Roles

Tools Used

Ideation, Research, UI/UX Design, Visual Design, Prototyping

Timeline

Fall 2025

6 weeks

Total Team

Contribution

180 hours

Team

Jenna Cianfarani, Dora Akhbardeh, Jasmine Chan

Maria Lucia Benavides

Individual

Contribution

40 hours

Figma, Photoshop, Gemini, ChatGPT

The Problem

Many individuals have a difficult time adapting their spending habits to their lifestyles, creating financial irresponsibility and tension.

Leads to poor and inconsistent spending habits.

Traditional apps only track past spending and rely on manual input.
Without personalized guidance, people overspend in high-cost months and miss saving opportunities in low-cost ones.

Research Insights

Why Financial Awareness Is Important

Avoid Financial Stress
The most common cause of financial problems is spending more than you are earning. With a flexible, sensible budget, you can control of your money and avoid financial stress.

Credit
Credit is a major factor in today's economy and is your reputation as a borrower. Managing your credit is especially important when it comes time to rent an apartment, finance a car, buy a house, or even find a job

Financial Security
Saving and investing is the path to financial security and foundation for financial success. The earlier you start the better.

How it is affecting Canadians

of Canadians who are preparing financially to retire do not have a plan for retirement

32%

Canadians (17%) say their monthly spending exceeds their income

1 in 6

of Canadians are planning some type of major purchase or expenditure within the next 3 years

66%

Budget apps often lack flexibility in accounting for irregular, surprise, or seasonal expenses

Budgeting is behavioural, static budgeting platforms do not reflect changing habits

Users struggle with transparency in their spending due to inconsistent tracking

Pain Points in budgeting applications

Interestingly, Canadians who use digital tools for budgeting are among the most likely to keep on top of their bill payments and monthly cashflow.”

— Financial Consumer Agency of Canada

“

An automated platform that provides personalized coaching to help users manage their spending and savings responsibly

The Solution

SplitWise

A free mobile and web application designed to track shared expenses and simplify how individuals settle up on debts.

Expense splitting is fairly clear, but settlement tracking is confusing and the manual input required for recurring bills is tedious.

Usability

Offers simple expense tracking with clear but unengaging instructions and minimal personalization.

Content

Simplifies group expense sharing by maintaining ongoing balances and clarifying “who owes who”.

Novelty

Relies on manual logging without AI or automation, syncs reliably across platforms, but lacks direct payment integrations.

Technology

Allows users to create groups, split expenses, view clear balance summaries, and sync across devices with reminders.

Functionality

Features a minimal, neutral interface that prioritizes clarity over aesthetics but feels dated and lacks polish.

Visual Design

A mobile payment app that allows users in the US to send and request money from friends, family, and participating merchants.

Venmo

Enables quick peer-to-peer payments with a casual social feel, but automated bill-splitting, requiring manual calculations.

Usability

Relies on user-inputted data, resulting in inconsistent content and minimal financial insights.

Content

Introduced a social approach, simplifying peer-to-peer transfers and becoming the norm for splitting small expenses.

Novelty

Backed by PayPal’s strong payment infrastructure, integrates with banks and cards, but lacks AI, prediction, or automation.

Technology

Instant money transfers through linked accounts or cards and integrates with select merchants for direct payments.

Functionality

Features a bright, playful interface inspired by social media, prioritizing interaction over detailed expense management.

Visual Design

Other Competitors

See Full Benchmark Analysis

Benchmark Analysis

PACT Analysis

Primary users
Young adults, professionals, and families who struggle with budgeting, overspending, or saving for specific goals.

Secondary users
Financial coaches who could recommend the app to clients.

People

53% of people report they would save more if they had reminders or “nudges” to guide their spending (Newcomb, 2022).

The app supports users through a series of proactive and interactive tasks that make budgeting feel dynamic rather than restrictive.

Actions

Situational Context
Daily spending, major purchases, and seasonal expense spikes.

Environment of Use
Supports on-the-go decisions, at-home planning, and potential integration with wearables or browser tools.

Context

73% of consumers prefer financial apps that provide proactive recommendations rather than passive tracking (Deloitte, n.d).

The technology behind the app must be adaptive, reliable, and intuitive, providing insights without overwhelming the user.

Technology

System Map

User Personas and Scenarios

Sherfie is a fourth year university student who juggles school and a part time job. She and her friends are going to Japan next year for their graduation trip. She wants to learn how to budget her finances and income so she can save enough money for her trip.

Sherfie Young

University Student, 21 years old

Pain Points

Struggles to stay motivated using budgeting apps
Unsure how to start
Finds initial setup tedious and overwhelming

Traits

Can easily become stressed
Is open to learning new skills
Poor time management skills

Scenario

— Sherfie Young

Features

Homepage
AI Chat Box Message
Make New Chat
New Budget Plan

Needs

Needs to have a budget plan for her upcoming trip

Start New Chat

Tell WiLLO about your trip

Home Page

AI coach messaging

WiLLO Adjusts Budget Plan

User Flow

I’m starting to plan my graduation trip to Japan next year, and I want to save $5K by next May. I’m willing to set aside some money each month for it to happen."

Amy was recently laid off unexpectedly and no longer has a steady income. She needs to carefully manage her savings while looking for a new job, focusing on cutting unnecessary expenses, and using tools that help her adjust her budget quickly.

Amy Amberrose

Unemployed, 28 years old

Pain Points

Needs an app that quickly adapts to sudden income loss
Feels stressed about savings and struggles to plan for bills

Traits

Often overwhelmed balancing work and parenting
Spends cautiously

Scenario

— Amy Amberrose

Features

Wishlist / budget goal
AI-driven budget plan
Product suggestions
Push notifications

Needs

Amy needs coaching on how to adjust his spending habits without giving up too much.

Add Item

Imput Item Information

Home Page

Wish List

WiLLO Adjusts Budget Plan

User Flow

I want to buy a pair of AirPods, but I can’t afford them right now. I added them to my WiLLO wishlist so I can see how long it’ll take me to save up for them."

See All User Personas and Scenarios

Visual Research

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#BCB6FE

#6ACDFD

#1031A0

#F97959

The use of vibrant colours are used to illustrate simple designs and highlight key information. A friendly typeface will be used in conjunction with this vibrant branding to present a friendly and welcoming product.

Overall professional, trustworthy, clean, reliable

Vibrant primary colours

Simple layout

Professional

The home page should give users a quick, at-a-glance overview of their financial health without overwhelming them. It acts as the central hub where users can instantly see their progress toward goals, spending patterns, and AI insights.

Homepage UX/UI Features

Clear dashboard

Insightful graphs

The AI chatbot is the app’s voice, offering approachable, conversational guidance by turning financial insights into clear, tailored, and actionable advice.

Messaging UX/UI Features

Tailored actionable
AI advice

Minimalistic interface

Budget plan adjustments & updates

See Complete Visual Research

Wireframes

Low-Fidelity

Homepage

Insights Page

Wishlist

High-Fidelity

See Complete Wireframing

Homepage

Insights Page

Wishlist

Presenting WiLLO

See Final Prototype

Dashboard

The dashboard gives users an instant snapshot of their financial progress, tailored to what matters most to them.

With customizable widgets, quick goal milestones, and automatic updates, it helps users stay informed and motivated at a glance.

Insights

The calendar gives the user a quick, organized view of what’s coming up financially.

All subscriptions and recurring payments appear in one clear timeline grouped into effective categories.

AI Chat Coach

Turns financial guidance into a friendly conversation, helping users feel supported rather than overwhelmed.

It offers personalized advice, answers money questions in plain language, and uses spending data to give tips and encouragement.

Wishlist

Helps users save with purpose by breaking goals into clear, trackable milestones.

Each item shows its target cost, progress bar, and reminders, while the AI suggests saving strategies or affordable alternatives.

Upcoming Payments

The calendar gives the user a quick, organized view of what’s coming up financially.

All subscriptions and recurring payments appear in one clear timeline grouped into effective categories.

Design System

Typography