Intuit Financial Literacy App
Project Overview
Spicy Money is an innovative financial literacy application designed for the Intuit group, catering to young adults transitioning from college to the workforce. The app uses a creative hot sauce metaphor to teach financial concepts in an engaging, relatable way. Just as hot sauce adds flavor when used correctly but causes pain when misused, money management follows similar principles.
Design Concept
The app's unique brand identity centers around the hot sauce metaphor for money management:
"Money is like hot sauce: used right, it adds flavor to life; used wrong, it'll leave you crying."
This creative metaphor runs consistently through the entire experience, making financial education more approachable and memorable for the target audience.
Key Design Elements
-
High Visual Consistency: Cohesive color palette, typography, and visual elements that reinforce the hot sauce theme throughout the app.
-
Intuitive User Flow: Thoughtfully designed progression from onboarding to personalized financial scenarios.
-
Gamification Elements: "Spicy levels" for difficulty choices, monthly challenges, and visual indicators of financial performance.
-
Personalization: Setup questions that tailor the experience to the user's specific financial situation and goals.
Platform Features & Workflow
1. Homepage
-
Introduces the hot sauce/money metaphor
-
Clear "Start" button to begin the experience
-
Engaging visuals that establish the app's playful tone
2. Introduction & Usage Guide
-
Step-by-step instructions on how to use the app
-
Explanation of the "Spicy Money Sauce" concept (representing initial funds)
-
Role selection based on spending personality and lifestyle
3. Setup & Personalization
-
Five setup questions to personalize the experience, including:
-
Work situation (remote, hybrid, onsite)
-
Living situation
-
Pet ownership
-
Other lifestyle factors
-
-
Selection of a persona (like Alex Zhang) that reflects the user's situation
4. Monthly Challenges
-
12-month financial journey with unique scenarios each month
-
Seasonally appropriate challenges (e.g., holiday spending in December)
-
Three key interactive elements on each challenge page:
-
Hint buttons for guidance
-
Navigation controls (skip, back, restart)
-
"Hot sauce balance" tracker showing remaining funds
-
-
Smooth transitions between months to indicate passage of time
5. Decision-Making Framework
-
Each financial decision offers options at different "spice levels":
-
Mild: Conservative financial choice
-
Medium: Balanced approach
-
Hot: Higher risk/reward option
-
Extra Hot: Most aggressive financial decision
-
User Testing & Design Improvements
User Testing Process
A comprehensive testing strategy was implemented to validate and improve the prototype:
Methodology
-
Mixed-method approach combining surveys, interviews, from junior and senior undergraduate students
-
15 participants (primarily junior and senior undergraduates)
-
Focus on content resonance/clarity and interface intuitiveness/engagement
Key Findings
Positive Feedback:
-
Users enjoyed the questions and found the content highly relatable
-
The hot sauce theme was universally appreciated
-
Interface was generally easy to use
Areas for Improvement:
-
Game purpose was initially unclear to many users
-
Limited variety in response options
-
Navigation challenges for some users
-
Color differentiation needed between popup scenarios and self-investments
-
Font readability issues
Data-Based Improvements
Based on user feedback, several key improvements were implemented:
-
Enhanced Instructions: Created more detailed guidance at the beginning to clarify the game's purpose and winning conditions
-
Expanded Options: Added more varied choices for each scenario to increase replayability and decision-making complexity
-
Typography Updates: Switched to a more readable non-serif font to improve accessibility
-
Visual Clarity: Improved color coding to distinguish between different types of financial scenarios