BunnyUp
Eliminate financial shock in the US
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MY ROLE
Research
Design
User-testing
PROJECT TYPE
Class project
DURATION
11 weeks
TOOLS
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Being an international student in the US is not easy. We have to navigate many difficulties in a language that we are not familiar with: cultural, social, academic, and financial.
In this project, I was responsible for the entire website development process, from Research to Design and Testing.
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4 Weeks
5 Weeks
2 Weeks
Problem
After interviewing 8 students and reviewing their financial management methods , I identified
3 pain points:
Difficulty understanding US currency & value
Lack of financial preparedness
Overwhelming or unorganized resources
Contextualize
BRAINSTORM
I used affinity mapping during brainstorming sessions to help organize and group ideas into themes or categories.
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PERSONAS
I created 2 personas to better align the final product with the needs of our target users. These personas also served as a clear, relatable tool for communicating user goals and behaviors during design presentations.
Chrissy Chaichana
First-year international student from Thailand experiencing the US financial system for the first time. Back home, her parents managed all financial responsibilities, so concepts like budgeting are new and overwhelming. She often feels anxious and confused when trying to manage her debit card, ignores banking alerts, and avoids financial apps that feel too technical. She wants to be more independent with the right tools or guidance.
Rafael Torres
A junior transfer student from Colombia who’s been managing his own finances for years but the US system presents new challenges. He works a part-time job to support his off-campus living expenses and uses tools like Excel to stay organized, but struggles with forecasting variable income, understanding credit scores and taxes. Most finance apps assume he already knows how things work.
PRIORITIZE
Given the limited time, I assessed each feature by effort required and potential impact, focusing on quick wins: those that deliver high impact with minimal effort.
Solutions
Difficulty understanding US currency & value
Currency conversion and price checking tool
Lack of financial preparedness
Budget and goal setting
Overwhelming or unorganized resources
Organized financial tips and Education
Information Structure and Wireframing
INFORMATION STRUCTURE
After contextualizing the data, I created a sitemap and design tenets that are more organized and aligned with user's needs and goals.
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WIREFRAMING
User flows
CHRISSY
Pain Point: Struggles to understand how much things should cost in USD, leading to impulsive or regretful spending
Goal: To feel reassured that her spending and budgeting decisions are smart and responsible
User case 1
User flow 1
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Use case 2
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User flow 2
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RAFAEL
Pain Point: Struggles to track how much he can safely spend or save each month,, and the income after tax
Goal: To understand US financial settings at ease and manage his money
Use case 3
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User flow 3
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Use case 4
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User flow 4
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Design System
User Testing
I conducted in-person usability testing with 4 participants, observing their behaviors, interactions, and thought processes as they navigated the app.
Prior to beginning, I provided each participant with a task list and encouraged them to think aloud, sharing their thoughts and reactions in real time.
1. Make CTAs more visible and inviting
All 4 participants struggled to interact with the "Next" button due to small sizing. On the Home Page, they struggled to find the "USD" button, and did not know it was a dropdown.
To improve user experience, I changed the "USD" and "Next" buttons' design to increase hierarchy, inviting users to interact, and adjust the buttons' location closer to the tapping zone.
Before
After
2. Complete the user flow
3 out of 4 participants struggled to start or end a flow. They did not know where to clik and had to ask for help. At the Tax Result Page, they did not know that they had completed the task.
To improve user experience, I added a "Tap here to set up" to provide more in-app guidance, and added a "Download your tax report" feature to indicate the end of a flow.
Before
After
Final design
Currency Conversion
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Tax Calculator
Price Checking
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Goals Setting
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Achievements and streak
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Key Takeaways
Start user testing earlier
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In hindsight, beginning usability testing earlier in the design process would have allowed me to identify pain points and usability issues sooner. Early feedback could have helped refine core features before investing time in high-fidelity design.
Prioritize visual hierarchy
Through user testing, I realized that some elements on the screen were competing for attention or lacked clear prioritization. Moving forward, I plan to be more intentional with layout, typography, and spacing to ensure users can easily understand what to focus on first.