Partner — AI Financial Companion

01 — Problem Statement

The financial stress gap

Many financially stressed adults struggle to manage bills, absorb unexpected expenses, and make confident day-to-day decisions because they lack timely, actionable guidance and clear visibility into their financial reality. Stress, uncertainty, and reactive behaviors worsen instability rather than improve it.

60%

of adults report feeling anxious about their personal finances

Stress is universal

49%

are living paycheck-to-paycheck with no financial buffer

Margins are razor-thin

34%

can't cover a $400 emergency without borrowing or selling

Safety nets are missing

→

16% already trust AI more than humans for financial advice — the door is open, but the right product doesn't yet exist.

02 — Discovery · User Interviews

6 interviews · 40–45 min · Zoom & in-person

Goal: gain insight into how participants currently manage finances, what emotional challenges they face, and how they perceive AI-based financial tools.

"I get really stressed out, sometimes depressed and at times I lash out."

Participant 1 — on managing finances

"If my bank had an AI that helped me budget, I will feel like — okay, this is not a scam."

Participant 5 — on AI trust

"Cut me off and say, you ordered pens 3x last week. You don't need anymore."

Participant 2 — on behavioral guardrails

Affinity Map — Behaviors & Pain Points Open in Figma

Clustering participant responses by behavior & pain point themes

Key Findings — 6 Themes

01

Proactive AI Guidance

Users want a tool that acts as a "personal assistant" — performing budgeting, separating funds, and sending positive action alerts.

Do more than inform — act

02

Bank-Level Trust

Trust increases significantly when guidance is tied to an established financial institution. Bank = legitimacy.

Institutional trust is the unlock

03

Goal Achievement

Users need a tool that helps build savings, plan for unexpected expenses, and gives confidence to achieve goals.

Progress visibility drives motivation

04

AI Must Be Transparent

Participants want to see how suggestions were calculated — where the information comes from and why a recommendation was made.

Explainability drives trust

05

Impulse Spending

Users explicitly requested to be "cut off" in real time during moments of temptation or weak self-control.

Intervention > reflection

06

Finance as Emotional Burden

Users described finances as "survival mode" — overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. Calm is a design feature.

Calm is a design feature

How Might We

1How might we turn financial information into clear next steps users can actually act on?

2How might we help users avoid preventable financial setbacks before they happen?

3How might we make emergency preparedness feel achievable, even for users with limited income?

4How might we reduce the impact of stress on financial decision-making?

5How might we design AI guidance that feels helpful, safe, and easy to act on?

03 — Synthesis

Personas & Journey Maps

Two data-grounded personas at different stages of their financial lifecycle, each with distinct behaviors preventing them from reaching their goals.

Persona 01The Self-Reliant Systematizer

Persona 02Alex

Journey Map — Current & Future State Open in Figma

Emotional arcs expose the precise moments where users need support most

User Flows — Removing Obstacles to Goals Open in Figma

↻

Strategic pivot: Instead of adding friction to alter behavior, I focused on removing obstacles to goals while seamlessly integrating healthier alternatives.

Task flows mapped to persona goals

04 — Design

From wireframes to Partner's decision engine

Lo-Fi Wireframes — Savings Goal Flow

Maria's flow to create a savings goal — validating structure before investing in detail

Hi-Fidelity — The Decision Engine

When a user wants to make a purchase they can't currently afford, Partner analyzes their income schedule and savings to offer two smart paths forward.

Option A — Saving Loan

A loan drawn from the user's own savings — which must be paid back, keeping them on track for goals while freeing up cash now.

Option B — Save For It Later

Automatically creates a savings goal — with user approval — to accumulate funds and make the purchase at the right time.

Prototype — 4 Flows for Usability Testing

4 prototype flows built for usability testing and validation

05 — Outcome

What Partner became

Partner is an institutional white-label guidance layer — a trusted, explainable financial assistant that helps users avoid preventable setbacks, manage behavior in the moment, and make steady progress toward financial stability. Designed to live inside existing financial institutions.

Design Principle

Trustworthy by design. Every interaction is explainable — Partner shows its reasoning and respects user autonomy at every step.

Core Behavior

Guidance in the moment. Built around bill due dates, impulse buys, unexpected expenses — the small decisions that compound.

Next Steps

Complete usability testing → iterate → propose pilot to small financial institutions.

The key realization

"I realized that I was inadvertently designing for behaviors that prevent users from achieving their financial goals. Emotions lead users to choices not in their best interest, creating a painful cycle. Impulse spending often stems from negative self-perception. Coming to this realization has significantly enhanced my design skills."

What this demonstrates

End-to-end ownership of a complex, research-led product concept. Ability to translate qualitative insight into design decisions, AI interaction patterns, and a tested prototype — all as a sole designer.

Want to discuss this project?

I'd love to walk through my research process, design decisions, and usability testing insights.

Get in touch