Context & problem
Most kids learn about money by watching, not doing. The client came with a PRD for a new product: one app where children earn through chores, learn through short lessons, and practice spending and saving, with a parent approving what matters.
I took it from PRD to design on my own, defining the user flows and jobs-to-be-done for each role before drawing a single screen.
Jobs to be done
| Who | Job to be done |
|---|---|
| Junior (7–12) | “When I finish a chore, I want to see what I earned, so I feel proud and want to do the next one.” |
| Teen (14–17) | “When I spend my own money, I want to see where it goes, so I can still reach what I'm saving for.” |
| Parent | “When my child wants to buy something, I want to approve it in seconds, so they learn without me losing control.” |
One family, three experiences
- Junior learners, learn by playing — Daily chores earn money and XP, levels grow from Money Beginner to Finance Hero, and bite-sized lessons end with a quick quiz.
- Teen managers, manage it for real — Budgets by category, saving goals, income from part-time work or gifts, and a linked card to track real spending.
- Parents, guide, don't micromanage — A setup checklist, one overview per child, and one-tap approval for chores and spending requests.
Key decisions
- Same product, a different home per age — A 7-year-old sees missions and XP; a 16-year-old sees budgets and transactions. The money is real in both, but the framing grows with the child.
- Kids ask, parents approve — Spending requests and finished chores go to the parent. The secondary button says “Not now”, not “Reject”, which keeps it gentle for a child.
- One device, the whole family — Avatar-based account switching, with the parent account protected by a password.
- Lessons as missions — Short missions and two-option quizzes with instant feedback and XP, instead of long reading.
- Parents start with a checklist — Child profile, weekly allowance, first chores, payment method: four steps and a progress ring, so setup never feels like a form.
Outcome
I delivered the full product design to the client: onboarding, account switching, three home experiences, chores, lessons and quizzes, wallet, spending requests and saving goals, built on a shared component library.
What I'd do next
Test the junior flow with real kids and parents together: do the XP levels keep a 9-year-old coming back, and does the approval flow feel fair to both sides?