Building Pouppy:
Finance Made Relatable
Teenagers are often excluded from conversations about money — not just by regulation, but by design. Financial products are rarely built with their cognitive and emotional needs in mind.
This project was an exploratory study to understand how a personal finance app could help teenagers build financial confidence, not just literacy. From behavioral insight to product structure, the goal was to shape something that felt relevant, intuitive, and trustworthy.
CHALLENGE
How do you teach finance without making it feel like school?
What does trust look like for someone just starting to handle money?
How can UX reduce the anxiety often tied to financial decisions — even in small ones?
APPROACH
Researched behavioral patterns and emotional needs of teenage users
Mapped goals with parties that would be involved (parents, teenagers): education, autonomy, simplicity
Developed user journeys that balanced guidance with independence
Created a product structure focused on learning by doing, not passive explanation
Identified moments of friction in existing youth finance platforms
Impact
- Shaped a product concept grounded in trust, not just function
- Delivered UX flows that support learning without overload
- Defined a tone and interaction style that respected the user’s intelligence
- Served as a strategic prototype for future development initiatives in the edtech/fintech space
What I Learned
- Designing for teenagers is a practice of translation: not simplifying content, but reframing relationships
- Education can happen through rhythm, interface, and feedback — not just tutorials
- Trust is the real UX for financial tools
← BACK TO PROJECTS
© léo ruas 2022 - 2025
Building Pouppy:
Finance Made Relatable
Teenagers are often excluded from conversations about money — not just by regulation, but by design. Financial products are rarely built with their cognitive and emotional needs in mind.
This project was an exploratory study to understand how a personal finance app could help teenagers build financial confidence, not just literacy. From behavioral insight to product structure, the goal was to shape something that felt relevant, intuitive, and trustworthy.
Role:
Service / Product Designer
Focus:
Behavioral Insight · Product Design · Financial Literacy
Project Type:
Conceptual Study
CHALLENGE
How do you teach finance without making it feel like school?
What does trust look like for someone just starting to handle money?
How can UX reduce the anxiety often tied to financial decisions — even in small ones?
APPROACH
Researched behavioral patterns and emotional needs of teenage users
Mapped goals with parties that would be involved (parents, teenagers): education, autonomy, simplicity
Developed user journeys that balanced guidance with independence
Created a product structure focused on learning by doing, not passive explanation
Identified moments of friction in existing youth finance platforms
Impact
- Shaped a product concept grounded in trust, not just function
- Delivered UX flows that support learning without overload
- Defined a tone and interaction style that respected the user’s intelligence
- Served as a strategic prototype for future development initiatives in the edtech/fintech space
What I Learned
- Designing for teenagers is a practice of translation: not simplifying content, but reframing relationships
- Education can happen through rhythm, interface, and feedback — not just tutorials
- Trust is the real UX for financial tools
← BACK TO PROJECTS
© léo ruas 2022 - 2025
Building Pouppy:
Finance Made Relatable
Teenagers are often excluded from conversations about money — not just by regulation, but by design. Financial products are rarely built with their cognitive and emotional needs in mind.
This project was an exploratory study to understand how a personal finance app could help teenagers build financial confidence, not just literacy. From behavioral insight to product structure, the goal was to shape something that felt relevant, intuitive, and trustworthy.
Role:
Service / Product Designer
Focus:
Behavioral Insight · Product Design · Financial Literacy
Project Type:
Conceptual Study
CHALLENGE
How do you teach finance without making it feel like school?
What does trust look like for someone just starting to handle money?
How can UX reduce the anxiety often tied to financial decisions — even in small ones?
APPROACH
Researched behavioral patterns and emotional needs of teenage users
Identified moments of friction in existing youth finance platforms
Mapped goals with parties that would be involved (parents, teenagers): education, autonomy, simplicity
Developed user journeys that balanced guidance with independence
Created a product structure focused on learning by doing, not passive explanation
Impact
- Shaped a product concept grounded in trust, not just function
- Delivered UX flows that support learning without overload
- Defined a tone and interaction style that respected the user’s intelligence
- Served as a strategic prototype for future development initiatives in the edtech/fintech space
What I Learned
- Designing for teenagers is a practice of translation: not simplifying content, but reframing relationships
- Education can happen through rhythm, interface, and feedback — not just tutorials
- Trust is the real UX for financial tools
← BACK TO PROJECTS
© léo ruas 2022 - 2025