CASE STUDY · FINTECH · MOBILE
Vista: Calm
Personal Finance
A personal finance app that makes
money feel calm, not like a spreadsheet.
Role
UX Lead
Timeline
4 Months
Tools
Figma, Framer
Scope
Co-Design, UI, System Design
01 — Problem space
The Problem
Money apps are built to show everything. People mostly need
to know one thing, and to stay in charge of what happens
next.
01
ANXIETY
Data Burial
Banking apps bury the single number people need
under endless screens of raw data, creating
unnecessary anxiety.
02
AGENCY
Loss of Control
Automated splits and features often leave users
feeling like they’ve lost agency over their own money.
02 — Process
Research &
Co-
Design
Co-design sessions and thematic coding used to align app
design with how users actually think about cash flow.
Method
Designing with users,
not for them.
Participants sketched their own money screens, then we
coded the language they used into recurring themes.
Co-design
Sessions where people arranged cash-flow concepts
in the order they naturally think about them.
Synthesis
Thematic coding of sketches and transcripts to find
shared mental models.
Alignment
Structure and copy rebuilt around those themes
before any high-fidelity UI.
Key insight
Grouping by intent — spending
commitments vs. net worth —
matches mental models.
03 — Screens walkthrough
✦ concept
Vista leads with what you can safely
spend today, not an intimidating net
worth. Money feels lighter when the first
number is one you can act on.
Because we design for young adults, we
explain money in plain words and keep
every automated action visible and
reversible.
9:41
●●● ▮
Thursday 8 October
Welcome back, Theo!
Safe to spend
On Track
$7
left today · $45 of $52
NET WORTH · ALL ACCOUNTS
$94,210
+3.2%
Next 7 days
N
Netflix
Due in 3 days
−$22.99
S
Spotify
Due in 7 days
−$11.99
9:41
●●● ▮
Budget
+ New
Month
Week
OVERALL SPENT 65%
$990
left this month
Groceries
69% SPENT
$372
Dining out
83% SPENT
$68
safe to spend first
Next 7 days
2 bills coming up
N
Netflix
Due in 3 days
−$22.99
S
Spotify
Due in 7 days
−$11.99
Porsche 911
$89,014
Japan Trip
$672
W
Westpac
Connected
Active until Mar 2027
✦ vocabulary
Simple and flexible. We strive for
understanding of concepts and
warmth: Spendable, Saved, Earned,
Spent.
Spendable
Saved
Earned
Set up your first
budget in two
minutes!
Start now →
simple vocabulary
9:41
●●● ▮
‹
BANK LINKING · 2 OF 5
Here’s what you’d share.
Vista can see
✓
Account names and balances
✓
Transactions from the last 90 days
✓
Account type, e.g. savings
Vista cannot
×
Move or spend your money
×
See or store your bank password
×
Sell your data to advertisers
Allow sharing
Not now
short sentences
✦ control
Consent is explicit: what Vista can see,
what it can’t, and how long it lasts.
Every connection can be managed,
refreshed or disconnected in one tap.
9:41
●●● ▮
‹
PROFILE & SETTINGS
Connected Banks
C
Commonwealth Bank
3 accounts · Sharing until 9 Oct 2027
Connected
Manage
Disconnect
A
ANZ
2 accounts · Needs a quick refresh
Reconnect
+ Add a bank
Disconnecting stops Vista reading a bank. You
choose whether to keep or erase what was
imported.
one-tap disconnect
✦ insight
The rest of the app follows the same rule: one clear
number first, with the detail one tap away. Colour does the
quiet work, so nothing shouts.
9:41
●●● ▮
Analytics
T
Week
Month
Year
Spending by category
October 2026
Shopping
45%
Groceries
25%
Dining
18%
Other
12%
Dining +$118
Cash flow
+$1,254
22%
Savings rate
N
S
E
3 active
subscriptions
spending at a glance
9:41
●●● ▮
Goals
+ Add goal
Saved toward goals
+$1,500 this month
$89,688
across 2 ongoing goals
+
Add funds
⇄
Transfer
◷
History
Ongoing (2)
Achieved (2)
Porsche 911
$89,016
of $296,100
Until May 2027
30%
Japan Trip
$672
of $2,500
goals, not guilt
9:41
●●● ▮
‹
Subscriptions
▦
$154.98
Due this month
Review bills
N
S
3 active
subscriptions
Spending overview
$34.98
Subscriptions
$120.00
Bills
1W
1M
6M
1Y
Active subscriptions
N
Netflix
Active
Renews in 3 days
$22.99
S
Spotify
Active
Renews in 7 days
$11.99
E
Electricity
Bill
Due in 12 days
$120.00
no surprise bills
9:41
●●● ▮
‹
Smart insights
✦
↑
Grocery spend is up 32%
$891 vs $675 last month
›
◷
Netflix renews in 3 days
$22.99 · pause or cancel
›
↗
On track to save $1,310
Based on your pace so far
›
Subscriptions
$34.98 / mo
N
Netflix
Renews in 3 days
−$22.99
Daily average pace
$115 of $130
You are $15 under your daily budget
plain-word insights
04 — Final experience
Core Features
9:41
●●● ▮
Thursday 8 October
Welcome back, Theo!
Safe to spend
On Track
$7
left today · $45 of $52
NET WORTH · ALL ACCOUNTS
$94,210
+3.2%
Next 7 days
N
Netflix
Due in 3 days
−$22.99
S
Spotify
Due in 7 days
−$11.99
CORE FEATURE
Safe to Spend First
Leads with money people can act on today rather than intimidating net worth totals, bringing immediate clarity to the home screen.
9:41
●●● ▮
‹
PROFILE & SETTINGS
Connected Banks
C
Commonwealth Bank
3 accounts · Sharing until 9 Oct 2027
Connected
Manage
Disconnect
A
ANZ
2 accounts · Needs a quick refresh
Reconnect
+ Add a bank
Disconnecting stops Vista reading a bank. You
choose whether to keep or erase what was
imported.
USER CONTROL
Control Stays With You
One-tap data revocation and manual confirmation for paycheck splitting keep every automated action visible and reversible.
05 — Impact
Measuring Success
Scaled clarity-first financial tracking, reducing
cognitive friction and anxiety around everyday
budgeting.
Clarity
One number, first
Less friction
Fewer screens to a decision
Less anxiety
Control that stays visible
06 — Reflection
Limitations &
What’s Next
LIMITATIONS
5 participants, aged 21 to
34.
Initial user testing was limited to 5 participants (aged
21 to 34), leaving older demographics untested.
NEXT STEPS
Wider, longer, more
accessible.
Expand testing to users aged 55+, introduce
accessible typography scaling, and run longitudinal
tracking over multi-week intervals.
Thanks for reading.
Vista — UX case study · Built with precision.