UX/UI

June 3, 2020

SEB Youth

The SEB Youth app is a banking service tailored for children and teenagers. This redesign of the app was an internship project that landed me a full-time position at Bontouch.

Task

The task was to redesign and enhance the SEB Youth app by analyzing its current state, exploring innovative features, prototyping in Figma, testing with users, and collaborating with developers to create a more engaging and future-proof experience for young users.

Strategy

UX Strategy
Design

UI/UX Design, Art Direction
Client

SEB

Open Project

Meet my professional team

The team

Project Management

— Hampus Lemhag
Project Manager

Design

— Mai Nguyen
UX/UI Designe

Process

How could we improve the Youth App & strengthen the relationship between the target group and SEB?

SEB had recently updated its Private and Corporate apps with new navigation and design, but the Youth app had remained underprioritized, resulting in an outdated design. Although users under 18 didn’t contribute financially yet, building early relationships with them increased long-term loyalty and future profitability. The goal of this project was to redesign the Youth app to make it more engaging, potentially introducing new features like allowances, gamified savings, and a fresh visual approach tailored to younger users. The process involved understanding the existing app, aligning with SEB’s design guidelines while challenging them where necessary, and researching industry trends and competitors.

Research

understanding the problem

Identified relevant solutions that could have been effectively integrated into SEB Youth and provided rationale for why certain approaches may not have been suitable.

Researched the target audience: Swedish children and teenagers (8-19 years old) and their parents.
Analyzed competitors, including Klarna, Nordea, Swedbank, Handelsbanken, and Revolut.
Explored related functionalities in apps designed for young users.
Reviewed SEB’s brand guidelines and design library.
The research emphasized financial education, gamification, and new functionalities like allowances and interactive money management tools to foster good financial habits. Details below.

Benchmarking

research

The fintech market offered numerous apps designed for minors, with most focusing on:

Financial education through interactive methods like challenges, games, storytelling, and direct information.
Parental control features that allowed parents to track and manage their child’s spending.
Allowance management, including tracking and seamless transfers.
Built-in communication between parents and children or peer-to-peer interactions.
Visually, these apps often adopted a lively, cheerful, and colorful design, incorporating animated 2D/3D characters and an upbeat tone. Alternatively, some apps, like Anyfin and Dreams, embraced a modern, clean, and minimalistic style, offering a more neutral aesthetic.

User Interview

research

View Interview Script

Interview Goals

For young user
To understand the users’ relationship with money and their bank, to find possible touchpoints toward solution for the Youth app, and to focus on understanding their money habit, goals and painpoint.
For parent
To understand how parent manage their children’s money, to find possible touchpoints toward solution for the Youth app, and to focus on understanding the kids’ money habit, goals and painpoint.

Key insights

result

We were right about…

The primary use case for the Youth app was simply checking account balances, with minimal engagement beyond that.
The goal-saving feature was underutilized, with only 4% of users actively using it.
Parents encouraged children to use Swish or bank cards for financial transactions.
Young users were heavily influenced by trendy content on social media, with Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat being their most-used platforms (Facebook/Messenger is less relevant).
The only fintech app minors commonly use was the bank app they already have, indicating low adoption of alternative financial tools.
While parents offered allowances, many expected children to complete chores or tasks in exchange, using it to teach financial responsibility.

Great learnings

Younger kids prefered cash over Swish or card payments, while parents typically handle savings for them.
Financial discussions at home focused on money’s value, not deep topics like saving or investing.
Kids struggled with impulse spending but want better control over their money.
Allowance-for-chores agreements existed but were often loosely enforced, and tools like Gimi are seen as confusing.
Most financial conflicts arise when kids want to buy something parents find unnecessary, though parents still value their child’s spending autonomy.
Big purchases were handled by parents, while kids spend on smaller items like snacks and clothes, making strict control unnecessary.
Unless they had a specific interest, kids don’t actively engage with finance at a young age.
Older kids were the main target audience, as younger ones look up to them, and features like a chat function could enhance engagement.

Ideation

brainstorming solutions

After analyzing research findings, we narrowed our focus to four key areas: Spending, Saving, Goodwill, and Chatbox. These pillars shape our approach to enhancing user engagement while integrating educational elements into the app. Our solution aims to create a more interactive and engaging financial experience, helping young users develop better money habits in a way that feels natural, fun, and rewarding.

Testing prototype

iteration

Prototype Testing Process

We tested three main concepts through lo-fi prototypes, following an iterative design approach: design, test, gather feedback, refine, and repeat. Each cycle allowed us to improve engagement and usability, ensuring the final solution aligns with user needs and expectations.

Examples of improvement after each testing and iterating belows.

UI Concept

Art direction

UI Design Approach

Extensive discussions took place regarding the UI of the Youth app. Research indicates that apps targeting younger audiences often feature bold, colorful, and eye-catching designs to create an engaging and exciting experience.

High fidelity design

Art direction

Try prototype

Final Concept Selection

After thorough testing and discussions, we narrowed it down to three core concepts and ultimately chose the third one, which boldly stands out and breaks traditional constraints to create a more engaging and innovative experience for young users.

Reflection

Thoughts afterward

Working on the SEB Youth app during my internship allowed me to deeply explore the intersection of design, user engagement, and financial education for young audiences. This project challenged me to think beyond traditional banking interfaces, pushing boundaries to create solutions that are not only functional but also fun, relatable, and meaningful for the next generation of users.

Through iterative design, testing, and refinement, I gained valuable insights into user-centered design processes, the importance of data-driven decisions, and how small design choices can significantly impact user behavior.

One of the most rewarding moments was the opportunity to present my work to the SEB team, where I received positive feedback and valuable insights that reinforced the impact of my design decisions. This experience not only strengthened my skills in prototyping, user research, and UI development but also boosted my confidence in communicating design ideas effectively to stakeholders.

Ultimately, this project not only secured my full-time position for the company but also strengthened my confidence as a designer, proving my ability to deliver creative solutions that balance business goals with user needs.

Hit me up

Let's create something amazing together!

Contact Me

Back