The digital solution called Sayve aims to make financial literacy easy to understand through simple lessons and podcasts. It also includes a savings feature, allowing users to apply what they learn in real life.
In this case study, you can follow along on my journey to use technology to alleviate one of the pain points in the Nigerian financial industry.
My Role
Tools
Skills
Duration
Nigerian adults show a keen interest in financial literacy, yet less than half possess fundamental knowledge, with limited access to banking services.
Recent figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) expose a stark reality: less than 50% of Nigerian adults have a fundamental grasp of essential financial principles. While an eagerness to learn is evident, with just 40% accessing banking services, the need for expanded educational initiatives is clearly delineated.
As of January 2021, Nigeria had a population of 208.8 million, with 104.4 million internet users, resulting in a 50% mobile penetration rate. This presents a significant opportunity to leverage mobile platforms for financial education and savings solutions.
I conducted quantitative research with 22 respondents & face-to-face interviews with 2 respondents to understand their current app usage habits and financial literacy challenges.
Most common financial goals: Respondents are mainly focused on saving and budgeting.
How they currently learn about finances: Word of mouth is the go-to method for most.
How they currently learn about finances: Word of mouth is the go-to method for most.
The core flow of the application was connecting a user with financial education resources. We decided to focus on a simplified task flow for ease of use and efficiency.
Once we had the core task flow in place, we began to ideate on the interface design. Due to time constraints, we didn’t have the luxury of sketching out our ideas, so we jumped straight into high-fidelity designs.
Sayve offers a range of financial courses tailored to teach users core principles of financial intelligence. Each course is designed with flexibility, providing users the option to listen to audio versions of lessons.
2. Challenges
This feature encourages users to actively apply their financial knowledge through interactive, goal-oriented tasks. Each challenge is crafted to reinforce key financial principles—from budgeting basics to smart saving techniques—by turning learning into achievable milestones.
3. Achievements & Leadership
With Sayve’s Achievements & Leadership feature, users earn points for completing courses, participating in challenges, and maintaining consistent saving habits.
We conducted usability testing sessions with 3 representative users and iterated quickly on the feedback that was gotten.
Aftermath & Retrospection
This project was refreshing as it encouraged me to think differently about the design process. Not every project will allow time for sketches, and it taught me to stay flexible and adapt to time constraints.
Eliminating bias is crucial. As a young person, I assumed I understood what users would want, but the research data revealed otherwise. It reinforced the importance of conducting thorough research to eliminate preconceived ideas and better align with user needs.
Next Steps
The next steps involve conducting additional user testing on the current prototype to refine the user flow further.
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