User tension
Information sits across banks, superannuation and household bills. People must interpret it while carrying uncertainty, time pressure and uneven financial confidence.
Consequence: avoidance, reactive decisions and low confidence.
Self-directed product design case study · Financial wellbeing
Financial decisions, made clearer.
Clarity helps people understand what needs attention, compare realistic choices and act with confidence—without presenting guidance as financial advice.
Project transparency: This is a self-directed concept, not a launched financial product. Research activities and outcomes below are proposed unless explicitly labelled as completed.
AH
Your financial position
Available$1,840
Goal progress64%
Accounts3 current
One item needs attention
Review what changed before deciding what to do.
Review what changed before deciding what to do.
Emergency buffer64%
01 · Problem and evidence
The challenge is not showing more data. It is helping people understand what requires attention.
Many financial products optimise for balances, charts and transactions. That supports monitoring, but not the harder questions: Am I on track? What changed? What can I safely do next?
Service tension
A useful product must create clarity without presenting general guidance as personalised financial advice. It also needs consent, traceability, secure account linking and accessible language.
Design responsibility: make system limits visible at the moment they matter.
Research plan
Build evidence before building confidence in a solution.
As a self-directed concept, Clarity does not claim completed customer research. Instead, it documents the discovery work required to test the problem responsibly and identifies what each method must reveal.
DISCOVERY INTERVIEWS
6–8 working adults
Explore how people currently monitor money, where uncertainty occurs, what they avoid and what makes a service feel trustworthy.
DOMAIN REVIEW
Financial and regulatory context
Review comparable services, Consumer Data Right patterns, privacy obligations, advice boundaries and financial-hardship support pathways.
CONCEPT EVALUATION
Task-based prototype testing
Observe whether participants can interpret a priority alert, compare options and review a plan without mistaking guidance for advice.
Evidence rule: Until these activities are completed, findings remain hypotheses. This avoids presenting fictional percentages, quotes or personas as validated research.
02 · Insights and principles
Three hypotheses shaped the first design direction.
These are reasoned starting points derived from the problem and domain—not claimed findings. Each one has a direct design implication and a way to be disproved.
Priority may matter more than completeness
If users cannot identify what needs attention, additional data increases interpretation effort rather than clarity.
Confidence may come from comparable trade-offs
People may decide more confidently when options use the same timeframe, assumptions and consequences.
Trust may depend on contextual explanation
Consent and limitations may be better understood when explained at the point of use instead of buried in policy pages.
How might we
Help working adults understand their financial position, compare realistic choices and take a considered next step—without implying certainty or personal advice?
Help working adults understand their financial position, compare realistic choices and take a considered next step—without implying certainty or personal advice?
Product principles
Trust is designed through behaviour, not decoration.
The working insights become four rules used to critique IA, content and interaction decisions.
Explain before asking
State why data is needed, how it will be used and what the user gains before requesting consent.
Prioritise, don’t alarm
Surface one meaningful issue at a time and show its basis, urgency and available response.
Show the trade-off
Compare options using the same assumptions, timeframe and plain-language consequences.
Keep users in control
Allow review, correction and exit before consequential actions; never hide uncertainty.
03 · Architecture and flow
Organise the service around user intent, not financial products.
The primary navigation separates monitoring, connected data, goal-setting and support. This keeps the Overview focused while making secondary tasks predictable.
Proposed MVP information architecture
Clarity
OverviewPosition summaryPriority insightsUpcoming bills
AccountsBank accountsCreditSuperannuationConnection status
GoalsEmergency bufferHome depositGoal history
PlanCompare optionsReview planSaved plans
Profile & helpNotificationsPrivacy & consentAccessibilitySupport
Core user flow
Connect context to a safe, reversible action.
Authentication and account connection establish consent and data provenance. The highlighted portion is the differentiating experience tested in the final screens.
Primary task: respond to a financial priority
01Landing
→
02Sign in
→
03Connect account
→
04Overview
→
05Priority alert
→
06Compare
→
07Review
→
08Confirmation
04 · Final UI evidence
The core decision flow, with the service journeys that make it credible.
The three primary views prove Clarity's differentiating experience: orient, compare and review. Mobile companions demonstrate responsive intent, while supporting screens make consent, provenance, permissions and recovery visible rather than leaving them as claims.
Why these three primary views? Overview establishes a complete financial position, Compare makes trade-offs legible without recommending an option, and Review adds deliberate friction before commitment. The supporting journeys below show how users enter, inspect and recover from that flow.
DesktopOrient
Overview
A net-position summary separates assets, liabilities and superannuation. Data freshness is actionable, and the priority card remains secondary to orientation.
OVERVIEW
Your financial position
AH
Net position$96,420Assets and superannuation, less liabilities
Assets$84,300Cash and savings
Liabilities$16,880Credit and loans
Superannuation$29,000Retirement balance
One item needs attention
An upcoming bill is above its usual range. Review the transaction evidence.
An upcoming bill is above its usual range. Review the transaction evidence.
DesktopCompare
Compare options
A real radio group exposes selection, labels each consequence consistently and avoids a visually preferred or “recommended” choice.
GOAL PLAN
Compare ways to build your buffer
DesktopReview
Review and confirm
The user sees the amount, accounts, frequency, permission scope and assumptions before confirming, with correction and deferral equally available.
FINAL CHECK
Review your plan
Transfer amount$320 monthly
FromEveryday · 1842
ToEmergency buffer · 7731
First transferAfter your next pay cycle
Assumption
This plan assumes income and essential costs stay broadly stable. You can pause or edit it.
This plan assumes income and essential costs stay broadly stable. You can pause or edit it.
Responsive companion views
Mobile preserves the same decision order.
These are companion layouts, not reduced screenshots. The hierarchy, controls and safety content reflow into a focused single-column sequence.
Overview
Your financial position
Net position$96,420Assets and super, less liabilities
Assets$84,300Cash and savings
Liabilities$16,880Credit and loans
Superannuation$29,000Retirement balance
One item needs attention
An upcoming bill is above its usual range.
An upcoming bill is above its usual range.
Compare
Choose an option
Each option uses the same target and assumptions.
Review
Check before confirming
Transfer amount$320 monthly
FromEveryday · 1842
ToEmergency buffer
First transferNext pay cycle
ControlPause anytime
Before you confirm
This plan is based on current income and essential costs.
This plan is based on current income and essential costs.
Interactive service prototype
Enter, inspect, control and recover in one connected flow.
The supporting journeys are grouped into four task-based tabs. Use the controls inside the prototype to move between screens rather than following portfolio anchor links.
Secure access
Sign in to Clarity
Use the normal authentication path before recovery or account connection.
Account recovery
Recover access
Enter the email associated with the account. The response does not reveal whether an account exists.
Connected accounts
Accounts
Select an account before inspecting its transactions or connection status.
Everyday account · 1842Current · transactions available$6,240
Savings account · 7731Connection needs attentionUnavailable
SuperannuationBalance only$29,000
Transaction detail
Electricity payment
The amount, account, comparison and source explain why the payment was surfaced.
Amount$214.00
AccountEveryday · 1842
Compared with usual$74 higher
SourceConnected bank feed
Consent & connection
Connect an account
Clarity explains value and scope before requesting consent.
Profile, security & permissions
Account holder
Identity, authentication, data use and session exit are controlled from one place.
Multi-factor authenticationEnabled for sign-in and sensitive changes.
Data permissionsBalances and transactions are currently allowed.
Active sessionsOne private device is signed in.
Session control
Log out of Clarity?
You will need to sign in again to view connected financial information.
Signed out
You are securely logged out.
No financial information is shown on this device.
States that explain what is happening
Loading, empty and technical-error states provide a next step without blaming the user.
Loading accounts
Clarity is securely retrieving connected balances.
No saved plans
Plans saved for later will appear here.
We could not refresh this account
Existing information remains visible but may be incomplete.
Technical error & recovery
Reconnect your savings account
Position status: incomplete.
The net position excludes this disconnected account.
The net position excludes this disconnected account.
No data was deleted. Reconnect securely or continue with the available information.
Prototype boundary: These screens demonstrate interaction structure and content intent. Production accessibility, security, provider integration and error handling would require implementation testing before any conformance or readiness claim.
05 · Decisions and constraints
Make the reasoning explicit.
Each decision connects a user need, regulatory concern or delivery constraint to a visible interface behaviour.
| Decision | Why | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Overview first | Users need orientation before action. | Position summary precedes alerts and planning. |
| One priority card | Reduce cognitive overload and avoid alarm fatigue. | Other insights remain available but are visually secondary. |
| No “recommended” option | Avoid implying personalised financial advice. | Options use neutral labels and equivalent visual weight. |
| Explicit review step | Prevent mistakes before a recurring transfer. | Amount, source, destination, timing and assumptions repeat. |
| Save for later | Respect decision timing and uncertainty. | Deferral remains visible beside confirmation. |
Constraints and trade-offs
Design for the conditions a real team would face.
The concept assumes a cross-functional MVP delivered with engineering, legal, privacy, security, content and service-operations partners.
Primary trade-off: Investment recommendations, predictive AI and automatic money movement were excluded from the MVP. Explaining uncertainty and proving a safe decision flow has higher public value than expanding feature breadth. Authentication, account connection, transaction history, notifications and settings remain necessary supporting journeys, while the three primary views focus on Clarity’s differentiated core: orient → compare → review.
06 · Brand and design system
A confident identity built around clarity and trust.
The identity translates the product promise into a consistent wordmark, colour behaviour and usage system across portfolio and product surfaces.
Reversed lockup for dark navigation and high-contrast product surfaces.
Brand identity
Clear enough to trust. Confident enough to act.
The geometric navy wordmark communicates stability and responsibility. The teal full stop is the memorable brand element: a simple signal of clarity, completion and forward movement.
CredibleResponsibleSmartEmpowering
Signature rule: reserve teal for the full stop, primary actions and meaningful status—not decoration.
Rounded geometric forms feel contemporary and approachable while retaining the weight expected of a finance platform.
The isolated teal dot creates recognition at small sizes and reinforces the promise that complex decisions can reach a clear conclusion.
Navy carries trust and hierarchy. Teal signals action and progress. Neutral surfaces keep financial information calm and readable.
Design system
A small, accessible system supports consistency and delivery.
Tokens and reusable components reduce one-off styling, preserve hierarchy and give engineering a predictable implementation model.
Core colour roles
Trust / text
#102A43Primary action
#087F78Support surface
#DFF3EFCaution surface
#FFF4DFPage surface
#F7F9F8
#102A43Primary action
#087F78Support surface
#DFF3EFCaution surface
#FFF4DFPage surface
#F7F9F8
Typography scale
Clear decisionsHeading 24Body 17 / 1.65 — designed for sustained reading.LABEL 12 · UPPERCASE · SEMIBOLD
8-point spacing scale
816243248
Reusable components and states
Focused inputNeeds attention
Buttons, inputs, cards, alerts and status indicators include default, hover, focus, disabled, error and selected states.
Figma implementation: Frames use nested Auto Layout so longer labels, validation messages and translated content can grow without breaking alignment. Components use variants for interaction states; text and colour styles map to shared tokens; buttons use Fill container where aligned actions must remain stable and Hug contents where the control should follow its label.
07 · Accessibility and risk
Accessibility is a design requirement, not a launch checklist.
The concept is designed toward WCAG 2.2 AA. Evidence shown here includes semantic landmarks, labelled controls, visible focus styles and non-colour status cues; assistive-technology and zoom testing remain planned.
The prototype includes a skip link and visible focus styling. Full focus order and keyboard-trap testing remain to be completed.
Landmarks, headings, labels and named controls are demonstrated. Announcements and reading order still require assistive-technology testing.
Primary controls are designed toward accessible target sizes; measurement and device testing remain part of implementation QA.
Status cues pair colour with text, borders or symbols. Production colour tokens require formal contrast verification.
Labels use direct actions and financial terms are explained in context; comprehension remains a research question.
Layouts are intended to reflow at browser zoom; this requires verification across supported browsers and devices.
A reduced-motion rule is included, while broader animation behaviour would be assessed during implementation.
Planned verification combines automated checks with keyboard, screen-reader and moderated testing.
Risk management
Identify failure before it reaches the user.
Risk ownership would be agreed with product, legal, privacy, security, content and service operations before pilot release.
Financial harm
Incorrect or stale data could shape a poor decision. Mitigation: freshness labels, review step, limits, reversibility and qualified-support pathway.
Privacy breach
Aggregated account data increases exposure. Mitigation: data minimisation, encryption, consent records, retention rules and withdrawal controls.
Advice misunderstanding
Users may treat ranked options as recommendations. Mitigation: equivalent option weight, explicit assumptions and legal/content review.
AI transparency
If future models generate insights, disclose data sources, confidence, limitations and a route to challenge or correct output.
Content drift
Regulatory language can become outdated. Mitigation: named content owner, scheduled review and auditable publishing workflow.
Failure scenarios
Disconnected accounts, duplicate transactions and failed transfers need clear recovery, support escalation and incident ownership.
08 · Validation plan
Measure comprehension and safe completion—not clicks alone.
Success requires users to understand the information, identify the consequence of a choice and retain control throughout the flow.
Can participants accurately explain the alert, option differences and assumptions in their own words?
Does reported confidence improve without participants believing Clarity gave personal financial advice?
Can users review, correct, defer and complete the plan without critical errors or inaccessible blockers?
Prototype study
Recruit 8 participants across lower, moderate and higher financial confidence. Include screen-reader and keyboard-only participants. Test the alert-to-review journey using realistic but fictional data.
Launch monitoring
Track task completion, correction and save-for-later rates; support contacts; consent withdrawal; accessibility defects; and any misunderstanding of product boundaries.
09 · Reflection
The strongest interface decision was reducing certainty.
A credible finance experience should not look omniscient. It should expose sources, assumptions, limitations and reversibility so people can make their own informed decision.
What worked
A narrow orient → compare → review journey gave every screen a clear responsibility. Linking principles to visible decisions made the concept easier to critique and explain.
What I would change
I would involve financial counsellors, legal and service operations earlier, then replace working hypotheses with observed evidence before increasing visual fidelity.
What I would validate next
Test alert comprehension, advice-boundary understanding, keyboard and screen-reader use, data-failure recovery, deferral behaviour and confidence before and after comparison.