Background: As I was paying all of monthly my bills one day, I found myself getting frustrated at how many times I had to jump back and forth from multiple apps and sites. I decided to create Bankeven, an app that allows users to connect all of their accounts from different banks, as well as pay all of their bills, in a single app. Bankeven also gives the user an in-depth look at all of their accounts and past transactions.
Challenges: The biggest challenge during creating this app was the logistics. A lot goes into logistics behind financial services, especially with startup apps. In order to make sure Bankeven would be feasible, I did research on FDIC and what goes into ensuring users' personal information is kept private within the app. I discovered that FDICs are the responsibility of the company that the user banks with- not necessarily apps that receive the banking information. If the user allows the app to access their bank information, that information is still FDIC insured.
256-bit AES and 128-bit AES are often used in banking institutions to keep user information safe; both are entirely secure, but companies will sometimes upgrade to 256-bit for marketing purposes. Advertising this high-level security encryption would allow users to instill trust in Bankeven, giving them a better user experience. In addition to this, financial institutions tend to not store a user's personal information on their phone, but rather, in a direct database. This prevents a user's information from getting stolen if their phone was hacked or stolen, and this method would be implemented in Bankeven's setup.
256-bit AES and 128-bit AES are often used in banking institutions to keep user information safe; both are entirely secure, but companies will sometimes upgrade to 256-bit for marketing purposes. Advertising this high-level security encryption would allow users to instill trust in Bankeven, giving them a better user experience. In addition to this, financial institutions tend to not store a user's personal information on their phone, but rather, in a direct database. This prevents a user's information from getting stolen if their phone was hacked or stolen, and this method would be implemented in Bankeven's setup.
Results: Bankeven's final prototype consisted of 14 primary screens that I felt best represented the app. The UI stayed sleek and clean throughout the entire design process with pops of color in order to diversify it from other banking apps while still appealing to a demographic of 18-24-year-olds. While only 14 screens were fully designed and prototyped, the remaining 47 screens were wireframed.
Workflow of all the screens within Bankeven. All screens were fully prototyped and tested.
Happyflow of the screens I felt best represented Bankeven's capabilities.
All screens (from happyflow) that were designed and tweaked after user testing. These screens include the home screen, a bank account screen, a transaction details screen, the calendar screen, a specific day within the calendar screen, and all of the screens the user goes through to schedule a payment.
Final mockup of design for Bankeven.
Banner ad for Bankeven that would be used on websites.
Mockup of an Instagram ad for Bankeven. I specifically chose to use a lifestyle shot because as ads become more mainsteam on Instagram feeds, users tend to scroll right past them as soon as they deem them as ads. Utilizing user-generated content makes it more likely for the targeted audience to stop on the ad.