POCKETMONEY
As part of my Google UX Design Certificate, I set out to create a tool for global travelers navigating currency exchanges. While researching—and from personal experience—I noticed a common frustration: exchange rates are easy to find, but rarely accurate. Hidden fees and unpredictable charges often lead to confusion, frustration, and even buyer’s remorse.
I designed PocketMoney, a travel app built to make currency exchange simple and transparent. The app provides:
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Real-time exchange forecasts as you type values in either your local or home currency
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Geolocation to surface nearby kiosks and banks within a set radius
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Transparent breakdowns of fees and charges across different payment methods
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Tools to help forecast exact or approximate costs on debit/credit cards
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Seamless facilitation of cash exchange through partnered kiosks
When I shared the prototype with peers, the response was clear: this tool filled a real gap. Travelers found the transparency and ease of use reassuring, giving them more confidence while spending abroad. Many noted that unlike kiosks, banks, and card providers—who often bury critical fee information—PocketMoney puts clarity and convenience at the center of the experience.
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Research
I started by exploring articles, forums, and travel communities around shopping overseas, currency exchange, and preferred payment methods. The insight was clear: travelers want the best rate but struggle with hidden fees and unclear conversions. My goal became to design an app that surfaces accurate rates, transparent fees, and easy comparisons across kiosks, ATMs, and credit cards.Interviews & user personas
To shape the app’s direction, I ran interviews with frequent travelers. Most admitted feeling uncertain about their transactions—unsure if they’d chosen the right payment method or received the best deal. From this, I created two user personas focused on transparency, efficiency, and ease of use.
Based on my research, I identified two user personas who represent the app’s core audience. They became the guideposts for designing a currency exchange experience that’s transparent, efficient, and easy to use.
Goal definition
Leveraging my brand strategy background, I crafted a goal statement much like a brand positioning line: define what the product is, why it matters, who it’s for, and how it solves the problem. This became the foundation for design decisions.
Competitive audit
I reviewed existing currency apps. Most were built for FOREX investors, not everyday travelers. They offered simple conversions but lacked transparency around fees and didn’t account for kiosks or card issuer differences. This gap highlighted the opportunity for a more traveler-friendly solution.
Design process
I began with “How might we” statements, then sketched, iterated (Crazy 8s, user flows, wireframes), and tested concepts. Each iteration sharpened how the app could show rates, comparisons, and options with less friction. Moving into prototyping, I focused on keeping gestures and interactions familiar—scroll, swipe, click—so usability stayed intuitive.
Early design exploration
I started with the Crazy 8s method to push creative possibilities before narrowing in on the core idea. This helped stretch the concept and surface unexpected solutions.
From there, I mapped out user flows to simplify the journey, testing and refining until the experience felt seamless. I also built a storyboard—not essential, but useful to show real-life scenarios where the app could make a difference and to help stakeholders see its value.
The information architecture gave structure to these early designs. As I moved into prototyping, I continued to refine and streamline to keep the experience intuitive and clear.Prototyping
Through multiple iterations, I focused on simplifying the app into its most intuitive form. Early lo-fi wireframes helped uncover challenges around familiar gestures—scrolling, swiping, and tapping—that guided refinements to the prototype.
The initial layout was designed to feel instantly familiar, with clear payment options and instant currency calculations visible from the homepage. Testing the lo-fi prototype confirmed the flow was on track, with users able to accomplish their goals easily. Despite a few design tweaks, the prototype achieved a high success rate and validated the core experience before moving to hi-fi.
Visual Language
As a brand designer, I approached the app’s visual language with the same rigor as a brand identity. Every element was chosen to reflect the product’s principles:
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Color: Green as a universal signal for money, dark tones for trust and security, and brighter accents for positivity and modernity.
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Typography: Clear, legible characters to avoid confusion in currency values.
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Logo: A simple transformation graphic—currency symbols in opposing corners—to represent exchange, customizable to the user’s origin country.
I began with the home screen, where most interactions occur, then expanded the system across other screens. The design system grew from these foundations, ensuring consistency and clarity. The latest iteration offers the most efficient, natural way to compare payment options side by side.
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Design with Hugo Collective, Christian Dierig, Donna Hadfield, Joseph Maruca, and animations by Paco Aguayo
Tags:
Branding