Seamless Bill-Splitting for Stress-Free Social Finances

A mobile app that simplifies sharing expenses among friends and family, making it hassle-free to split bills and keep track of spending.

ROLE: UX Design

DURATION: 5 weeks

TEAM: Self-directed design challenge with feedback from mentors & peers

THE PROBLEM

OBJECTIVES

GroupPay is a user-friendly app designed to simplify and streamline the process of splitting bills and expenses with friends and family. Users can effortlessly create and manage group events, track expenses, and calculate the most efficient way to settle accounts in real time.

Splitting bills among friends and family can be a cumbersome and awkward task. People often struggle to keep track of who owes what, leading to misunderstandings and disputes. Existing apps may be complex and lack user-friendly features, making the process even more frustrating.

Design an intuitive and efficient app that makes it easy for users to manage group expenses, minimize disputes, and simplify the process of settling accounts. GroupPay aims to provide a user-friendly solution for groups to track expenses, split bills, and maintain transparency.

THE PROCESS

Initial Research

To understand whose / what problem need solving, I conducted initial research, including a competitive analysis and user interviews. The analysis revealed a gap in the market for a straightforward bill-splitting app.

User Interviews

I interviewed 14 participants, aged 22-45, who frequently split bills with friends and family. The goal was to understand their pain points and needs. Key insights from the interviews included:

  • Over 90% of users found it challenging to track expenses and split bills accurately.

  • 60% experienced disputes or awkwardness in settling accounts.

  • Most users were looking for a more convenient solution.

Research Conclusions

Based on interviews and competitive analysis, I identified three key user needs:

  1. Simplicity: Users want a straightforward solution for bill splitting.

  2. Transparency: Users need a clear view of who owes what to whom.

  3. Efficiency: Users want the fewest possible payments for account settlement.

Personas

  1. Traveling Brian: a young professional who loves to explore new places with his group of adventurous friends. He travels several times a year, visiting different cities and countries. When traveling, they share expenses like accommodation, meals, and activities, but keeping track of who owes what can be confusing when they use excel or notes app. Tom values hassle-free solutions to ensure that his trips are enjoyable and stress-free.

  2. City Dweller Sophia: A young professional living in the heart of the city. She shares an apartment with her roommate to split the monthly rent and utilities. She has a close-knit group of friends and they frequently go out to restaurants and bars, often splitting bills. Chloe is meticulous about keeping track of expenses to ensure that no one forgets to pay their fair share. She values her friendships and believes that financial transparency is key to maintaining them.

USER JOURNEY

FINAL DESIGNS

KEY TAKEAWAYS

This design challenge has been an exciting journey, allowing me to explore fintech app design and expanding my knowledge further on the ways we can leverage design to make people’s lives a bit easier. Here are a few of my takeaways:

Focus on Feasibility and Accessibility:

In the initial brainstorming phase, I entertained the idea of integrating a smart expense-monitoring system into the app. However, as I progressed to the prototyping stage, I realized the importance of narrowing the project's scope to something both feasible and accessible to the target audience. Focusing solely on the mobile app ensured feasibility within my timeframe and accessibility to my target demographic. This shift in scope allowed me to create a more intuitive and user-friendly solution that catered to the needs and concerns of the intended users.

Diverse Feedback Enriches Design:

Gathering insights from a wide range of individuals, from mentors and peers to friends and family, was instrumental in refining the design. Each perspective contributed unique insights, making it clear that diverse feedback enhances the design process.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The next steps include refining the app's user interface and conducting usability testing to ensure it meets users' expectations. Additionally, exploring partnerships with banks or payment providers to enable seamless financial transactions within the app could enhance the user experience.