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Net worth tracking app: boosting conversion and retention

Best free net worth tracker. Intuitive and detailed.

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Net worth tracker app project cover
The goal

To redesign TrackMyStack, a net worth tracking app, to deliver a more intuitive and comprehensive financial tool, improving user experience and driving better conversion rates, engagement, and retention.

My role

UX Researcher/UX Designer/UI Designer

Responsibilities

Rebranding/User research/Wireframing/Prototyping

The challenge

The app must be designed in a way that is easy to use and understand for users of varying levels of financial literacy, while providing advanced features and insights for more experienced users. Striking the right balance between complexity and simplicity is key to creating a product that is both effective and widely adopted.

Another challenge is balancing the need for innovation and creativity with maintaining the app’s familiarity and usability for existing users.

Target audience

Individuals who are interested in managing their personal finances and tracking their overall financial health. This includes people who may have various sources of income and assets, such as salaried employees, self-employed individuals, and investors.

So how might we create a more comprehensive yet intuitive net worth tracking tool for users of varying levels of financial literacy?

Understanding the user: pain points

During my user research, I conducted interviews with 16 financial app users. Through these interviews, I gained valuable insights into the pain points that users commonly experience while using financial apps. These findings helped me to better understand the needs and expectations of my target audience and informed my decisions as I worked to redesign TrackMyStack.

Data Accuracy

Users of net worth tracking apps encounter discrepancies between the data in the app and their actual financial accounts, which can lead to frustration and confusion.

Data accuracy is crucial for financial apps, as inaccurate data can skew financial projections and mislead users.

Complexity

Users often find it difficult to understand the terminology or the process for inputting financial data, which can make it challenging to use the app effectively. The complexity of the app also makes it difficult for users to navigate and find the information they need, which can lead to frustration and decreased engagement with the app.

Security Concern

Many users are concerned about the security of their financial data, particularly if the app requires access to sensitive financial accounts. They are hesitant to share this information with a third-party app and are looking for reassurances that their data is being handled securely.

After conducting extensive research into TrackMyStack’s customer base, I gained a clear understanding of the three primary customer profiles the company serves. In order to better empathise with these customers and gain a deeper understanding of their needs, goals, and behaviours, I created user personas. By using these personas as a reference, I was able to design features and experiences that were tailored to the specific needs of each customer group, ultimately resulting in a more engaging and effective product.

Competitive audit

In order to incorporate successful strategies from other companies into TrackMyStack, I analysed the products offered by the company’s key competitors. By identifying their strengths and weaknesses, I gained insights into what works and what doesn’t in the market. This allowed me to determine how TrackMyStack could differentiate themselves and improve upon existing solutions.

A screenshot of a spreadsheet page with extensive competitive audit for the Track My Stack app
The biggest takeaways:
  • Successful apps tend to offer a diverse set of features that can appeal to users with varying financial needs and goals
  • Some of the net worth tracking apps lack simplicity and ease of use in their UX, preventing users from quickly and easily accessing key information and insights
  • Some net worth tracking apps integrate with other financial services or platforms, such as investment management tools or banking apps, which may raise security concerns
  • Most of the net worth tracking apps offer basic functionality and  may be useful for individuals or households with relatively simple financial situations. However, users with more complex financial situations or investment portfolios may require more advanced features or customisation options to fully meet their needs

Information architecture

Onboarding flow improvement

As part of the app redesign project, I focused on improving the user onboarding process by adding new screens that would guide users through the app’s features and functionalities.

One of the key changes I made to the onboarding process was to highlight an important feature of the app that some users may not have been aware of: the ability to use the app without creating an account. By emphasising this feature, I aimed to reduce any potential barriers to entry and make it as easy as possible for new users to get started with the app.

Before:

The previous onboarding flow was lacking in intuitiveness and engagement, relying heavily on text without visual aids, which was creating confusion for some users

A screenshot of the welcome page in the original app
A screenshot of the announcements page in the original app
A screenshot of the welcome message page in the original app
An image of the original home page of the app

The onboarding flow I created was informed by the findings from the user research data and industry best practices.

In addition to the onboarding screens, I made several other small changes to the onboarding process to improve the user experience.

Overall, these changes helped to create a more intuitive and streamlined onboarding experience that made it easy for users to get started with the app and begin tracking their net worth.

Updated onboarding flow flowchart
A photo of more paper wireframes with the new user flow that I created
A photo of paper wireframes with the new user flow that I created
Paper wireframes

TrackMyStack is already a popular and user-friendly app, but requires optimisation and new features. To achieve this, I started with creating paper wireframes to bring together important elements of the app and introduce new user flows.

Digital wireframes

Given that the primary objective of the project was to update the app’s outdated appearance and introduce new features, I aimed to ensure a seamless integration of the new functionality with the existing one. After conducting a thorough analysis of the app’s current user flows, I proposed certain modifications that were likely to enhance the user experience.

One of the suggestions I made was to incorporate onboarding screens to help new users understand the app’s features more clearly.

An image depicting several lo-fi mockups of the onboarding flow

Usability study findings & insights

Our usability studies focused on the updated onboarding flow. 

  • Users were able to quickly and easily understand the purpose and benefits of the app
  • Users found that onboarding process and new user flow effectively communicate the app’s value proposition and encourage users to track their net worth
  • Some users were unsure of how to add assets to an empty portfolio

Refining the design: mockups

Colours

The colour scheme was updated to be more cohesive and visually appealing. The new brand design was extensively tested with the target audience to ensure that it conveyed the desired messaging and resonated with users. Overall, the refreshed brand design was intended to convey a sense of confidence and trust in the app’s ability to help users achieve their financial goals.

Typography
I chose Quasimoda as a brand typeface for Track My Stack. The image shows different font weights for this font.
Logo

TrackMyStack logo was outdated and did not match the maturity of the brand. It was important that the refreshed brand maintained the familiarity and trust that the existing audience had with the app while also conveying a sense of modernity and relevance that could attract new users.

In the redesign process, I kept the original concept of stacked coins in mind and focused on simplifying the design.

Track My stack logo before the redesign
TrackMyStack Logo Before
Track My stack logo after the redesign
Redesigned TrackMyStack Logo
New Track My stack logo on an iphone screen
TrackMyStack Logo on Home Screen
A screenshot of the Track My Stack home screen before the redesign. It looks outdated and not very user-friendly.
Before

cluttered and confusing top app bar, net worth is not prominent

it's unclear how a user could change chart timeframe

low contrast, cluttered main navbar

net worth is highly visible, clearer structure of top app bar

redesigned chart is more user-friendly

users can easily change chart timeframe

highly visible FAB for adding portfolios and assets

account moved to top app bar

IMG_9325
After
More mockups
A screenshot of the redesigned home page which looks much cleaner and more organised now
A screenshot of the new asset creation page where a user can choose the type of the asset: manual, stock, crypto, or commodity
A screenshot of a Creating a new asset page in the Track My Stack app
A screenshot of the Stocks portfolio page settings in Track My Stack app
A screenshot of the Stocks page with a pie chart and a line graph
A screenshot of flyout account menu, including settings, backup, FAQ, Announcements and an option to upgrade to Track My Stack Premium
A screenshot showing Track My Stack Premium features and choice between yearly and monthly subscription
Screenshot of the TMS Design System
Screenshot of the TMS Design System

Prototyping

In order to test out my design concepts and ideas and get feedback before moving on to the development phase I created high fidelity prototypes using Figma’s prototyping tools. I added interactive elements such as buttons, input fields, and transitions to make the prototypes feel like a functional app.

Below are screenshots of just two out of dozens of the app’s user flows.

A screenshot of a Figma prototype I created for a new client flow of the net worth tracking app
A screenshot of a Figma prototype I created for a full portfolio flow of the net worth tracking app

Impact

300%

increase in conversions to premium accounts

94%

increase in 90-day retention rate
(34% to 66%)

270%

increase in the number of daily active users (DAU)

Hear it from the users
Vic G
Read More
Best free Net Worth tracker. Intuitive and Detailed.
Silindokuhle Jay
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I'm in love with this app, motivates me to grow my wealth and show my holdings in real time. Plus the no need for signing up 👌🏽
123gango
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Brilliant! Well worth the sub. I love the new look and sync feature.
David Foster
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If you want to go from broke to wealthy, try this app. It will provide you with your overall financial picture so you can work on tackling any financial issues you have. It is very easy to use.
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Final thoughts

Redesigning a popular net worth tracking app has been an incredibly insightful and rewarding experience. I was presented with a unique opportunity to work on a project that impacts a large number of users and has the potential to make a significant impact on their lives.

Working on such a project requires deep understanding of user needs, behaviour, and pain points. It also involves analysing massive amount of data to identify trends and patterns to inform design decisions.

The biggest challenge for me so far has been balancing the need for innovation and creativity with maintaining the app’s familiarity and usability for existing users.

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