I am building a new app & I need some help with a few questions
I am building a new app from scratch, an expense tracker, but not your regular looking, boring and dull app. The design is the most important part of this application.
But before you guys roast me, hear me out.
I did another post before this one and i got to know some things. There is a lot of secondary research available on the internet but i feel like i need a primary research done to get to know some answers.
So, the thing is, to understand this you guys have to see it from my perspective.
The idea started during college days. I was a design and animation student and UX/UI was something i picked up from there.
I originally used a simple Android expense tracker. It was functional, but emotionally empty. The UI was not memorable, the experience was generic, and there was no delight in using it.
Later, after moving to iPhone and beginning to earn money independently, I discovered Dime, an iOS-only expense tracking app.
That app changed the perception of what a utility app could feel like.
The app was: minimal, fast, emotionally satisfying, beautifully designed, free from feature bloat
It proved that utility products can still feel premium, personal, and emotional.
Years later, after becoming an experienced UI/UX designer, another important influence appeared:
GoClub.
Unlike traditional fitness apps, GoClub felt:
- alive
- rewarding
- emotionally engaging
- highly visual
- personal
- joyful to open daily
The widgets, onboarding, animations, visual systems, and interactions made the product memorable.
This led to the core realization behind the app:
“If an app is good, nobody remembers it.
If an app is beautiful and emotional, people share it.”
That realization became the foundation of my product vision.
At this point if you are still reading this, you are the real audience I am targeting ig and i wanna ask some questions if you dont mind. But befoe i wanna note the issues i got to know when i researched about this.
1. The biggest issue is either getting bored easily, starting the app in full motivation then not opening it 1 week later.
Maybe adding some good design, some good widgets, streaks, personalised experience, 1-2 unique features, shareable badges and achievements, etc to make it less boring and give people a reason to come back.
2. Next is friction. There are 2 ways to track expenses. Either you do it manually or automatically.
The manual option is straightforward, you just type in what you spend, and what on. But as you might have assumed the issues is that only a small bunch of people will ever actually use it after a few days. I liked using Dime and never thought using it manually was really a friction. If only, it helped me stay better financially disciplined because i had to track everything.
The automatic one is not so simple. Although I wont go into much detail, he are some key takeaways. Its messy. There are a few ways you can do this, sms parsing, notification parsing, bank api, connecting accounts, etc etc.
But as you may assume it leads to some issues. First of all why should people trust you? Why would they give access to sms, notification, etc?
Thats where design comes into play. When a user sees a good design, a polished work, it somewhat gains their trust.
But, even if some users allow their data, what guarantees you wont steal their money or data? OTP? Would you even store that data? What happens if you get attacked by a hacker? We do have some solutions for that, but will save that for another day.
3. The next issue is the app being too complex or feeling super corporate.
Like bruh ik at the end of the day, its evening. JK JK.
At the end of the day, its all data and its good most apps are showing data but there is a way. Seeing a screen full of charts and data and seeing your year-end Spotify wrapped feels quite different, right? Both are data and its the way its represented.
Also we dont even need to many features and bloats. Its simple, track your money.
4. Some people prefer sheets and notion or excel to track, its fine, personal preference.
We have a target audience in mind and its a big one.
So, here are some questions if you are still here:
- do you guys actually use expense trackers consistently?
- if yes, which one?
- if no, why did you stop or how do you track your expenses (if you even do)
- manual entry or auto-sync, what do you prefer?
- what’s the MOST annoying thing about these apps?
- would better UI/UX actually make you use one more consistently or nah?
- Is there a single feature you would want to see implemented?
Also random thought:
if a money tracking app felt more personal/calm/rewarding and less “you overspent this month”, would that actually make a difference?
My core idea is simple:
Most finance apps try to optimize money.
This app tries to improve the relationship people have with money.
The philosophy of this app is:
“Mindful spending without judgment.”
I DO NOT believe:
spending money is bad
coffee purchases are irresponsible
enjoyment should be optimized away
users should feel guilty
The philosophy is:
“You earned your money. Stay aware of it, not ashamed of it.”
As long as users are not financially reckless or trapped in debt, they should feel free to enjoy their money.
Enough yapping, thanks for reading.