Bouillon
Ethical Stock. Honest Earnings.
The Problem
New Investors Need
Ethical Options
A small-increment investing app that focuses on ethically conscious companies will allow users to comfortably earn extra income and increase their limited knowledge.
Target Audience
Socially Environmentally Conscious
Generally socially and/or environmentally conscious.
Stable Income
Though limited, have income that is stable enough to allow for a minimum annual budget of $1,000 for investing.
Ages 25-40
Young adults to more mature investors.
Debt
May have some debt -- student loans or mortgages -- to which they make regular payments.
Urban
Live and work in major metropolitan areas.
Values-based Purchases
Often make purchasing decisions based on their values, or would like to begin doing so.
User Research
For my initial informational interviews I asked five members of my target audience questions related to their interests in investing, previous investing experiences, and to how they make purchasing decisions
The Goal
Determine if a small-budget investing app that focuses on ethically good companies would be useful in helping them invest.
Key Takeaways
- Users were more concerned with their immediate financial needs than saving money
- Users believe companies should be held to high standards with regards to the communities/neighbors they serve and/or disrup
- Users mentioned ‘green’ companies most favorably.
- All users identify as and want to remain educated consumers.
- All users prefer their money going to ‘ethical’ companies.
User Goals
- Investment Education
- Ethical Investing Options
- Remaining Educated Consumers
- Transparent Financial Transactions
- Affordable Financial Transactions
- Additional Income
Initial Interview Quotes
Refining Insights and Needs
One unexpected outcome I discovered upon analyzing the data from my initial interviews was that users were not interested in accumulating savings but rather preferred a means of earning additional income.
Initial Hypothesis
A digital investing product, focused on ethics-oriented companies, will educate and inform new investors to begin saving in more mindful ways.
Refined Hypothesis
A small-increment investing app that focuses on ethically conscious companies will allow users to comfortably earn extra income and increase their limited knowledge.
User Persona
Amy S.
Agreeable Individualist
Profile
Age: 28
Occupation: Physical Therapist
Income: $60,000
Residence: San Francisco
Education: Master’s Degree
Other Info:
Lives with Roommate
Some student debt
Yoga / bikes
Eats organic when she’s able
Bay Area transplant
Goals and Needs
- Investing Education
- Ethical Investing Options
- Affordable Financial Transactions
- Additional Income
Pain Points
- Limited investing experience
- Distrust of certain companies / industries
- Small budget
Paper Prototypes and
Wireframes
These are a few of the early concepts that demonstrated the key experiences of the interface and were used for tactical usability testing
User Flow
Entire User Flow
Onboarding
Main Task and Further Engagement
Site Map
MVP
Feature Highlights
Stock Page
Considering Bouillon’s typical user is an educated consumer who prefers ethical purchasing options, each stock page lists that stock’s financial data, company bio, ethical rating, and media on key ethical findings. This page will familiarize users with any given company’s financial and ethical data allowing a high level of purchasing comfort.
Search & Filter
Below the search bar is a list of trending searches. Users can search for a specific company or companies within a specific industry. More notably, users may filter results by ethics score, market price, or industry. The filter allows users financial control and a more personalized, educated consumer approach to their ethical investing options.
User Portfolio
In order to provide transparent financial transactions through the portfolio, users will have immediate access to breakdowns of their own financial earnings. The summary page includes basic stock information such as current value, spending power, share breakdown, financial charts across multiple timeframes, and the equity list. The details page includes a financial overview, financial history (market earnings breakdown, dividends, transaction history), legal documents, and access to account settings.
Financial Options
Users may choose between multiple bank-to-app transfer methods: automatic, automatic spare change transfers, and individual transfers. In addition, after selecting shares to buy, users have multiple stock purchasing options to meet their budgets (market, limit one day, and limit “good ’til canceled”) with no added fees, allowing for affordable financial transactions.
High Fidelity Prototype
I took serious interest in the stock market after pursuing investors for the start-ups with which I was involved. I devoured every book I could find on stock market investing; but when it came to making a purchase decision, not one of these resources examined companies’ ethics. I designed this app as part of a UX Design course at General Assembly, San Francisco. There are additional relevant data points, moments of clarity, and a bit of the process behind the scenes that I’ve saved for one-on-one conversations. I’d be happy to fill you in over coffee.