for tracking and managing credit, while allowing users to improve their financial literacy along the way.
Solution #1 - Gamification
From a psychological perspective, changing a person’s habits ultimately depends on how their behavior is reinforced, either positively or negatively.
CardSmart subtly implements this concept in order to help users work towards their credit goals through positive UX writing and interactions that reward positive behaviors.
Conversely, CardSmart negatively reinforces bad credit behaviors, while maintaining a positive and encouraging outlook with feedback and recommendations.
Solution #2 - Bill Calendar
According to Experian, payment history makes up about 35% of your FICO credit score. In fact, missing just one payment can result in a deduction of up to 100 points.
For people who live paycheck to paycheck, turning on autopay can be a risky decision, but having multiple credit lines open at once across multiple accounts can be overwhelming and could increase the risk of missing a payment.
CardSmart’s billing calendar allows users to stay ahead of the game and view all of their payment due dates in one spot.
Solution #3 - AI Chatbot
Companies have used chatbots as virtual assistants and user aids for over a decade now, but with recent advancements in artificial intelligence and the development of large language models like ChatGPT, Llama, and Gemini, these chatbots are now more powerful than ever.
By training an open source LLM like Meta’s Llama 3 on a large set of quality data, CardSmart can offer simple, friendly, and accurate advice to all types of users, making financial literacy instantly accessible.
Sketches
Wireframes
Key Takeaways
Designing for Specific User Needs Creates Universal Value
The principle of universal design was evident in this project, where addressing specific user needs also resulted in features beneficial to all users. By focusing on individual financial challenges, CardSmart's features not only assist those with particular needs but also offer valuable tools for a broader audience.
Data-Driven Design Enhances User Engagement
Leveraging insights from user research enabled the creation of tailored features that directly address common pain points. This data-driven approach ensures that CardSmart is not only user-friendly but also highly relevant to its audience. Engaging users with solutions that resonate with their specific needs fosters better adoption and satisfaction with the application.
Project Role
UX Designer
Tools
Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop
Duration
6 Weeks
Year
2024
Project Overview
CardSmart is a credit tracking and management app that simplifies financial literacy, helping users stay up to date on their credit score, debt, and usage. With tools like an AI chatbot, spending breakdowns, a bill calendar and a credit card finder, CardSmart empowers users to take control of their finances with comfort and ease.
Subpar financial education leaves millions of Americans unaware of their financial health, leading to significant debt, poor credit scores, and high interest rates.
CardSmart aims to close the gap to achieving financial literacy, providing the resources needed to improve financial well-being.
User Research
To ensure CardSmart meets the diverse financial literacy needs across America, I focused my research on discovering who my users are, where they live, and the specific challenges they face in achieving financial literacy.
This approach allowed me to uncover key insights into the state of financial literacy, enabling me to design a solution that addresses users' needs regardless of their financial background.
Key Insights
Credit Scores, Debt, and Usage
Income Brackets: Lower-income families have less credit card debt, lower credit scores, and fewer credit cards than higher-income families.
Age Groups: Younger age groups have less credit card debt, lower credit scores, and fewer credit cards than older age groups.
Urban vs Rural: Urban borrowers owe more on credit cards and have lower average credit scores than rural borrowers.
Financial Literacy
Highest: Older adults (51+), Asian and White Americans, and men have the highest financial literacy rates.
Lowest: Younger generations (18-34), African American, Hispanic, and Native American populations, and women have the lowest financial literacy rates.
User Personas
Based on the data I had collected from foundational research, I developed three unique user personas to represent different sets of user needs. This diverse set of users allowed me to keep CardSmart universally accessible while limiting oversight across a wide variety of users.
Ideation
With the key insights from my user research in mind, it was time to start putting knowledge into action with data-driven solutions that would make CardSmart a simple and effective tool for tracking and managing credit, while allowing users to improve their financial literacy along the way.
Solution #1 - Gamification
From a psychological perspective, changing a person’s habits ultimately depends on how their behavior is reinforced, either positively or negatively.
CardSmart subtly implements this concept in order to help users work towards their credit goals through positive UX writing and interactions that reward positive behaviors.
Conversely, CardSmart negatively reinforces bad credit behaviors, while maintaining a positive and encouraging outlook with feedback and recommendations.
Solution #2 - Bill Calendar
According to Experian, payment history makes up about 35% of your FICO credit score. In fact, missing just one payment can result in a deduction of up to 100 points.
For people who live paycheck to paycheck, turning on autopay can be a risky decision, but having multiple credit lines open at once across multiple accounts can be overwhelming and could increase the risk of missing a payment.
CardSmart’s billing calendar allows users to stay ahead of the game and view all of their payment due dates in one spot.
Solution #3 - AI Chatbot
Companies have used chatbots as virtual assistants and user aids for over a decade now, but with recent advancements in artificial intelligence and the development of large language models like ChatGPT, Llama, and Gemini, these chatbots are now more powerful than ever.
By training an open source LLM like Meta’s Llama 3 on a large set of quality data, CardSmart can offer simple, friendly, and accurate advice to all types of users, making financial literacy instantly accessible.
Sketches
Wireframes
Key Takeaways
Designing for Specific User Needs Creates Universal Value
The principle of universal design was evident in this project, where addressing specific user needs also resulted in features beneficial to all users. By focusing on individual financial challenges, CardSmart's features not only assist those with particular needs but also offer valuable tools for a broader audience.
Data-Driven Design Enhances User Engagement
Leveraging insights from user research enabled the creation of tailored features that directly address common pain points. This data-driven approach ensures that CardSmart is not only user-friendly but also highly relevant to its audience. Engaging users with solutions that resonate with their specific needs fosters better adoption and satisfaction with the application.
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