How might we create an easier way to track disposable income and provide a sense of accountability?

Budget Ninja specializes in one thing: Help you track the amount of fun money that you have to spare. We do this by adopting the simple saving rules based on Richard Jenkin's 60% solution. Needing only your monthly income, Budget Ninja immediately provides you the peace of mind of knowing just how much money is truly disposable using the envelope method, you can track expenses that come out of your fun money. This is an app for reinforcing and developing good financial habits.

I worked one-on-one with the developer to bring his vision to life. He wanted a gender neutral, fun and fresh look. I designed the logo, customized the images and chose the color pallet.

Logo Design

The client and I went through 3 rounds of logo design. First we discussed the client's ideas, then I did some sketches presenting 3 different concepts the client talked about. He chose the person with currency leaves coming out like a tree. But after more refinement and an updated name he wanted the person to be more fun, so I replaced it with a ninja and reworked the leaves surrounding it.

Website Design

The client wanted the website to be simple and reduce the stress of thinking about finances. It needed to be gender neutral and appeal to a younger audience since the primary users would be millennials, and teens learning to manage their money.

I decided on a teal, green and yellow color pallet with organic calming images. These leaf images went well with the the logo's concept of you "growing your money" and the colors provide a sense of serenity.

UI Design

Users add expenses via the side menu. By including it on the side menu it acts as a globally accessible feature, that is important since adding expenses is the main use-case.

Once the user sets up their envelopes they will see how much disposable income is left in each category. A pie chart was added in addition to the table for a quick visual representation.

Personas

Final Words

This is a great companion app for people that want to better track their disposable income. It was a pleasure to work on it alongside the developer, as it allowed for quick iterations and minimal delays in getting the concept from zero to launch.

While the web app was designed to be responsive, the developer wants to create a native mobile app as well.