Company EarnUp

Role UX Designer

As the first UX designer at EarnUp, I designed new products as well as improved user experience for internal tools.

I also created a design system that brings consistent experience and reusable components across different products. 

Putting the dream front and center

Project: MoveIn

MoveIn is an app that helps first-time homebuyers save for down payments. For many homebuyers, saving thousands of dollars could seem like a monumental task. 

We put the homebuyers' dream -- a sweet home of their own -- at the center of the app's experience. Saving becomes more than a number's game. Every transaction is a small step towards getting a dream home. 

Celebrate every small step

I wanted to bring a heart-warming and encouraging experience to MoveIn, and I was very fortunate to have collaborated with brand designer Nick Masters. Nick's illustrations of the house and the golden apple tree really brought our concept of nurture and growth to life.

As the homebuyer's saving increases, the golden apples on the tree also increases, signifying growth and abundance.

We're there to cheer them on every step of the way, and when a milestone is reached, we celebrate together and provide more opportunities for getting their dream homes.

Build confidence for the future

Project: Loan terms concept

For many people, credit score is a scary number that can put a damper on making certain life decisions that require more financial assistance.

The traditional "credit score rainbow" puts the users somewhere in between the extreme bad and extreme good, and it's often confusing even what good and bad means.

I redesigned the credit score concept so users can see their score, what it means to them and just the next little step they can work towards, all in an encouraging tone of voice.

Another financial term that could seem daunting and confusing to many people is DTI -- Debt to Income Ratio. Few financial institutions bother to make it easier to understand for customers.

I designed the percentage of DTI by visually comparing the income amount and debt amount. Underneath the graph, the user's income and debt are further broken down into items that help them understand which item is contributing positively or negatively towards their DTI score.

Create a nurturing space for financial wellness

Project: customer portal

One of the core services that EarnUp offers its customers is easy management of their loan payments. 

Not being the most financially responsible sorts myself  I know deeply how scary and stressful it could be looking at numbers, transactions and dates.

So aside from making the transactional tasks easy, I designed a space where customers feel friendly, safe, encouraging, and they know that EarnUp is on their side whatever their needs may be.

Complex schedules simplified

Managing loan payment schedules when life happens could be unnecessarily complicated.

Using a calendar interface, customers can see when EarnUp helps them put away a chunk of money, and when their loan payment is sent off. And if any adjustment is made, how that change will affect their future payment schedule. 

No jargons, no fear

Seeing warning or error messages from your financial service provider, especially behind a computer screen, can be very stressful and confusing. 

In every transaction item, I designed the information in a way that it always tells the customer "what happened, what does it mean, what you need to do about it" in plain language. If there's anything they need to act upon right away, the information enables them to take action immediately without searching around.

Do it all under one humanized design system

From saving for the down payment to paying home mortgage, EarnUp's products spans across different phases of a customer's financial journey. I created a design system based on Mateiral UI that is simple to implement, flexible for different adaptations and reusable for maximum consistency.

Learnings

EarnUp was the first company I worked with in the financial industry. It is absolutely time to bring more warmth, emotional support and elements of encouragement into the designs of financial services. The compliance lingo and small print are here to stay, but on top of that we can utilize the power of design to provide information transparency, ease of operation and helpful conversations that build trust from the customers.