Simple Invest

Simple Invest is a concept investment platform designed to simplify stock market investing for users who find existing platforms complex or intimidating.The project focuses on clear onboarding, educational guidance, and a user-friendly interface to help users invest with confidence.

CREATED AT

Northeastern
University

PROJECT DURATION

4 weeks

AREAS

UX Design

User Research

PLATFORM

Mobile

OVERVIEW

Simple Invest is a final-year group project created for our UI/UX course at Northeastern University. As a team of five, we wanted to tackle a problem we kept seeing around us: investing feels confusing, intimidating, and often inaccessible to people who are just getting started. Our goal was to design an experience that removes that fear and helps users feel more comfortable taking their first steps into the stock market.

While exploring existing investment apps like Acorns and similar platforms, we noticed that many either automate decisions heavily or assume a certain level of financial knowledge. With Simple Invest, we chose a more guided and transparent approach. The experience is designed to walk users through the process, explain key concepts in simple language, and help them understand not just how to invest, but why they’re making certain choices.

This project was built collaboratively by Pranav Kulkarni, Samhitha Reddy, Sumedha Kasarla, Kshitij Tiwari, and me, Anuja Kale. Throughout the semester, we worked closely across research, ideation, design, and usability testing, learning from each other at every stage. Simple Invest reflects our shared belief that thoughtful, human-centered design can make even complex financial systems feel approachable and empowering.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM

For many people, investing feels overwhelming from the very first step. Opening an account, understanding financial terms, and deciding where to invest can create anxiety, especially for first-time users who fear making costly mistakes. Instead of feeling confident, users often feel lost and unsure if they are making the right decisions.

As we explored existing investment platforms, we noticed that many assume a level of financial knowledge that beginners simply do not have. Information is often presented through dense charts, technical language, and complex flows, which can discourage users from continuing. This gap highlighted the need for a more supportive and beginner-focused experience that guides users with clarity and builds confidence over time.

REASEARCH & COMPETITORS

To better understand the landscape, we studied existing investment platforms and how they support new users. Competitors like Acorns, Robinhood, and similar investing apps offer powerful features, but many rely on automation or assume users already understand investing basics. While these platforms are effective for experienced users, they can feel confusing or impersonal for beginners who want guidance, clarity, and reassurance as they start investing.

Alongside competitive analysis, we reviewed UX articles and research around financial anxiety, onboarding, and decision-making for first-time investors. These studies reinforced that users value transparency, simple explanations, and step-by-step guidance when dealing with money-related decisions. This research helped us validate our direction and informed our design choices, pushing Simple Invest toward a more educational, confidence-building experience rather than a feature-heavy trading platform.

USER PERSONAS

Through our research, we found that users approach investing with very different levels of knowledge, confidence, and comfort. Some are completely new to investing, while others are cautious and analytical but still seek clarity before committing their money. To better represent these differences, we created user personas that helped us empathize with user needs and design an experience that feels supportive, transparent, and easy to understand for each group.

STORYBOARD

To visualize the user’s emotional journey, I created a storyboard that shows how a first-time investor moves from uncertainty to confidence. The story begins with hesitation and confusion, shifts into curiosity as the user starts exploring investing, and gradually builds toward a sense of control after using Simple Invest. Seeing this emotional progression helped the team stay empathetic throughout the design process and informed key decisions around tone, color choices, and content hierarchy, ensuring the experience felt supportive rather than overwhelming.

END-TO-END USER FLOW

This flowchart maps out the complete user journey in Simple Invest, from the moment a user opens the app to managing and adjusting their investments over time. The experience starts with a simple splash screen and onboarding flow, followed by flexible login options such as sign in, Google sign in, or sign up, with support for password recovery when needed. Once logged in, users are guided step by step through choosing an investment type, reviewing their selection, completing personal and account details, funding their account, and confirming their investment. After investing, users can easily monitor performance, adjust allocations, buy or sell shares, or withdraw funds, creating a smooth, end-to-end experience that feels structured, supportive, and easy to follow rather than overwhelming.

DIARY STUDY

To understand how users experience stress and confusion while investing, we conducted a diary study that captured real moments of frustration throughout the day. We began with planning and preparation, defining clear objectives, diary formats, and guiding questions, followed by a pre-study brief to align expectations with participants. During the logging period, users recorded their experiences in real time using in-situ logging and snippet techniques, which helped us capture authentic reactions. After the study, we conducted follow-up interviews and analyzed the data to identify behavioral patterns, emotional triggers, and usability gaps.

DIARY STUDY OF A USER

STORYBOARD

This diary study highlights the day-to-day experience of a user navigating an investment platform. Throughout the day, moments such as login issues, difficulty finding stocks, lack of quick access to indices, and challenges adding funds triggered stress and anxiety. Tracking these emotional responses alongside coping behaviors helped us pinpoint where users feel most vulnerable, allowing us to design Simple Invest with clearer flows, faster access, and better support at critical moments.

To visualize the user’s emotional journey, I created a storyboard that shows how a first-time investor moves from uncertainty to confidence. The story begins with hesitation and confusion, shifts into curiosity as the user starts exploring investing, and gradually builds toward a sense of control after using Simple Invest. Seeing this emotional progression helped the team stay empathetic throughout the design process and informed key decisions around tone, color choices, and content hierarchy, ensuring the experience felt supportive rather than overwhelming.

OPEN CARD SORTING

STORYBOARD

This diary study highlights the day-to-day experience of a user navigating an investment platform. Throughout the day, moments such as login issues, difficulty finding stocks, lack of quick access to indices, and challenges adding funds triggered stress and anxiety. Tracking these emotional responses alongside coping behaviors helped us pinpoint where users feel most vulnerable, allowing us to design Simple Invest with clearer flows, faster access, and better support at critical moments.

To visualize the user’s emotional journey, I created a storyboard that shows how a first-time investor moves from uncertainty to confidence. The story begins with hesitation and confusion, shifts into curiosity as the user starts exploring investing, and gradually builds toward a sense of control after using Simple Invest. Seeing this emotional progression helped the team stay empathetic throughout the design process and informed key decisions around tone, color choices, and content hierarchy, ensuring the experience felt supportive rather than overwhelming.

CLOSED CARD SORTING

STORYBOARD

An open card sorting study with 9 participants allowed users to organize content in a way that felt natural to them. This helped us uncover mental models, identify new category groupings, and better understand how users expect investment information to be structured. Insights from this study directly informed our information architecture decisions.

To visualize the user’s emotional journey, I created a storyboard that shows how a first-time investor moves from uncertainty to confidence. The story begins with hesitation and confusion, shifts into curiosity as the user starts exploring investing, and gradually builds toward a sense of control after using Simple Invest. Seeing this emotional progression helped the team stay empathetic throughout the design process and informed key decisions around tone, color choices, and content hierarchy, ensuring the experience felt supportive rather than overwhelming.

TESTING AND ITERATION

After rounds of usability testing, we took everything we learned and iterated on our designs to make Simple Invest even more intuitive. We refined confusing flows, simplified language, and made sure the entire journey felt seamless for our users. This continuous cycle of testing and iteration helped us build a product we’re truly proud of.

Check out the full project walkthrough in the video below!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Working on Simple Invest reinforced the importance of designing with empathy, especially for products that involve complex and high-stakes decisions like investing. Continuous user research, testing, and iteration helped us move beyond assumptions and focus on what users actually need to feel confident and supported.

Collaboration played a huge role in shaping this project. Working closely with my teammates allowed us to share perspectives, challenge ideas, and build on each other’s strengths across research, design, and testing. This experience not only strengthened the final product but also deepened my understanding of how thoughtful teamwork and user-centered design come together to create meaningful experiences.

DIARY STUDY

To understand how users experience stress and confusion while investing, we conducted a diary study that captured real moments of frustration throughout the day. We began with planning and preparation, defining clear objectives, diary formats, and guiding questions, followed by a pre-study brief to align expectations with participants. During the logging period, users recorded their experiences in real time using in-situ logging and snippet techniques, which helped us capture authentic reactions. After the study, we conducted follow-up interviews and analyzed the data to identify behavioral patterns, emotional triggers, and usability gaps.

DIARY STUDY OF A USER

This diary study highlights the day-to-day experience of a user navigating an investment platform. Throughout the day, moments such as login issues, difficulty finding stocks, lack of quick access to indices, and challenges adding funds triggered stress and anxiety. Tracking these emotional responses alongside coping behaviors helped us pinpoint where users feel most vulnerable, allowing us to design Simple Invest with clearer flows, faster access, and better support at critical moments.

DIARY STUDY OF A USER

This diary study highlights the day-to-day experience of a user navigating an investment platform. Throughout the day, moments such as login issues, difficulty finding stocks, lack of quick access to indices, and challenges adding funds triggered stress and anxiety. Tracking these emotional responses alongside coping behaviors helped us pinpoint where users feel most vulnerable, allowing us to design Simple Invest with clearer flows, faster access, and better support at critical moments.