NOVA FINANCE
A mobile-first banking solution for the modern generation.
THE
PITCH
Nova Finance is a financial wellness app that removes the anxiety of checking bank balances for Gen Z users.
It solves the stress of financial burden by presenting data through a calm, gamified, and jargon-free dashboard. My role was to lead the end-to-end redesign of the homepage experience.
DESIGN
PROCESS
Discovery & Research
Because money is an emotional topic, I conducted 15 empathy interviews with Gen Z users to understand their specific anxiety triggers. I found that red text and complex charts caused users to close the app immediately. This and A/B testing made us decide on the colors and the elements on the homepage.
I analyzed traditional banking apps alongside meditation apps using a comparative matrix to identify why standard finance tools felt "cold" and how we could borrow "calming" UI patterns for Nova.
Design & Prototyping
I created low-fidelity sketches to iterate on the hierarchy of information. I used a "progressive disclosure" method so users wouldn't be bombarded with total debt numbers the moment they opened the homepage.
LEARNINGS
💡 What did I learn?
I learned that for Gen Z, emotional safety is just as important as functional utility in a finance app. A correct number presented aggressively can cause a user to churn; the delivery of the data matters immensely.
😲 Surprising Insights
I was genuinely surprised to see that users preferred "fuzzy" numbers (e.g., "About $50 left") over exact decimals on the primary dashboard. Exactness felt stressful, while approximations felt manageable. We added a toggle to switch between these modes.
🚧 Biggest Challenge
The biggest challenge was balancing the "calm" aesthetic with the need for financial accuracy. The engineering team worried that hiding too much data would make the app useless. We overcame this by introducing "Deep Dive" drawers—keeping the home screen clean while keeping detailed data one tap away.
✨ Favorite Part
I loved the visual design phase, specifically testing color palettes.
"Nova makes checking my bank account feel less like a horror movie and more like a daily check-in. I finally feel in control." — Beta User Review