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Belay
A financial management assistant for outdoor enthusiasts
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Project Overview
Outdoor enthusiasts love taking trips and spending time outside, but they’re bad at managing their finances. They live in the moment and often don’t plan for the future. As a result, they end up accumulating gear instead of savings. This leaves them in a tough situation. As they grow older, they continue the cycle of living in the moment and don’t adequately plan for their future or save for retirement.
Belay is an app specifically designed for outdoor enthusiasts. It tackles some of the significant challenges of other financial management apps by providing a solution that appeals to outdoor enthusiasts adventurous lifestyle. It helps them budget their expenses, set goals, plan for upcoming trips, and keep track of gear. By providing features that they’re passionate about, outdoor enthusiasts are more motivated to stay on track with their financial goals, which allows them the opportunity to do more of what they love while also preparing them for a future of financial stability.
Who are Outdoor Enthusiasts?
Outdoor Enthusiasts are people who regularly engage in outdoor recreation, including: camping, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, rafting, skiing, boating, fishing and hunting. Their weekends are typically spent outdoors.
- They are stigmatized to be poor money managers
- Their adventurous lifestyle allows them to easily assume risk
- They value experiences over things
- They often view wealth accumulation as dirty and corrupt
- They live in the moment, choosing not to save or invest
My Role
I drove the project from concept to completion, but received consistent feedback and guidance from my amazing mentor, Radu Vucea (Leading AR/VR Design @ Reality Labs at Meta).
Responsibilities
User research, Information Architecture, Site Mapping, Wireframing, Prototyping, Concept Testing, and Usability Testing. All research and testing was moderated and conducted remotely.
Tools
- Figma - Design and Prototyping
- Zoom - Conducting the video interview and recording the sessions
- Dovetail - Transcribing the video
- Miro - Affinity Mapping and Empathy Mapping
- Google Forms - Research Survey
Solutions Overview
Budgeting
Belay allows outdoor enthusiasts to have freedom and flexibility with their finances. Using their overall monthly income, they can create itemized budgets that meet their lifestyle. They can even create an unlimited number of new categories, which allows them to have a personalized experience. Whatever it is that they need to budget for, Belay can help them stay on track.
Trip Planning
“Let’s Go!” Belay makes it easy for outdoor enthusiasts to plan their next adventure. They can prepare for their next trip or record the itinerary of a previous trip. When planning a future trip, the days will countdown, which motivates them to stay on target and get excited for their upcoming adventure. They also have the ability to share their trip with the Belay community.
Gear Inventory
Whether they're hikers, campers, climbers, or bikers, outdoor enthusiasts share a common challenge: managing their gear efficiently. Keeping track of gear, knowing when equipment needs maintenance, and planning for adventures can be overwhelming and time-consuming.
Belay streamlines the gear management process, so they can spend more time doing what they love – exploring the great outdoors.
Savings Goals
Belay is your financial partner in achieving your outdoor dreams. The app is tailored to help you set up Savings Goals and guide you on your path to financial success.
Define your outdoor adventure goals with ease. Whether it's a backpacking trip through the wilderness or buying that dream kayak, Belay allows you to set clear and achievable Goals and keeps you informed of your progress along the way.
Educational Content
Belay's Educational Content is designed to empower outdoor enthusiasts and help them reach their financial goals. It delivers expert advice and insights from financial professionals who understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by outdoor enthusiasts.
Quick Access Button
Belay's Quick Access Floating Action Button (FAB) is designed for efficiency, reducing the time you spend managing your finances so you can focus on what you love—being in the great outdoors.
The FAB offers quick-access options, that allow you to effortlessly add crucial financial elements, such as a new account, a budget, a bill, a subscription, a savings goal, and more.
Outdoor Enthusiasts Are Bad at Managing Money
As I began conducting secondary research I found that 77% of Americans say they worry about money and 37.5% of them live paycheck-to-paycheck (Liu et al., 2021; Bizouati-Kennedy, 2021). I also learned that there’s a stigma around how the outdoor community views money and wealth accumulation. They often see money as dirty and prioritize the present over the future. I searched for the “why,” and I found that there are many contributing factors, such as education, fear, denial, and differing values and priorities. There currently isn’t a financial management product that is designed specifically for outdoor enthusiasts. It may seem like a niche market, but there are 96.4M “Core” outdoor participants in the U.S., which accounts for 32% of the US population.
Current Financial Management Apps Don’t Appeal to Outdoor Enthusiasts
Native banking apps have left a lot to be desired. Out of the participants of my screener survey, less that 1% use their current banking app to manage their finances. They are often bloated and hard to use. This user pain point have created opportunity for products specifically designed for budgeting and tracking finances.
From previous research and personal experience, I knew that there were a number of financial management products available; however, I had limited knowledge of their unique features. I conducted a competitive analysis of six highly rated financial management apps, so that I could better understand their strengths and weaknesses.
The analysis showed that all six products focused only on financial management. They didn’t offer any tie-ins to other features. This is problematic, because products that are strictly financial don’t appeal to outdoor enthusiasts. Their motivation lies in using their finances to do more of what they love, which is get outside. They need a product that combines their income and expenses with their passion for living an adventurous lifestyle.
Furthermore, only two out of the six competitors allow users to set goals. Having the ability to set goals and plan for the future is super important for outdoor enthusiasts. They are goal oriented. Whether it’s summiting a mountain, breaking their personal record, or hitting a savings benchmark, they embrace the challenge and enjoy seeing progress.
Research Insights
- 37.5% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck
- 58% say financial worries control their lives
- 77% say they worry about money
- 57.4% have less than $1000 in savings
- 36% of adults admit to being in some sort of denial about their financial difficulties
- Outdoor recreation accounted for 1.8% of the U.S. GDP in 2021, with $689B in gross output and 4.3M jobs
- There are 96.4M "Core" outdoor participants in the US
- Outdoor gear is expensive, and “tiny-details exaggeration syndrome” exists
- Purchasing high-quality gear and equipment can lead to “Imposter Syndrome”
- Work flexibility (location/hours) may be more important than the amount of income
- 31% of Gen Zers strongly agreed with the statement, “planning for retirement is overwhelming to me”
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Discovering Outdoor Enthusiasts’ Motivations
The secondary research and competitive analysis were eye-opening, but before I started designing, I wanted to get to the heart of the issue. In an effort to better understand how outdoor enthusiasts currently manage their finances, discover their motivations for spending, saving, and investing, and learn what barriers exist that keep them from achieving their financial goals, I conducted four one-on-one 30 minute generative research interviews.
User Insights
When asked, “Could you describe how your active lifestyle influences your financial management (spending, saving, etc)?” the participants’ answers are summarized as follows:
- He and his wife use one income to pay expenses and one for supplemental expenses. He wants to spend as much time as possible with family. He uses credit card airline miles for trips
- Tries to limit the expenses to fuel and food, and time
- Looking to purchase a sleeper van that he can travel with and use for trips
- Already invested in a lot of gear/equipment
- She and her husband have savings, so they can use that if they need to
- The destination has to be within a day's drive from Panama City, FL. It’s more affordable if it’s drivable, and he can take the dogs
- Tries to keep costs down throughout the day, then splurges on nice dinners
- Outdoor activities are cheap. They’re basically free once you have the gear/equipment. But you have to take time off of work. When you take time off, you don’t get paid, so that would affect your finances
When asked, “What barriers exist that keep you from achieving a financial goal?” the three consistent issues were:
- Unexpected expenses
- Discipline
- Current Debt
I greatly enjoyed conducting the interviews. The participants answered all of my questions and gave honest feedback. On multiple occasions, they said, “Oh, that’s a good question.” I think they appreciated the interview because it allowed them to take a step back and look at their behavior, relating specifically to how they manage their finances.
These were my first one-on-one interviews, so I was a bit nervous that I would not get all the correct info, or that I would ramble and there wouldn’t be time to answer all of the questions, but once the interview started, my nerves eased, and the conversation flowed smoothly.
After I gathered all of this raw qualitative data, I needed a way to make sense of it; I needed to group related ideas and identify patterns. I rewatched the interviews and took notes. Then I separated all of the notes into categories. The participants were color coded for ease of identification.
View Affinity MapThe Affinity Map was helpful, but I was more interested in the outdoor enthusiasts' thoughts and feelings. What were their common barriers and behaviors? What motivates them to manage their finances? What is their mindset like towards money and wealth accumulation? I reorganized the data into an Empathy Map, which helped bring the data to life.
View Empathy MapOverall, I found that outdoor enthusiasts:
- want a good work/life balance
- accumulate a lot of gear
- prioritize a healthy lifestyle
- currently use pen & paper and spreadsheets to manage finances
- review budgets and expenses monthly
- would like to set goals (upcoming trips, purchases, etc)
- need incentives to motivate them (cash back, badges, etc)
- want to see all of their financial accounts combined
- prefer convenience and comfort
- value experiences
- find it difficult to budget variable costs (food, fuel, etc)
- dog owners (3 out of 4)
In an effort to keep my design process as real as possible, I created a fictional persona named Bryson. This allowed me to better understand the struggles, limitations, goals, and successes that outdoor enthusiasts face on a personal level.
USER PERSONA
Meet Bryson
Bryson moved to Flagstaff, AZ, after graduating from The University of Arizona with a degree in Business at the age of 22. He currently works as a firefighter and loves that his job is both thrilling and rewarding. He’d like to buy a RAM ProMaster camper van because he and his wife, along with their black labrador retriever, want to travel and explore the US National Parks. He enjoys hiking, climbing, camping, and kayaking. He is committed to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and is adamant about having a good work/life balance.
An Opportunity To Appeal To Outdoor Enthusiasts
Initial Concepts
Information Architecture
I wanted to make sure Belay was easy and fun to use, so I spent time on the Information Architecture to ensure that it’s well organized and clearly labeled. Users need to quickly and easily find what they’re looking for, but this could prove challenging if there isn’t an existing mental model.
View Information Architecture
Let's Look At a Couple of Bryson's Flows
USER SCENARIO
Add A Gear Item
Bryson buys a new pair of climbing shoes and wants to add them to his Gear Locker. He browsers the app and selects "Gear Locker." He then taps "Add Gear." He inputs the item name, chooses the climbing category, and inputs the purchase details. He also takes a photo of the gear and adds some additional notes.
USER SCENARIO
Add An Upcoming Trip
Bryson is planning a trip for later this Fall. He wants to input the trip details so he can keep track of his progress and make sure he saves enough money. He browses the app and Selects “Plan” from the Home screen. He then taps “Trips.” He’s interested in adding a personal trip, so he selects “My Trips,” then “Add Trip.” He inputs the trip’s details and sets up a Savings Goal for his adventure.
Tree Testing Didn't go Exactly As planned
Tree Testing is designed to evaluate and improve the information architecture. It focuses on assessing the findability and navigational structure. The tasks I listed in my Tree Testing exercise were specific to Belay's features, but the participants were all unaware and unfamiliar with the product. I wanted the activity to take a bit of thought, but I also didn’t want it to be overwhelming. I created the tasks and I thought everyone would easily complete them with 100% success. However, after conducting the study, I was humbled by the results.
During the test, I did have a couple of participants reach out to me and ask me what they were supposed to do. I gave them minimal direction because I didn’t want my input to sway the results. I think it had the opposite result. I negatively, although inadvertently, swayed the results by not giving details about how to complete the study or providing info about the product.
If I had explained the test more accurately and also provided some basic info about the product, the participants may have continued through the tree and successfully completed the tasks.
Given the results, it appears as though there isn’t an established mental model for the Gear Locker. The participants were on the right path but didn’t know how to complete the task successfully. For this new concept (Gear Locker), there may need to be some initial screen prompts that guide and education users on how to complete the task of adding gear. There could also be preliminary onboarding screens that briefly explain the Gear Locker concept so that users can start to develop an understanding of its purpose.
The Results Weren't Great
- 22% Success
- 89% Directness
- 9 out of 12 participants completed the study
- average time taken: 2m 16s
- 89% from US, 11% from Canada
Gathering Feedback and Iterating
After creating the initial prototype, I conducted five concept tests. I became aware of a lot of things that I had previously overlooked. One of the most interesting things I learned was that there wasn’t a valid mental model for some of the product’s features, such as the Gear Locker. This was interesting because the points of confusion were consistent, which allowed me to iterate and add clarity in the areas that needed it.
I also learned that outdoor enthusiasts loved the ability to plan for upcoming trips. Having their itinerary linked with a goal gave them the ability to plan efficiently and make sure they were hitting their savings benchmarks along the way.
Goodbye Targets
The most confusing feature was Targets, which I removed entirely, because it was too closely related to Goals. It caused frustration and the participants had a hard time following the flow. Here's a look at the updated menu.
Drew
Jeremy
Kori
Testing The Solution
Key Findings
- The Home screen needed a new layout
- The Budget screen was hard to understand
- Users were confused about the Cash Flow
I really enjoyed running the interviewees through scenarios. I provided them with a prompt, and they navigated through the app and performed the necessary actions. The scenarios became more successful after iterating, proving again that feedback is crucial to providing an effective and easy-to-use product.
Some of the user feedback was very encouraging. One participant said that the product was easier to use than the Every Dollar app. He said, “Anyone could use this app!” Another participant said that the thing he disliked the most was that the product wasn’t fully developed.
Home Screen Customization
Making Budgets Easier to Understand
I also added the text "Great Job! Save the extra $xxx or apply it toward a goal."
The iteration includes a new progress bar that helps users know if their monthly budget has been fully allocated.
The edit icon changed to the text "EDIT," which is a bit more obvious.
I added the percentage of allocated budget inside the donut graphs. This helps users understand how much of their budget they've used and how much is left.
Rethinking Cash Flow
I also switched the Recent Transactions section to a simplified horizontal scroll. Initially, it took up a lot of screen space. Transactions are important, but giving it that much attention made the app feel more like a banking product versus a solution built for outdoor enthusiasts.
The iteration also included a simplified horizontal scrolling section for Transactions. Initially, it took up a lot of screen space. Transactions are important, but giving it that much attention made the app feel more like a banking product versus a solution built for outdoor enthusiasts. This allowed the Learn & Explore section to move up, providing easy access and giving it more attention.
Keeping Accessibility In Mind
Take Belay For A Spin!
If I Had More Time...
I’d love to explore more options with the Trips feature. It would be helpful to share trip itinerary with friends or allow expenses to be split with others. I’d also look into a more robust integration of the Gear Locker with Trips. When planning a trip, it would be great if the chosen itinerary would recommend gear based on the activity, weather, and account for gear that the outdoor enthusiast already owns. If there are recommended items that they need to purchase, then those items would be added automatically to a wishlist and a savings goal could be created for the purchase of the new items.
These additions, along with any others, would need to be tested by outdoor enthusiasts to ensure that Belay continues to make managing their finances efficient and enjoyable.