MCB Money Map

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UX/UI Case Study

MCB Money Map: Financial Literacy Made Visual for Pakistani Youth

A research-led UX/UI project turning budgeting, saving, and investing into a guided journey for beginners aged 16–25.

175 survey responses10 usability testers30 sign-upsDeliverables: App + campaign system
Prototype Preview

Role

End-to-end UX/UI + Brand + Research

Timeline

October 2025

Tools

Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, Google Forms

Audience

Pakistani youth (16–25), bilingual, digital-first

How might we transform complex financial concepts into a visual, beginner-friendly system that builds confidence among young first-time earners?

Skip to research insights

The gap was not information. It was interpretation.

Goals & Success Metrics

The goals defined the direction. The metrics defined whether the direction worked.

The goals were:

Reduce overwhelm

Make financial concepts feel structured and beginner-friendly instead of technical and intimidating.

Increase trust

Balance institutional credibility with a visual system that feels modern and youth-oriented.

Drive action

Move users from passive learning into confident next steps such as saving or investing.

Success metrics:

Clarity feedback improved

Users reported greater understanding of budgeting and saving flows.

Prototype engagement positive

Testers navigated through multiple sections without friction.

30 sign-ups collected

Early interest validated behavioral intent beyond curiosity.

Research

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Research

Understanding existing financial education gaps required both landscape analysis and direct user insight.

What existed and why it was not working

  • Financial literacy initiatives were heavily school-based and disconnected from real-world behavior.
  • Digital tools were built for financially experienced adults rather than beginners.
  • Most platforms prioritized information density over comprehension.

Financial literacy campaigns were speaking — but not connecting.

175 responses: motivation was high, confidence was not

Low confidence

Respondents understood budgeting basics but felt unsure about investing or long-term planning.

Barriers

Complicated terminology, lack of trusted guidance, and fear of making mistakes prevented action.

Desire

Users expressed strong interest in learning if the system felt simple, visual, and relevant to their daily life.

They were not avoiding finance. Finance was avoiding them.

Persona

A single persona emerged repeatedly: motivated, digital-first, but blocked by jargon and uncertainty.

Name

Ali

19–23, student/early earner, learning primarily through mobile.

Behaviors

  • Uses Instagram/YouTube for learning
  • Prefers Roman Urdu + simple English
  • Skims first, reads only if it feels easy

Needs

  • Beginner-first guidance
  • Clear steps with visual progress
  • Trust signals without feeling “corporate”

Pain points

  • Finance content feels jargon-heavy
  • Does not know what to do first
  • Fear of making the “wrong” choice

Motivation

  • Wants to start early
  • Wants control and independence
  • Wants a system that feels doable
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Ali does not need more information. He needs a map.

Strategy

The solution was not more content. It was a clearer structure, friendlier language, and a journey users could follow.

01

Map metaphor

Reframe finance as a journey with “stops” so users always know where they are and what comes next.

02

Bilingual tone

Use Roman Urdu + simple English to reduce intimidation while keeping credibility intact.

03

Bite-sized learning

Break complex concepts into short modules with strong hierarchy, visual cues, and progress feedback.

Positioning

Tagline: “See your money differently.”

A youth-first system that turns finance into a guided journey. Clear steps, relatable language, and visual progress.

User Flow

The experience was structured as a four-phase journey — from awareness to action, with a built-in feedback loop.

1

Attention

Campaign

Posters, social hooks, QR codes drive awareness and spark curiosity.

2

Orientation

Landing + Choose Path

Users understand what the app is and select Savings or Investing.

3

Education

Tiered Learning

Bite-sized modules build knowledge progressively with visual feedback.

4

Activation

Sign Up + Share Loop

Users commit, sign up, and share — feeding new users back into awareness.

From sketches to a tested prototype

I moved quickly from exploration to structure, then validated decisions through usability testing.

Step 1

Sketches

Fast exploration of layout, hierarchy, and what the “journey” metaphor could look like on mobile.

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Step 2

Wireframes

Defined navigation, module flow, and key screens so each step answers: what is this, why it matters, what next.

[PLACE IMAGE HERE: Wireframes]

Step 3

High-fidelity prototype

Applied the visual system, refined typography and hierarchy, then iterated based on usability feedback.

[PLACE IMAGE HERE: High-fidelity screens]
View prototype

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Final UI Screens

Screens are grouped by user intent so the flow stays understandable for first-time learners.

Onboarding / Hook

Hook users with familiarity, not fear.

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Savings Stop

Teach saving as habit, not theory.

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Investment Chowk

Introduce investing without intimidation.

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Resources / Tools

Give practical tools that feel immediately usable.

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Progress / Completion

Make progress visible so confidence builds naturally.

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Multi-touchpoint campaign system

The goal was continuity: the same idea should work on a poster, a brochure, a standee, and a scroll.

Posters

A relatable hook with QR-to-action for fast conversion from attention to entry.

[PLACE IMAGE HERE: Posters]

Brochure

Metaphor-led storytelling that keeps the system understandable even offline.

[PLACE IMAGE HERE: Brochure]

Standee

A high-visibility “entry point” for events and public panels.

[PLACE IMAGE HERE: Standee]

Social

Bite-sized lessons designed for scroll behavior and easy sharing.

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Tested with users, refined for clarity

Design decisions were validated through real feedback, then iterated until the flow felt obvious to beginners.

Early validation and real interest

The goal was not just “nice screens”. It was a system that made finance feel learnable, and worth continuing.

Want a designer who can research, simplify, and ship?

I enjoy building systems that make complex topics feel human, clear, and actionable.