The Gap I tried to fill
Most finance apps in India lose users twice. First, when the experience feels too overwhelming for first-time users to stick with. Second, when the ones who do push through get betrayed by random data loss, paywalls, failed features, and aggressive monetisation. Fino was designed to solve both from the ground up.
My Solution
Designed a manual, habit-first money tracking app for three types of young Indian users, each with their own onboarding flow, personal spending insights, and financial starting point, where the act of logging every expense is itself the feature that builds financial awareness over time.
Problem Statement
Too tired to read? Listen instead.
Most young Indians want to understand where their money goes. They just never find an app that makes it easy enough to stick with. The apps that exist were designed for someone older, more financially literate, and more patient. Dense interfaces, financial jargon, and generic onboarding that treats a college student the same as a seasoned professional.
The app feels wrong from day one, the habit never forms, and the user is back to square one.
The ones who push through eventually hit something worse. App store reviews across the three most used personal finance apps in India reveal a consistent pattern: sync failures wiping years of data, aggressive ads interrupting mid-transaction, premium features that never work after the user has already paid. Functional failures that destroy whatever motivation was left.
Financial unawareness among young Indians isn’t a knowledge problem, it’s a product problem. Existing solutions work against the users they claim to serve. Fino breaks that chain by meeting users where they are and building awareness through simple logging.
The Users
Just started their first job. Salary hits the account and disappears without explanation. Needs visibility and awareness, not complexity.
Income isn't fixed. Every existing app assumes a salary cycle. Needs flexibility and a simple way to track what actually comes in and goes out.
Working with a fixed monthly budget, pocket money or part-time income. Wants to stop running out of money mid-month and stop over-spending.
01
I chose manual entry over bank linking. Logging each expense creates conscious awareness that automation removes. For users building financial habits from scratch, that friction is the product working. Bank linking would also add trust and regulatory complexity, shifting Fino away from simplicity.
Behavioral insight:
Manual effort increases attention. Small friction can create stronger habits than passive automation.
02
Most apps give everyone the same onboarding and home screen. Fino branches into separate flows after persona selection, asking only what’s relevant to each user. A freelancer doesn’t need salary questions, and a student doesn’t need income estimates.
Behavioral insight:
People engage faster when the product reflects their reality early.
03
Fino uses bottom sheet overlays for secondary actions instead of new screens. This keeps users anchored in context and makes interactions feel simpler.
Behavioral insight:
Reducing context switches lowers perceived effort.
04
I removed the saving tips tab. Generic financial advice is a disconnect, when it isn’t tied to real user's behaviour. A stronger future version would surface contextual tips inside Insights based on each user’s spending patterns.
Behavioral insight:
Advice lands better when it feels relevant. Users ignore generic tips, but engage when guidance reflects their own behaviour.
Answers one question: Where do I stand right now?
Remaining balance, total spent, a plain-language status from Fino AI, upcoming bills, goal progress, and recent transactions. Nothing that doesn't need to be there in the first ten seconds.
Full transaction history grouped by date. Search, category filters, and a monthly summary strip at the top. Transaction logging is four simple steps: tap, enter amount, add category and note, save. A built-in calculator means the user never has to pre-calculate anything.
Active goals with progress bars and on-track status. Completed goals in a collapsible section below, because seeing past wins is one of the strongest nudges for continuing a savings habit. Goal withdrawal and goal linking within the transaction flow both handled without leaving the screen.
Monthly overview, category breakdown via donut chart, and plain-language behavior cards pulled from actual data. Fino AI at the bottom with one deeper observation and a direct entry point into the conversational feature.
Profile is an identity surface, not a utility screen. Settings covers preferences, data management, and app info in three clean sections.
Manually added bills and subscriptions with three states: active, paused, and completed. Set up once, Fino surfaces them on the home screen automatically.
A Hindi parallel flow of 1st iteration was designed as a first-class experience to validate that the layout and hierarchy held up in Devanagari script, which behaves differently from Latin characters in terms of line height and visual density.
Fino was built solo, with no team, no developer handoff, and no formal user research. Rather than treating these as gaps, each constraint became a forcing function.
No research panel meant going directly to the most honest source available: unsolicited app store reviews from real users of competing products. No team meant every decision had to be clearly reasoned enough to stand on its own. No developer meant designing within what could realistically be built, keeping the product scope tight and intentional.
The project also started as a company assignment. The company ceased to exist mid-process. The decision to keep building anyway is what turned it into this.
Constraints don't weaken a design process. They sharpen it.
I’d design a notification system that acts as a subtle but consistent reminder to stay conscious of money habits. The goal wouldn’t be pressure or guilt. It would be timely nudges that feel engaging, light, and worth opening, more companion than warning.
Manual logging works, but opening the app every time adds friction. I’d design a widget with multiple size options that lets users log expenses directly from their homescreen. Fewer steps, faster capture, and a better chance of the habit surviving daily life.
I’d expand Fino AI into a conversational feature where users can ask questions based on their own history, like How have I spent over the last three months? or Am I financially safe right now? The value is not novelty. It’s helping users understand patterns, make better decisions, and build a clearer relationship with their money.
Instead of reducing steps blindly, I’d make onboarding more personal. Certain inputs would trigger reflective moments, like encouraging a user who selects a trip goal. The aim is to make setup feel meaningful, not administrative.
I’d make savings milestones and completed goals shareable, similar to fitness products that celebrate progress. I understand money is private for most people, so sharing would be optional. For those who choose it, personal wins can create pride, accountability, and stronger motivation to keep going.
The long-term opportunity is linking awareness, progress, celebration, and repeat action. When users feel progress, they’re more likely to create the next goal and stay engaged with their money habits.