Ultracard. Responsive web design for a new kind of card.
Many young adults find financial planning daunting, whether it's dealing with investments, managing funds, or using credit cards. This apprehension is understandable, given the widespread lack of financial literacy. Ultracard is a new type of card designed to simplify spending and earning rewards, easing the financial planning process. This project aims to develop the Ultracard product and create a responsive web design for it.
Role: UX/Web Designer
Timeline: 8 Weeks (May 2024 - June 2024)
Tools Used: Figma + Illustrator
The Problem Space
Many consumers are frustrated by juggling multiple cards for different benefits, including switching between debit and credit. This is compounded by numerous brand-reward programs, leading to concerns about unhealthy financial decisions and feeling unprepared for financially independent adulthood.
My Solution
A credit card powered by modern financial technology that functions as both a debit and credit card as needed, while offering consistent cash back benefits and seamlessly integrating linked brand reward programs.
Research Summary
Starting off with secondary research, I decided to look at what other card-based solutions are being offered by financial institutions. This was also accompanied by looking into offerings from non financial institutions
(eg: Apple, Rogers, Walmart, President’s Choice etc.).
This included asking peers about their preferred choices, and what kind of benefits do they prefer when choosing a new card - points or cash back. I also looked at the benefits that payments networks (Amex, Mastercard, and Visa) provided their customers.
There was a preference for a cash back rewards because of lower annual fees, and less restrictive redemption. The best part about cash back cards is their simplicity - they let you earn a fixed percentage of the amount you spend as cash back. Most cards offer at least 1% cash back on all purchases. Some cards provide up to 6% cash back on bonus categories, but that may come with limits or restrictions.
Based on the user personas, four general themes can be observed:
Financial Literacy and Education
Optimization of Credit Card Benefits
Convenience and Simplification
Decision-Making and Uncertainty
After creating affinity diagrams, the following insights were observes: Simplification of Financial Products, Consistent and Valuable Benefits, and Improved Financial Education.
In-Depth Research, User Personas, Problem and Opportunity Space, Usability Studies, Branding, and Wireframes are available in the Process Book.
Introducing Ultracard.
Ultracard is a versatile card that functions as both a debit and credit card, adapting to your financial needs. It offers up to 2% daily cash back, allowing you to enjoy the benefits and security of using your own money without incurring interest. Additionally, Ultracard enables cash withdrawals from any ATM worldwide and consolidates all your rewards programs, earning points with every purchase. It’s a debit card. It’s a credit card. It’s Ultracard.
Explore the features of Ultracard using the responsive web design prototype.
The Process
See the research, branding, brainstorming, and the user testing process that led to the final product.
