Chase Mobile App (Item)

CHASE BANK · WEEKLY SPENDING RECAP

A Weekly recap that helps Chase users understand their spending without stress, setup, or judgement

Chase already tracks every transaction. But users were confused, anxious, and avoiding the app entirely. This feature changes that.

Tasks completed

4 of 5

Expressed relief

100%

Found tone supportive

100%

Navigation gap found

1 critical

What?

A weekly spending recap feature added to Chase's mobile app to help users understand their finances through passive, plain-language summaries with no setup or budgeting tools required.

For Who?

Designed for everyday Chase users. Especially paycheck-to-paycheck users and ESL users who want clarity and reassurance without complexity.

My Role

UX/UI designer responsible for user research, interviews,persona development, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

What Chase needs

A feature that increases weekly engagement, builds trust in the app, and reduces anxiety-driven support calls without requiring users to set up budgets or configure anything.

What users need

To know if something went wrong. To understand what changed. To avoid surprises. To feel in control without having to dig through data to get there.

THE SOLUTION

A guided weekly check-in. Nothing more

A lightweight, linear recap flow that walks users through their week in three steps. No setup. No goals. Just a plain-language summary of what happened and whether its normal.

FLOW 01 — NORMAL SPENDING

Your spending is right on track

When spending is within usual range, users get a category breakdown, a week-over-week trend, and plain-language reassurance. The recap ends with an optional path to the Spending Planner but it's never required.

FLOW 02 — ABOVE-USUAL SPENDING

Spending spiked.. here is why

When spending is higher than usual, the messaging shifts tone without alarming the user. It names the category, gives context, and offers optional charge review or dispute paths — all calmly.

CHARGE REVIEW AND DISPUTE

Investigate without leaving the recap

Users can drill into any charge, confirm it looks right, or initiate a dispute — all from within the recap flow. Both paths are clear and supportive, with easy return paths back to the summary.

How I did it

RESEARCH

I interviewed five participants across different financial profiles to understand how people track money, what makes them anxious, and what they wish their banking app could do.

Nancy

Paycheck-to-paycheck. Relies on text alerts. Avoids the app when anxious.

"Don't let me get surprised."

Martha

Intentional planner. Tracks weekly. Experiences stress around

big spending moments.

"Help me stay disciplined."

Ryan

Checks Chase 2–3x daily. Googles merchant codes. Frustrated by vague labels.

"Make this smarter."

Nate

Schedule-based. Spreadsheet user. Rarely confused but
dislikes vendor changes.

"Just let me control it."

Sindy

ESL user. Monthly checker. Focused entirely on bill confirmation.

"Just make sure my bills are paid."

Key themes from affinity mapping

54 observations from 5 interviews consolidated into 4 themes. The clarity gap dominated; users were confused by the app and wanted something it didn't give them

Clarity gap

Reactive checking

Anxiety & avoidannce

What feels safe

Clarity gap

Unclear merchant names, buried features, and coded transactions — users couldn't understand what the app was showing them, and wanted plain explanations and spending summaries it didn't provide.

Reactive checking

Users check accounts in response to anxiety, big purchases, or end of month — not proactively. Alerts, spreadsheets, and workarounds fill the gap the app leaves.

Anxiety & avoidance

Low balances, fraud, overspending, and uncertainty trigger stress. Users avoid the app when anxious — waiting until the first week, hoping things are okay rather than checking.

What feels safe

Bills paid, knowing where money went, text alerts — when users have predictability and clear information, they feel confident. This is exactly what the Weekly Recap was designed to deliver.

Path forward

The affinity map revealed that confusion and stress drive avoidance — and that clarity and predictability are what make users feel safe. The Weekly Recap was designed to close that gap.

KEY INSIGHTS

Five patterns that shaped every design decision

1. Confidence ≠ clarity

Even financially literate users experience moments of doubt when transaction information is unclear. Trust breaks when the app can't explain itself.

2. Banking apps are emotional regulation tools

Users check their accounts to reduce anxiety — not to plan. Frequent app use is driven by reassurance-seeking, not financial management.

3. Passive visibility beats active dashboards

Nobody wants to configure categories or set up budgets. Users want the app to understand their finances for them and surface what matters.

4. Language friction exists for everyone

Unclear merchant names and financial jargon create confusion even for native English speakers — it's just normalized. For ESL users, it's a blocker.

5. Stress spikes during exceptions

Overwhelm doesn't happen during routine checks — it happens when something is unclear or unexpected. Design should help users navigate those moments.

My original hypothesis was wrong. This made the work stronger. Here's what research revealed instead.

Early interviews skewed toward confident users, which revealed something unexpected. Even experienced users rely on passive tools (alerts, timelines) rather than active budgeting. The problem wasn't a beginner budgeting gap. It was a clarity and reassurance gap across all user types.

Original hypothesis

Beginner budgeting tools for new-to-banking and ESL users

Research-supported reframe

Passive financial understanding for users who want confidence without active management

PERSONAS

Three distinct users, three different relationships with one shared need — financial stress

Three personas emerged from research, each representing a distinct relationship with financial anxiety and app engagement. Despite their differences, all three needed the same thing: clarity and reassurance — not more features.

Naomi Rivera

Monitors constantly but it causes stress, not confidence. Avoids checking when money is low.

Needs emotional safety, not budgeting tools.

The Anxious Avoider

Age/ Gender

34/ Female

Location

Paterson, NJ

Occupation

Retail & gig worker

Background

Naomi lives check to check and relies heavily on alerts, reminders, and spreadsheets to track her spending, but avoids opening her bank app when she feels anxious. When something goes wrong, like an overdraft — it feels emotionally overwhelming.

Goals

Avoid overdrafts
Make sure bills get paid
Know if something is wrong immediately
Feel safe opening her bank app

Pains

Afraid to check her balance
Gets surprised by charges
Can’t tell what some transactions mean
Financial stress leads to avoidance
App language feels confusing

Needs

Early warnings before things go wrong
Clear explanations of charges
Reassurance that bills are covered
Less emotional friction

LOFI WIREFRAMES

Before adding visual design, I mapped the core flow and alt paths to establish structure and solve navigation early

Before moving to high-fidelity design, I mapped the core flow and alt paths in lo-fi. Navigation was refined early — explicit labeled CTAs replaced icon buttons to make progression through the recap clear and unambiguous.

Flow

Lo-fi wireframe shows the primary recap flow, charge review alt path, and dispute confirmation screens.

USABILITY TESTING

2 participants. 5 tasks. 1 critical fix.

I tested the high-fidelity prototype with two participants using moderated, task-based sessions of 15–20 minutes each. Both participants matched the target persona: users seeking clarity, reassurance, and control over their spending.

Tasks completed

4 of 5

Expressed relief

100%

Found tone supportive

100%

Navigation gap found

1 critical

Task

Enter the weekly recap

Understand weekly spending summary

Review what changed and why

Review and verify a specific charge

Exit the recap and return to accounts

Result

✓ Completed without help

✓ Completed

✗ Inconsistent — critical gap

— Nancy

I feel more in control when I see this laid out.

— Danny

I'm usually stressed about money, but this makes sense and feels accurate.

WHAT I CHANGED

Navigation and visual hierarchy

✗ No clear exit from the flow

✗ Text-heavy with no visual summary

✓ "Back to accounts" on every screen

✓ Bar chart replaces text comparison

Insight

Testing revealed two gaps: users felt stuck without a clear exit, and text-heavy screens slowed comprehension.

Adding persistent navigation and replacing text with charts reduced cognitive load and made the summary scannable at a glance.

Above-usual spending flow

Screen 1

Spending flagged on entry. User knows immediately something is different.

Screen 2

Category named, line graph shows the spike in context — not alarming, just clear.

Screen 3

Calm plain-language summary. Names the issue without judgment.

REFLECTION

"Designing for emotional safety is just as important as designing for usability."

The most important shift in this project happened before any wireframe was drawn. My original hypothesis — that the problem was beginner budgeting — was wrong. Research corrected it. That pivot made the work stronger.

I learned that designing for emotional safety is just as important as designing for usability. Small choices in language, hierarchy, and tone change how users feel about their own finances. A feature that makes someone feel calm instead of stressed is doing real work.

This project also taught me to trust restraint. The best version of this feature is the one that does less — no goals, no setup, no advice. Just clarity.

"Seeing this makes me want to be more mindful next week."

— Usability test participant

If I were to take this further

Longer-term trend views (30–90 days), a Spanish-language variant to address ESL needs directly, deeper Chase tool integration, and A/B testing on reassurance copy across spending scenarios.

Want to see the full prototype?

The full interactive Figma prototype is available — or let's connect and talk through the process.

View Figma Prototype

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