project - Budgeting Lime

Project: Budgeting Lime, a budgeting app concept that aims to help ADHDers with their finances.

Role: UX designer

Duration: January 2025 (1 month)

Overview

Budgeting Lime is a conceptual budgeting app designed specifically to support people with ADHD (often referred to as ADHDers). The goal is to combine core budgeting tools with ADHD-friendly features, helping users stay on top of their finances while accommodating potential challenges such as impulsive spending, difficulty focusing, and the need for clear, concise visuals.

Brief and Problem Statement

The brief was straightforward:

“Design an app that teaches and helps users with ADHD how to save and budget their funds.”

During initial research, it became evident that while there are numerous apps tailored for budgeting and several aimed at ADHD support, there is a significant gap in products that do both. This lack of specialised budgeting solutions for ADHDers presented a clear opportunity for innovation.

Competitive Research

A glance at existing budgeting apps (e.g., mainstream financial trackers) and ADHD apps (e.g., symptom management tools) highlighted the strengths and gaps in each category. None of the researched apps addressed the unique combination of ADHD-specific budgeting challenges such as impulsive purchases, difficulties tracking spending, or the need for more engaging visuals. This formed the foundation for Budgeting Lime’s niche focus and feature set.

Information Architecture

Before diving into wireframes, I mapped out the key sections of the app:

Design Process

1. Paper Wireframes

I began the design journey by sketching rough ideas on paper. This allowed me to quickly experiment with layouts, navigation, and potential feature sets. Some of the core concepts I refined at this stage included:

Simple homepage with a snapshot of total spending and remaining budget.
Clear data visualisations (e.g., pie charts, bar graphs) to hold user attention.
Quick-access buttons for impulsivity alerts and budgeting help.

2. Low-Fidelity Wireframes & Prototype

Next, I transferred the paper sketches into low-fidelity digital wireframes to test the basic flow and functionality. These Lo-Fi prototypes helped in validating navigation, placement of key elements, and general user pathways.

3. High-Fidelity Wireframes & Prototype

Once the flow was confirmed, I moved on to developing high-fidelity wireframes. Here, I focused on branding, typography, and visual hierarchy. Key features such as spending trackers, budget creation tools, and impulsivity alerts took centre stage.

During this phase, I conducted user testing with a small group of ADHDers to evaluate both the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). This iterative feedback loop was critical to refining the final design.

A/B Testing and Iterative Design

User feedback revealed that the original lime green and white colour scheme, though on-brand, could be less stimulating for ADHDers, risking disengagement. As someone with ADHD, I understood, recognised, and empathised with the need for more vibrant contrast.

Through A/B testing of various colour combinations, I settled on:

Secondary Purple – Complements lime green and adds visual variety.
Tertiary Blue and Red – Used sparingly for data highlights and important alerts, capturing attention on key elements and encouraging action.

These additional colours not only improved the navigation by drawing better attention to buttons and important pieces of information. They also provided a more engaging experience aligned with ADHD users’ preferences.

Throughout the process of iteration, the layout and font size were also changed to avoid overwhelming the user with information, improving readability, and providing better guidance to the user.

Key Features & Highlights

Impulsivity Tracker: Allows users to monitor impulsive spending patterns, receive alerts, and set personalised limits.
Suggested Savings: Provides tailored savings targets, taking into account the user’s current spending habits.
Customisable Widgets: Offers toggles for quick adjustments of notifications and budget categories.
ADHD-Friendly Design: Ensures high contrast, minimal text overload, and clear calls to action, all informed by continuous user feedback.

Reflections & Next Steps

Budgeting Lime is still in the conceptual phase but stands as an example of how inclusive design principles can address specific neurodiverse needs. Further user testing with a larger, more diverse group of ADHDers would help validate the app’s features and refine the interface even more. In future iterations, exploring gamification elements (e.g., reward systems for hitting saving milestones) could enhance user engagement and long-term adoption.