MoneyCombs
Creating an interactive blend of a physical prototype and a mobile application to facilitate open, stigma-free financial conversations among university students.
MY ROLE
User Research
User Experience
Usability Testing
Visual Design
TIMELINE
Aug 22 - Nov 22
12 weeks
TEAM
Dhanshri Agarwal
Aniket Dwivedi
Xingyi Zhou
Quiyan Kang
TOOLS/METHODS USED
Figma
Balasmiq
Adobe Illustrator
User Interviews
Bodystorming
Task Analysis
Imagine your university days: late-night studies, budget meals, on-campus jobs—the typical life of an international student. Now, did you ever openly discuss your financial challenges with family, friends, or university professionals? There's often a hesitancy, a silent struggle that echoes in every student's experience, wrapped in the stigma around money talks.
Overview
Why is the issue important?
45%
Students feel judged by their peers based on visible signs of financial strain, such as clothing or lifestyle choices.
62%
Students work part-time jobs to support their education and cover living expenses.
55%
Students experience debt and other financial difficulties which causes long-term challenges.
Outcome
We crafted a toolkit, blending physical and digital experiences, offering students advice from anonymous peers and access to professionals for credible financial solutions. This empowers them to make informed decisions, and cultivates stigma-free conversations on campus, leading to a stress-free university life and enduring bonds with peers and professionals.
Initial Problem Statement
'How can we create an intervention that provides credible financial information, reducing economic disparity among university students?'
Design Approach
Jump to the Solution
Physical Product
We envisioned a solution that seamlessly integrates into students' daily lives and strategically placed physical wall art in high-traffic areas such as dorm lobbies and eateries. This installation, serving as a conversation starter, enables students to transition seamlessly to digital discussions by tapping their phones (NFC) on the MoneyComb Tiles.
Digital Prototype
Upon tapping the tile, students gain access to the mobile application for financial assistance while maintaining anonymity. The app features an onboarding game designed to initiate conversations about financial matters and encourages participation in a community where students can seek advice from peers and experts.
Process
User Research results & findings
We began with secondary research, interviewing 6+ diverse students and 1 university financial department professional. Valuable insights from these interviews, along with direct observations, guided us in identifying themes through affinity diagramming. This process allowed us to pinpoint pain points and refine our problem statement, shaping our intervention strategy based on on-campus realities and student perspectives.
Key Insights
Untrusting of Professional Assistance
Discussing financial issues with the school department occasionally made most students feel uncomfortable, as they preferred talking to friends or family facing similar situations.
Unaware of Resources
Students are unaware of the various departments, seminars, and workshops organized by the university to help them deal with financial duress.
Negative Feelings
Impulsive purchases and poor financial decisions caused students to feel guilt and shame, significantly stressing their mental well-being.
Financial Education is not Important
Most students prioritized managing personal finances for quickly paying off debt and ensuring security during their college years, rather than focusing on financial education.
Although we gathered these insights to help design a solution for the students on campus, one word kept popping up in different categories and themes.
STIGMA
Revised Problem Statement
'How might we create an intervention for stigma-free financial conversations on campus to reduce economic disparity among university students?'
Brainstorming
Ideation & Concept Testing
My favorite part of the process, we brainstormed through the Crazy 8 method and specified how those ideas addressed our design requirements. We then got together and used a whiteboard to communicate and build upon each other’s ideas. Once we had our broader ideas in place, we transformed them into digital sketches to create prototypes.
Validating our Research
Why Combine Digital & Physical?
Through our iterations we decided that it would be ideal to design a physical prototype that takes the user to a digital app for two reasons.
Increase Visibility
By having a physical display in a common area, students are shown in a friendly way that there are others like them.
Approachable
The kit can make valuable financial sessions given by professionals available and approachable on campus for most students.
Initial Testing with the Students
After sketching out our ideas, we determined the need for both a physical and digital prototype. We chose the Task Analysis method for testing to evaluate our concept. The valuable insights we gained played a pivotal role in refining and shaping our outcome.
01.
Learning Curve
Users showed difficulty in building blocks and tapping them to access anonymous communities.
02.
Logistical Challenges
Navigational issues and spatial concerns emerged in the interaction with the physical blocks.
03.
Social Interaction Insights
Delving into the task of engaging with others, users revealed initial reservations about initiating conversations with strangers.
Solution
Design Decisions
The aim is to build an interactive yet simple and accessible physical and digital prototype for university students seeking to talk about their financial problems without being judged and create long-term bonds with their community peers.
MoneyComb Tiles
Arranged as wall art in communal areas, each tile displays a specific financial problem. By tapping the tile with their phones (NFC), students can join anonymous chatrooms to discuss and resolve financial issues.
01
Providing accessible MoneyCombs Tiles
Placed in high-traffic areas for visibility, these friendly tiles intrigue students, prompting them to explore. After choosing a category of their concern, students join the mobile app by tapping the main community categories.
02
Reducing Negative Feelings with Anonymous Avatars
Upon tapping the tile and entering the app, users are guided through onboarding screens to familiarize them with the features. Also, users can choose an avatar based on their mood and preferences, allowing them to remain anonymous and mitigating negative feelings when discussing their financial concerns in the group.
03
Ice Breakers to Initiate Stigma-Free Conversations
MoneyCombs provides an open and judgment-free space by anonymously grouping students based on their financial issues and preferences. Ice-breaker games catalyze genuine conversations, fostering a supportive environment free from stigma.
04
Getting support from the Uni Pros to get Credible Information
To ease the concern of discussing financial matters with the school department, the app provides anonymous chatrooms. Once joined, students can seek help from a moderator, fostering a bridge between students and experts. This encourages positive behavior, and users receive virtual coins as rewards.
03
Community, Profile, and Groups features
The Community Page, Profile Page with a Rewards Tracker, and Groups Page are designed to keep students informed about university events and workshops, foster positive behavior, and enable participation in multiple groups where students share similar financial challenges.
The Community Page displays events and discussions happening in the broader category.
The Groups Page
highlights the groups
the student is a member
of, their DMs, and
Pinned Messages.
The Profile Page shows
the user avatar, stats,
and reward tracker.
Future Impact
Students can get good advice about their financial concerns from anonymous peers and professionals. Over time, they become good friends and decide to hang out in real-life.
Personal Level
Give students a sense of inclusion and community. They’re not alone in their struggles, and help is available.
Alleviate the negative feelings associated with bad financial decisions.
Help form long-term bonds among students.
Societal Level
Bridge the communication gap between professional help and students.
Let students focus on academics and career development instead of being bogged down by these issues.
Lessons Learned
Reflecting on the project outcomes
Despite the intensity of this project, it was a deeply rewarding experience for our team. We were able to push our boundaries, learn new skills, and create something with the potential to make a positive impact on society.
Importance of Research
Trusting the design process is crucial. Initially faced with a generic problem statement, our research journey allowed us to comprehend the on-campus reality, leading us to refine and adapt our problem statement accordingly.
Usability Testing is the key
During the ideation phase, we leaned on research, interview insights, and journal articles. However, the pivotal moment came with creating the prototype and subjecting it to testing. This experience highlighted the significance of ensuring users comprehend the design, fostering a deeper understanding of their needs and demands for designers.