CashApp
Reimagining budgeting for the next generation of money management
8 Weeks
Figma, Veo 3
Product Thinking, Interaction Design, AI Integration, Visual Design
Overview
Transforming Cash App from a simple payment app into an all-in-one hub for smarter budgeting, financial learning, and everyday money control.
Why is it still hard to feel in control of our money?
The Problem
Cash App simplifies sending money, but users struggle to budget, save, or understand their own spending. For many, money feels like something that happens to them, not something they manage confidently.
The Opportuntity
Redefining
Financial Support
Cash App is great at seamless transactions, but it could also help people manage their money by tackling real challenges.
Empower Control
Help users with irregular income stay organized and stable.
ENABLE
LEARNING
Make family money management simple and stress-free.
SIMPLIFY CONNECTION
Streamline group payments and shared costs for further transparency.
SoLUTION overview
Making money feel manageable
The redesign turns Cash App into a tool that helps people stay on top of their money by budgeting smarter, learning as they go, and handling shared costs with ease.
“I Just Use Cash App Like Venmo”
DISCOVERY & Research
My first goal in the discovery phase was to understand what specifically wasn’t working for users on Cash App
What we discovered
The team conducted:
12 in-depth interviews with readers aged 12–47
Analysis of various CashApp reports and over 3,000 user reviews
A competitive audit of other transfer banking apps (i.e. Venmo, Zelle)
1
Parents on CashApp want approachable literacy tools for kids.
2
Young adults want simple, supportive budgeting help.
3
Core users treat Cash App like Venmo (just for transfers).
User Insights
User quotes that stood out:
“I usually feel uncomfortable requesting money, especially among friends.”
Chef, 28 (Texas)
“..it felt like using Cash App was a scam because people in my area were using it for suspicious activities. It felt unprofessional and unfriendly.”
Software Engineer, 31 (New York)
“Yes, there have been times when I chose not to use Cash App, particularly when dealing with larger transactions.”
Jewelry Artist, 46 (Arizona)
“I was thinking about how important it is to save money as a student.”
Student, 18 (South Carolina)
The insights revealed clear patterns in user frustrations and desires. This set the stage for defining our audience and understanding their priorities so the design could address real needs.
Who are we solving for?
Defining Users
After reviewing the research we gathered, the next step was to look deeper into who we were solving these design issues for.
The Demographic
Audience Profile
CORE USERS
Young Adults (18–34)
Students, side hustlers, and early-career workers with irregular income
Use Cash App for rent, food, and social plans
Struggle to track spending and save before money runs out
Expansion Users
Parents (30–45)
Budget-conscious and often introduced to Cash App by their kids
Want simple ways to teach financial basics
Need tools to manage family expenses more effectively
SHARED NEED
A clearer, more confident relationship with their money.
To guide design decisions, I organized the audience into three market tiers based on their likelihood to engage with Cash App and their specific needs.
MARKET SEGMENTATION
“Money disappears too fast, I can never keep up.”
Hannah
The Hustling Student
A 21-year-old college student juggling part-time jobs,
Hannah relies on coupons and side hustles but struggles with impulse spending and control.
“I want my kids to be smart with money.”
Grace
The Supportive Mom
A 35-year-old teacher and mom, Grace manages family expenses but wants simpler tools to teach her children financial habits.
“Splitting bills is always a headache.”
Rohan
The Hustling Student
At 28, Rohan enjoys an active social life but gets frustrated when tracking group expenses and repayments.
By combining audience segmentation with detailed journey maps, I could pinpoint not only who we were designing for but exactly where in their experience the platform failed them, and design targeted solutions for those moments.
Turning Insights Into Action
IDEATION
With the audience defined and pain points mapped, I began translating insights into a cohesive solution.
SITEMAP
I mapped the new features into the existing app structure to ensure easy navigation.
Heuristic Evaluation
I conducted a heuristic evaluation of the existing Cash App experience, focusing on navigation, information hierarchy, and visual feedback.
Using the HMW method, I translated user frustrations into guiding questions. Each “how might we” framed a real need, which then shaped the features we built:
GUIDING Focus
How might we help Hannah feel more in control of her irregular spending?
Help her juggle multiple small income streams without confusion
Give her a clearer picture of where her money goes each week
Offer ways to build simple habits around saving and budgeting
Provide reassurance that her finances aren’t out of control
How might we give Grace tools to manage expenses while teaching her children financial basics?
Create a sense of order in managing household finances
Give her confidence that bills and essentials are always covered
Allow her to pass down healthy money habits to her kids
Reduce stress by making family expenses easier to track together
How might we make group payments seamless for Rohan’s active social life?
Remove the friction and awkwardness of chasing friends for money
Make splitting costs simple and transparent in real time
Allow him to spend more energy on enjoying time with friends
Ensure he never loses track of what’s owed or already paid
Turning everyday spending into learning
THE Solution
The redesign brings education into action. Instead of separating tools for saving and learning, we wanted to help Cash App connect them, so users can understand their money as they spend it.
Cash Academy
Learning IS FOR EVERYONE
Cash Academy makes learning about money simple through short lessons and challenges. Parents can guide kids, and young adults can build confidence one step at a time.
Split & Settle
Fairness made simple
Designed for trips and group plans, Split & Settle makes it easy to track shared expenses, split costs fairly, and settle up without confusion, so everyone can just enjoy the trip.
Budget Base
A BUDGET built for you.
An AI-powered budgeting tool that adapts to your habits. It tracks spending, predicts upcoming costs, and suggests realistic goals, helping users stay consistent without overthinking money.
I learned to design for real money struggles like irregular income and shared costs.
I saw the need to make financial literacy approachable without oversimplifying.
I realized AI works best when it feels supportive and practical.
I understood that trust comes from clarity and transparency.
What I Learned
Final Takeaways
Want to learn more?
Reach out to learn more about the process!
Request Full Case Study
In the meantime,
check out this project
Cash App
Reimagining budgeting for the next generation of money management
8 Weeks
Figma, Veo 3
Product Thinking, AI Integration,
Overview
Designing new features for Cash App that move it beyond peer-to-peer transfers into a tool for financial education, smarter budgeting, and everyday money management.
The Problem
Money Beyond Transfers
Cash App is widely known for peer-to-peer payments, but users, especially young adults and parents, feel unsupported in learning, budgeting, and managing money long term.
The BIGGER PICTURE
A Generation Feeling
Out of Control
Financial literacy is one of the biggest gaps for Gen Z and young Millennials. Parents worry kids aren’t being taught the basics, while students and young workers are juggling tuition, debt, and bills without simple tools to guide them.
DIscovery & Research
“I Just Use Cash App Like Venmo”
My first goal in the discovery phase was to understand what wasn’t working for users on Cash App.
The team conducted:
12 in-depth interviews with readers aged 12–47
Analysis of various CashApp reports and over 3,000 user reviews
A competitive audit of other transfer banking apps (i.e. Venmo, Zelle)
User Insights
1
Parents on CashApp want approachable literacy tools for kids.
2
Young adults want simple, supportive budgeting help.
3
Core users treat Cash App like Venmo (just for transfers).
Market Insighrs
1
Strength in Southern U.S. adoption.
2
Weakness in broader trust and brand perception.
User quotes that stood out
“I usually feel uncomfortable requesting money, especially among friends.”
Chef, 28 (Texas)
“..it felt like using Cash App was a scam because people in my area were using it for suspicious activities. It felt unprofessional and unfriendly.”
Software Engineer, 31 (New York)
“Yes, there have been times when I chose not to use Cash App, particularly when dealing with larger transactions.”
Jewelry Artist, 46 (Arizona)
“I was thinking about how important it is to save money as a student.”
Student, 18 (South Carolina)
The insights revealed clear patterns in reader frustrations and desires.
This set the stage for defining our audience and understanding their priorities so the design could address real needs.
Defining Users
Who are we
solving for?
After reviewing the research we gathered, the next step was to look deeper into who we were solving these design issues for.
Audience Profile
The Demographic
CORE USERS
Young Adults (18–34)
Students, side hustlers, and early-career workers with irregular income. Use Cash App for rent, food, and social plans. Struggle to track spending and save before money runs out
Expansion Users
Parents (30–45)
Budget-conscious and often introduced to Cash App by their kids. Want simple ways to teach financial basics. Need tools to manage family expenses more effectively.
SHARED NEED
A clearer, more confident relationship with
their money.
MARKET SEGMENTATION
To guide design decisions, I organized the audience into three market tiers based on their likelihood to engage with Cash App and their specific needs.
“Money disappears too fast, I can never keep up.”
Hannah
The Hustling Student
A 21-year-old college student juggling part-time jobs, Hannah relies on coupons and side hustles but struggles with impulse spending and control.
“Money disappears too fast, I can never keep up.”
Hannah
The Hustling Student
A 21-year-old college student juggling part-time jobs, Hannah relies on coupons and side hustles but struggles with impulse spending and control.
By combining audience segmentation with detailed journey maps,
I could pinpoint not only who we were designing for but exactly where in their experience the platform failed them, and design targeted solutions for those moments.
Ideation
Turning Insights Into Action
After reviewing the research we gathered, the next step was to look deeper into who we were solving these design issues for.
SITEMAP
I mapped the new features into the existing app structure to ensure easy navigation.
EARLY EXPLORATIONS
Using the HMW method, I translated user frustrations into guiding questions. Each “how might we” framed a real need, which then shaped the features we built:
How might we help Hannah feel more in control of her irregular spending?
Help her juggle multiple small income streams without confusion
Give her a clearer picture of where her money goes each week
Offer ways to build simple habits around saving and budgeting
Provide reassurance that her finances aren’t out of control
How might we help Hannah feel more in control of her irregular spending?
Help her juggle multiple small income streams without confusion
Give her a clearer picture of where her money goes each week
Offer ways to build simple habits around saving and budgeting
Provide reassurance that her finances aren’t out of control
SOLUTION
Solving the challenge
Every solution we created traces back to struggles uncovered in research. The goal wasn’t to add more tools, but to make Cash App a place where money feels easier to manage, whether that’s learning, budgeting, or sharing with friends.
DAILY POLLS
Learning that meets you where you are.
Cash Academy makes financial literacy approachable through short lessons and challenges.
Parents can guide kids, and young adults can grow skills step by step.
It’s about building confidence with money, one choice at a time.
DAILY POLLS
Learning that meets you where you are.
Cash Academy makes financial literacy approachable through short lessons and challenges.
Parents can guide kids, and young adults can grow skills step by step.
It’s about building confidence with money, one choice at a time.
SPLIT AND SETTLE
Fairness made simple.
Splitting costs with friends should never be a headache.
Split & Settle turns group receipts into clear, even shares with full transparency. Everyone pays their part, and no one has to do the math.
SPLIT AND SETTLE
Fairness made simple.
Splitting costs with friends should never be a headache.
Split & Settle turns group receipts into clear, even shares with full transparency. Everyone pays their part, and no one has to do the math.
BUDGET BASE
A plan built for you.
Cash Academy makes financial literacy approachable through short lessons and challenges.
Parents can guide kids, and young adults can grow skills step by step.
It’s about building confidence with money, one choice at a time.
BUDGET BASE
A plan built for you.
Cash Academy makes financial literacy approachable through short lessons and challenges.
Parents can guide kids, and young adults can grow skills step by step.
It’s about building confidence with money, one choice at a time.
FINAL TAKEAWAYS
What I Learned
I learned to design for real money struggles like irregular income and shared costs.
I saw the need to make financial literacy approachable without oversimplifying.
I realized AI works best when it feels supportive and practical.
I understood that trust comes from clarity and transparency.
In the meantime,
check out this project
Drift
An Imaginative Dream Experience
In the meantime,
check out this project
Drift
An Imaginative Dream Experience
Financial literacy gaps
Parents worry their kids don’t learn money skills early enough.
Budgeting struggles
Young adults want help managing debt, saving, and everyday expenses without using complex apps.
Trust & reputation
Outside its Southern U.S. stronghold, Cash App is perceived as less secure than competitors.
Why Does
This Matter?