Mikky InnovateGrowth & Product Designer

Case file 05Product design

Thrive

Gamifying financial goals for consistent growth.

Open in the office →The same case file, inside my interactive office

In shortA savings app that turns goals into habits: pick a goal, watch it near the finish line, and let a recurring plan do the saving.

Situation
Saving feels like a burden because every deposit is a fresh decision.
Task
In 2023 I led the design of Thrive, from the first user flows to the final visual system.
Action
Onboarding starts with what you’re saving for, progress is shown loudly near the finish line, and a recurring plan does the depositing.
Result
Delivered the product end to end, from first user flows to the final visual system, built on two proven behaviour patterns: the goal-gradient effect and automatic deposits. 200+ people tested it. They liked the saving experience, and what they liked most was that it would encourage them to save. It’s built to move the number that matters for a savings app: goals reached, not just accounts opened.
Client
Thrive
Category
Mobile app
Role
Product designer, from user flows to the visual system
Timeline
2023
Platform
Mobile app

Saving feels like a burden because every deposit is a fresh decision. Thrive takes that decision away. I led the design from the first user flows to the final visual system. I built it on two behavioural ideas: show progress so people want to finish, and automate the deposit so they never have to choose again.

Stage 1Situation

Thrive on a phone
Thrive on a phone

Stage 2Task: my part

01My part

In 2023 I led the design, from the first user flows to the final visual system.

Stage 3Action: the decisions

02Decision 1 · Start with what you’re saving for

Onboarding opens with a question, not a form: what are you saving for? Each goal is a photo, such as a holiday, a home, retirement or education. You pick the thing itself, not a category name.

The goal picker: photo tiles for Vacations, Home, Retirement and Education
The goal picker: photo tiles for Vacations, Home, Retirement and Education

03Decision 2 · Make the finish line loud

Every goal shows its percentage large, with a progress bar under it. At 98% the bar is nearly full, and that’s on purpose. It uses the Goal Gradient Effect: people push harder as they get close to the end.

Goals: total saved, goals completed and active, each goal with its own percentage
Goals: total saved, goals completed and active, each goal with its own percentage
Vacation 2025 at 98%, with auto-invest status and recent deposits. Sample data.
Vacation 2025 at 98%, with auto-invest status and recent deposits. Sample data.

04Decision 3 · Automate the deposit

A recurring plan ($200 a month from a checking account in this example) removes the “pain of paying” from each deposit. That makes saving a habit loop. The only thing left for the user to do is celebrate the milestone.

Plan your vacation: $200 a month from checking, set with one Confirm Goal button
Plan your vacation: $200 a month from checking, set with one Confirm Goal button
The full screen set, from splash to goal detail
The full screen set, from splash to goal detail

Stage 4Result

  • 200+People tested it
  • Would saveWhat testers said the experience would get them to do

From user testing of the designed product; the amounts on the screens are sample data.

05Result

Delivered the product end to end, from the first user flows to the final visual system. Two proven behaviour patterns are designed in: the goal-gradient effect, which makes people push harder near the finish, and automatic deposits, which turn saving into a habit. 200+ people tested it, and it worked. They liked the saving experience, and they liked that it would encourage them to save, which is exactly what the goal-gradient progress and automatic deposits were designed to do. It’s built to move the number that matters for a savings app: goals reached, not just accounts opened. (The amounts on the screens are sample data.)