UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE

Capital One is the 9th largest U.S. bank, with 69 million potential Gen Z customers, many of whom will stick with their first bank for 17 years. But…

97% of Gen Z use social media as their top source of shopping inspiration.
YET Social media creates doubt, helplessness, and FOMO-driven overspending.
WHILE Financial advice is often generic, non-actionable, or mistrusted.
Young person scrolling on a phone

How can we help Capital One's Gen Z customers make more informed financial decisions?

By designing features that bring context, personalization, and confidence to their financial journey.

THE SOLUTION

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RESEARCH

Research & Discovery

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Insights

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ITERATIONS

Iterations while staying close to users

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DEVELOPING INTERACTIONS THAT STICK

Our goal with the mid-fidelity prototype was to experiment with interaction patterns and discover innovative ways to engage users with our ideas.

Turning a simple quiz into an engaging experience

What started as a straightforward quiz turned into an opportunity to explore how different interaction styles can shape engagement and clarity.

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Confusing because users don't know where they can click

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These methods of engagement matched the users' mental models and hence were straightforward to use

Designing transaction insights that work the way users think

As we tested early concepts, it became clear that users struggled to find the right level of detail in their transaction insights. We responded by trying out new ways of presenting key information and simplifying the paths to access it.

Bite-sized insights on the transaction page itself
Bite-sized insights screen Bite-sized insights detail screen

Surface-level insights didn’t offer much value, especially for users who wanted to track their habits over time.

VS.
Dedicated 'Transaction Insights' hub for in-depth insights
Transaction Insights hub

Users valued having a clear summary upfront, with the option to dive deeper into specific insights as needed.

THIS INSIGHT LED US TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT UI MODALITIES ↓

How might we surface the types of transactions users care about most, in a way that feels clear and intuitive?

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Transaction Insights hub with Find trends in your spending
WHAT WE CHOSE

All four modalities were tested. “Find trends in your spending” was the most successful, so we built it into the Transaction Insights hub.

We learned that while they wanted precise details about their transactions, they also looked for guidance when things weren’t going well and reassurance when they were on the right track.

Designing AI experiences that build user confidence without eroding trust

We found that Gen Z expected AI to go beyond data analysis. They wanted it to explain new concepts, connect the dots, and suggest tangible actions they could take next.

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FINAL DESIGN

Building a high-fidelity prototype that Gen Z wants to use

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Takeaways

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Manuni and Jahnavi presenting the project

This project tested our creativity and patience but taught us so much along the way. We came out of it with a stronger appreciation for how Gen Z navigates money and financial confidence.

IN-DEPTH REVIEW

If you would like to see the nitty-gritty of research & design explorations that went into crafting this experience, please click here! I normally walk people through this in an interview environment or in a coffee chat.

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