CashStream

CASHSTREAM is a fintech app that combines saving, investing, and peer-to-peer payments in one experience. Users can create personalized saving portfolios (e.g., Emergency Fund, Rent, Travel, New Laptop), fund them automatically or manually, and grow wealth by investing in stocks and other available assets all while still being able to send and receive money instantly

The Challenge: The "Fear Factor"

Designing CASHSTREAM required balancing a clean, modern UI with the complexity of financial products and regulations.

• Translating complex finance into beginner-friendly UX

  • During wireframing, it was difficult to turn concepts like available balance vs invested value vs portfolio balance into language and UI patterns users instantly understand.

    Constraint: reduce cognitive load while still being accurate (no misleading totals).

• Creating a navigation model that matches user mental models

  • Testing early layouts often revealed confusion: users weren’t sure whether portfolios were the same as investments, or where “cash” lives.

    Constraint: design navigation and labels that reflect how people think (“Save”, “Invest”, “Pay”) instead of internal product terminology.

The Solution

We focused on three key UX interventions:

1. Translating complex finance into beginner-friendly UX

   Replaced finance-heavy labels with plain language and helper text:

   “Available Cash” (spend/send now)

   “Saved” (in portfolios)

2. Creating a navigation model that matches user mental models

• Validated labels with quick usability checks and chose familiar tabs:

Home, Save, Invest, Pay

On each tab, kept one primary CTA (avoid choice overload).

• Used cross-links that match intent:

From Save → “Invest this money” (optional)

From Invest → “Add funds” (clearly shows funding source)

The Results

• Clear product positioning and user flow

  Users could immediately understand the app’s purpose: Save → Grow (Invest) → Move (Pay).

  The Home experience successfully acted as a “control center,” reducing confusion about where to start.

• Reduced cognitive load around balances

  Users could distinguish Available Cash vs Saved vs Invested without second-guessing.

  Balance breakdown + helper microcopy improved comprehension and reduced “Where is my money?” uncertainty.