Frugal

The challenge

During a casual conversation with family and friends about managing household expenses, I noticed a common theme: everyone wanted to save more, but no one felt confident about how to budget consistently. The discussion wasn’t about spreadsheets or financial tools. It was about uncertainty: where to begin, how to structure expenses, and whether they were “doing it right.”

That moment revealed something deeper: people do not just need tracking tools, they need guidance. Frugal began as an exploration into how design could make budgeting feel simple, structured, and approachable for everyday users.

Role and responsibilities

I led the project end-to-end following the Design Thinking framework: empathizing with users through research, defining key problem areas, ideating potential solutions, designing low- and high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, conducting usability testing, and iterating on the design based on feedback.

Early insights

Through early research, I found that users were not only looking for a place to record expenses. They needed clearer guidance around what to do next, where to find key tools, and how to make budgeting feel manageable over time.

• Budgeting felt uncertain: Users wanted to save more, but were unsure how to structure expenses consistently.
• Important tools needed to be easier to find: Users could complete tasks once they located the right feature, but discovery was not always immediate.
• Guidance mattered more than raw data: Tips and goals helped turn financial information into smaller, more actionable steps.

Reframing the problem

Initially, the focus was on improving expense tracking and visual clarity. However, research revealed that the real challenge was not data entry. It was building confidence and consistency in financial decision-making. Instead of designing just another budgeting tool, the problem shifted toward creating a guided experience that supports users in developing sustainable money habits over time.

Design direction

With the problem reframed around confidence and consistency, the design approach focused on three guiding principles: simplicity, progressive guidance, and visual clarity. Not every user needs complex financial concepts to get started; sometimes simple, approachable ideas are more effective because they help users understand their next step and begin saving with less hesitation. Rather than overwhelming users with data, the interface was structured to prioritize essential actions, surface insights gradually, and integrate actionable tips directly within the financial workflow.

Exploration

To explore solutions, I started with low-fidelity paper wireframes to quickly test layout structure, navigation patterns, and information hierarchy before digital refinement.

The solution

To address the need for clarity and confidence in financial decision-making, the solution focused on transforming budgeting from a data-heavy task into a guided behavioural experience. Rather than centering the app around charts and numbers, Frugal prioritizes structured support, meaningful goals, and actionable insights.

Testing

To validate key user flows, I conducted an unmoderated usability study with 5 participants who actively manage their personal or household finances. Participants were asked to record transactions, apply a budgeting tip, create a savings goal, and review spending statistics. The goal was to assess clarity, ease of navigation, and overall confidence in using the app.

• Navigation: Users expected the menu icon to contain all primary features, so the navigation was refined to consolidate core sections within the menu.
• Transactions: Users were comfortable recording transactions once the flow was understood, but initial discovery required clearer navigational cues.
• Guided support: Users responded positively to structured guidance through tips and goals, reinforcing the value of guided financial support.

Iteration

Based on these insights, I refined the navigation structure to better align with user expectations, ensuring key features were discoverable and logically grouped. Visual hierarchy on the dashboard was adjusted to clarify primary actions, and onboarding cues were strengthened to support first-time users.

• Before: Key budgeting features were present, but users were not immediately sure where to find them.
• Issue: The menu did not clearly match users' expectation that it would contain the main app sections.
• After: Core sections were grouped more predictably, with clearer dashboard cues guiding users toward transactions, tips, goals, and spending review.

Impact and reflection

Based on testing, I refined the navigation and content hierarchy to address the hesitation participants showed when locating key features.

Frugal reflects a thoughtful exploration of how structured design decisions, guided by research and iteration, can shape meaningful user experiences. It represents a deliberate shift toward designing with behavioural clarity and intentional simplicity.