Nowal

Nowal

Designing clarity into everyday finance

Designing clarity into everyday finance

Client

Client

Nowal — Annete K., Founder

My Role

Product Designer — Visual Design, Interaction Design, User Flows, Rapid Prototyping, Mobile App & Dashboard

Timeline

2 Months (May 2023)

Overview

Nowal Finance is a personal finance management platform aimed at helping users track expenses, set budgets, and pay bills, all from one clean and intuitive mobile app. Alongside the user-facing app, I also designed an admin dashboard that offers clear financial insights and user behavior analytics, empowering the Nowal team to make data-driven decisions.

Note for Mobile User

Please use laptop or desktop to read more about this case study.

Understanding The Challenge

Managing finances across multiple bank accounts, subscriptions, and service providers can quickly become overwhelming. Users often rely on multiple apps or manual efforts to stay on top of their spending, budget goals, and upcoming bills. The challenge was twofold:

Managing finances across multiple bank accounts, subscriptions, and service providers can quickly become overwhelming. Users often rely on multiple apps or manual efforts to stay on top of their spending, budget goals, and upcoming bills. The challenge was twofold:

1. Design a Mobile App

allows users to track expenses, set flexible budget goals, upload and manage bills, and gain insights into their financial habits.

allows users to track expenses, set flexible budget goals, upload and manage bills, and gain insights into their financial habits.

1. Design an Admin Dashboard

Give Nowal’s team real-time access to user activity, bill payments, and engagement metrics, offering a full operational view.

The solution needed to be secure, human-friendly, and data-rich, without ever feeling overwhelming to the user.

Give Nowal’s team real-time access to user activity, bill payments, and engagement metrics, offering a full operational view.

The solution needed to be secure, human-friendly, and data-rich, without ever feeling overwhelming to the user.

Primary focus of efforts

Unified Financial Tracking

Unified Financial Tracking

Create a centralized platform where users can connect multiple bank accounts, view transactions, upload bills, and track all their financial activities, without jumping between apps or spreadsheets.

Create a centralized platform where users can connect multiple bank accounts, view transactions, upload bills, and track all their financial activities, without jumping between apps or spreadsheets.

Smarter Budgeting & Bill Management

Smarter Budgeting & Bill Management

Empower users to set personalized budget goals by category and timeframe (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), monitor progress, and stay on top of bill payments with timely reminders and in-app payment features.

Empower users to set personalized budget goals by category and timeframe (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), monitor progress, and stay on top of bill payments with timely reminders and in-app payment features.

Admin Insights & Oversight

Admin Insights & Oversight

Design a clean, data-driven dashboard for the Nowal team to monitor user behavior, analyze financial trends, view invoices, and collect feedback, supporting better decision-making and platform improvements.

Design a clean, data-driven dashboard for the Nowal team to monitor user behavior, analyze financial trends, view invoices, and collect feedback, supporting better decision-making and platform improvements.

Home Page

Home Page

It acts as a personal finance snapshot, designed for simplicity and clarity. It features three key sections:
My Cards, showing linked bank accounts and current month’s expenses; Upcoming Bills, surfacing due payments with the option to add new service providers; and Expenses, giving users quick visibility into their latest transactions. With friendly greetings, clear hierarchy, and minimal friction, the home page helps users stay financially aware, at a glance.

It acts as a personal finance snapshot, designed for simplicity and clarity. It features three key sections:
My Cards, showing linked bank accounts and current month’s expenses; Upcoming Bills, surfacing due payments with the option to add new service providers; and Expenses, giving users quick visibility into their latest transactions. With friendly greetings, clear hierarchy, and minimal friction, the home page helps users stay financially aware, at a glance.

The Insights Page

The Insights Page

It empowers users with a clear view of their financial health. It highlights income vs. expenses, a category-wise spending chart, and a “Your Budget” section, all filterable by day, week, month, or year. Users can switch between bank accounts to compare patterns and set custom budget goals by category and timeframe. With visual feedback and intuitive filtering, the Insights page helps users make smarter financial decisions, not just track numbers.

It empowers users with a clear view of their financial health. It highlights income vs. expenses, a category-wise spending chart, and a “Your Budget” section, all filterable by day, week, month, or year. Users can switch between bank accounts to compare patterns and set custom budget goals by category and timeframe. With visual feedback and intuitive filtering, the Insights page helps users make smarter financial decisions, not just track numbers.

The Bills Page

The Bills Page

It organizes all active and upcoming bills in one place. Users start by adding service providers—like Netflix, Apple, or Spotify, which unlocks categorized bill tracking under tabs like Subscriptions, Healthcare, or Shopping. The page clearly separates Unpaid Bills and Other Bills, with quick filters for time ranges like Today, This Week, or This Month. Designed for clarity and control, this page helps users stay on top of what’s due, before it’s overdue.

It organizes all active and upcoming bills in one place. Users start by adding service providers—like Netflix, Apple, or Spotify, which unlocks categorized bill tracking under tabs like Subscriptions, Healthcare, or Shopping. The page clearly separates Unpaid Bills and Other Bills, with quick filters for time ranges like Today, This Week, or This Month. Designed for clarity and control, this page helps users stay on top of what’s due, before it’s overdue.

Paying Bills

Paying Bills

Paying bills through Nowal Finance is designed to be fast and frictionless. Tapping on any due bill brings up a clear popup with bill details and a “Pay Now” call-to-action. Users simply select their preferred bank account, confirm the payment, and it’s done. This smooth, in-app flow removes the need to jump between apps, making on-time payments easier than ever.

Paying bills through Nowal Finance is designed to be fast and frictionless. Tapping on any due bill brings up a clear popup with bill details and a “Pay Now” call-to-action. Users simply select their preferred bank account, confirm the payment, and it’s done. This smooth, in-app flow removes the need to jump between apps, making on-time payments easier than ever.

Bills outside connected service providers

Bills outside connected service providers

For bills outside connected service providers, users can add them manually using the “+” button on the tab bar. The flow allows entering a store name, bill date, and itemized products or services with amount and category. Once added, the app calculates the total and prompts the user to upload the bill, which then appears in the Bills section.

For bills outside connected service providers, users can add them manually using the “+” button on the tab bar. The flow allows entering a store name, bill date, and itemized products or services with amount and category. Once added, the app calculates the total and prompts the user to upload the bill, which then appears in the Bills section.

The Invoice Page

The Invoice Page

It gives admins a clear, real-time view of billing activity across the platform. At the top, snapshot cards highlight paid vs. unpaid bills, total revenue, and late payments, with weekly comparison indicators. Below, a detailed table lists each bill with user info, billing dates, amounts, and reference numbers, along with actions to view or download bills. With smart filters and sorting options, the page makes it easy to track and manage financial records at scale.

It gives admins a clear, real-time view of billing activity across the platform. At the top, snapshot cards highlight paid vs. unpaid bills, total revenue, and late payments, with weekly comparison indicators. Below, a detailed table lists each bill with user info, billing dates, amounts, and reference numbers, along with actions to view or download bills. With smart filters and sorting options, the page makes it easy to track and manage financial records at scale.

The Analytics Page

The Analytics Page

It delivers a high-level overview of platform performance and user behavior. It includes key metrics like total bills sent, average bill size, and preferred payment methods, all compared week-over-week. A dedicated Late Payments section visualizes trends in unpaid bills, interest collected, and average delay periods, while also tracking active interest payers. At the bottom, a feedback section surfaces real user input, giving the team actionable insights to improve the platform continuously.

It delivers a high-level overview of platform performance and user behavior. It includes key metrics like total bills sent, average bill size, and preferred payment methods, all compared week-over-week. A dedicated Late Payments section visualizes trends in unpaid bills, interest collected, and average delay periods, while also tracking active interest payers. At the bottom, a feedback section surfaces real user input, giving the team actionable insights to improve the platform continuously.

Designing Nowal Finance was all about bringing clarity and confidence to personal money management. From crafting a clean, intuitive app for users to building a data-rich dashboard for admins, every decision aimed to simplify complexity without losing depth. This project challenged me to balance functionality with usability and proved how thoughtful design can turn everyday financial tasks into smooth, empowering experiences.

Designing Nowal Finance was all about bringing clarity and confidence to personal money management. From crafting a clean, intuitive app for users to building a data-rich dashboard for admins, every decision aimed to simplify complexity without losing depth. This project challenged me to balance functionality with usability and proved how thoughtful design can turn everyday financial tasks into smooth, empowering experiences.