StockUp
My main objective was to create an engaging app that allows users to both learn about and invest in the stock market.
Background
StockUp is an app concept for young adults who are interested in investing their money but do not know much about the stock market. Many young adults understand the benefits of investing their money but don’t know where to start. This app includes modules, quizzes, market news, and videos to help educate the user on investing and personal finance. StockUp also allows users to trade stocks and displays investment information.
App Design Process
Every step of this project was planned out to make an effective and appealing app that is successful in solving users’ problems.
Research
For competitor analysis, I chose to look at Robinhood and Acorn—two investment apps—as well as Mint and Stash—two personal finance and budgeting apps.
I made a few observations of what made these other apps successful:
Well-structured navigation
Encourage low-risk investing
‘Learn by doing’ model
Provide information that is easy to understand
I conducted interviews with people that fit the target market this app would be geared towards: young adults that don’t know how to start investing their money. This gave me a chance to listen to new perspectives and pain points I could come up with solutions for.
User Flow
The app's sitemap is neatly organized into two main categories: learning and investing. This structure ensures users can easily navigate between educational resources for understanding the stock market and practical tools for managing investments.
App Overview
Learn
StockUp offers a robust educational experience on the stock market, featuring modules, quizzes, market news, and videos. Users also have access to tutors who provide additional guidance and support throughout their learning journey.
Invest
StockUp features a robust suite of investment offerings, providing users with tools to manage their investments effectively. This includes access to account insights, real-time market data, portfolio tracking, and various investment options tailored to personal and financial goals.
Branding
Investing seems scary at first when you don’t know what you’re doing, but your earnings can grow exponentially once you understand more about the market—I wanted a logo that reflected that concept. Red, yellow, and green are widely known to represent speeds when paired together and line charts are a common way for investors to quickly see their account values. The final logo is sturdy, reliable, and combines these representations of speed and success to portray this concept of upward exponential growth.
The bright, vivid colors help evoke an energetic, playful feeling and makes the branding stand out from other financial platforms. They can be used against light or dark neutral backgrounds without compromising on contrast.
For typography, I paired two sans-serifs that indicate competency yet feel friendly. It didn’t clash or try to overwhelm the bold, geometric illustration style. Highly inspired by mid-century graphics and cartoons, I felt the illustrations were an opportunity to add vibrant personality using relatively simple flat shapes.
I designed some additional marketing tools including email campaigns, a tote bag, and keychains.
