Monable
An all-in-one financial literacy app for young adults
UX Design Case Study — CareerFoundry Immersion Project
Role: UX researcher, designer, and writer
Duration: September 2022 – March 2023
The opportunity
Many young adults graduate college without the financial knowledge they need to confidently manage their money. While some have taken financial literacy courses, research (like that of UVA professor Richard Netemeyer) shows that classroom instruction alone rarely leads to long-term behavioral change.
How might I help young adults learn financial literacy in a practical and personalized way?
The process
I followed a 7-month User-Centered Design (UCD) process to explore the problem, design solutions, and test usability.
Research & Discovery
I began with a competitive analysis of PNC and PayPal—two industry leaders in financial services. Both offer secure transactions and digital wallets, but I noticed a lack of learning features.
I then conducted user interviews with three young professionals. Key takeaways:
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Users want apps that combine necessity with convenience (e.g., budgeting, bill pay, transfers).
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Video lessons and learning by doing were preferred over static text or quizzes.
Based on these insights, I defined a clear problem statement:
Our young adult users need a secure, practical platform to watch lessons, manage money, and access banking tools—because they want to learn how to manage their finances in a familiar, everyday context.
I created two user personas—Jacob (an 18 year old college student) and Laura (a 25 year old nurse and new mom)—to guide ideation based on real goals and frustrations. Their needs informed the creation of user journeys, task flows, and mental models.
A content audit of CNN’s Money Essentials helped shape the tone and clarity of educational content. Then, I conducted a card sorting study with seven participants, which led to a refined sitemap emphasizing easy access to key tools and support.
Ideation & Design
From there, I developed:
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Low- and mid-fidelity wireframes for mobile and desktop (Figma)
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A revised onboarding experience, switching from coach marks to a simple slideshow
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A responsive layout inspired by Slack and Google’s Material Design 3 guidelines
In the high-fidelity stage, I made key refinements:
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Adopted a blue-green and gray palette for a modern, calming look
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Increased accessibility by enhancing contrast, adding field labels, and ensuring all interactions met WCAG standards
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Integrated peer feedback to improve spacing, screen margins, and onboarding flow
Testing & Refinement
To validate and refine my design choices, I conducted usability testing with six participants and organized insights using affinity mapping and a rainbow sheet, rating issues on Nielsen’s severity scale.
Next, I ran an A/B preference test with 19 users to decide on Monable’s visual direction. The majority preferred a light color scheme for clarity and modern appeal, though some favored dark mode for its reduced eye strain.
The solution
Monable offers an engaging, minimalist platform that combines financial education with real-life application. The app’s responsive design makes it accessible on any device, and its UX is built to support learning by doing.
Core features
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Bite-sized video lessons covering essential financial topics
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Secure money tools: Send/receive payments, track budgets, and access account data
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Minimal, intuitive UI based on user-tested navigation patterns
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WCAG-compliant accessibility for broader inclusivity
