How to build a finance app

Manually managing your finances is becoming a thing of the past. With finance apps on the rise, managing investments, spending, and budgeting has never been easier. For users, finance apps are a great way to keep track of their spending from virtually anywhere. Finance apps can also help create workable budgets based on their income and spending. Studies have demonstrated the material impacts of certain decisions on satisfaction and usage rates. For instance, around 57 percent of users opt for other financial services due to inefficient integration. So, if you’re thinking of creating a finance app, having optimal integration solutions can make that 57 percent choose you instead.

You might be creating a finance app to meet your customers’ financial needs, to offer better user interfaces, or to meet your overall business goals. Modern technologies like artificial intelligence integrated into finance apps also mean less room for errors. Finance apps can also be the safest way of making financial transactions or managing savings.

According to research by UBS, revenues from fintech are were likely to increase from $150 billion in 2018 to a hefty $500 billion by 2030. There’s no doubt that it’s on its way to become one of the fastest-growing sectors globally.

In this blog we discuss some key things that a company needs to get right for finance app success.

The role of Design Sprints in finance app design  

One of the first steps to creating a finance app is carrying out a Design Sprint. You can expect to see a finished version of your product and gain customer feedback at the end. You will also save considerable amounts of money as you’ll be starting small.  

At Windmill, we conduct Product Design Sprints in-person and online. The Sprint is divided into five steps. They consist of defining the challenge, the ideation phase, creating prototypes, validating prototypes by testing them with users and stakeholders, and lastly, making a detailed report that includes the product proposal that can then be shared with investors.  

Branding considerations such as app names or icons are also considered during Design Sprints and can be tested with users. 

After the Sprint

You may decide on having additional workshops after the Sprint if, for example, you’re not satisfied with the prototype or did not receive positive user feedback. These follow-up workshops or iteration workshops are shorter in duration and will give you the opportunity to create new, higher-quality prototypes better suited to your customers’ needs. You can even conduct a Code Sprint as this will test out the various options available to you in terms of product architecture, frameworks, etc.  

After the sprint, many Design Sprint teams also choose to polish existing prototypes and get more data points. The main aim is to create a prototype with the same usability features as a finished product.   

Clean UX design 

A clear, well-defined UX design is key when it comes to creating finance apps. For instance, an overcrowded interface full of details is avoided by users, who prefer simplicity. UI/UX experts will be able to guide you on how to create finance apps that appeal to users with their design. UI/UX trends are also constantly changing, and design is constantly evolving as technology improves and offers new possibilities—so your app should evolve with it. While the aesthetics of your app are important, so are logic and convenience. This means ensuring it runs smoothly and has a simple user-interface. Users should be able to get from point A to B conveniently.  

User flow diagrams are best used by UX designers to determine the flow of an application. It helps them visualize these needs by mapping them. If you build a user flow diagram with your development team, it should assimilate with the UX design. Other ways of creating clear UX designs and better usability include an introduction of the app consisting of the workings of its main features, using graphs where appropriate, simple navigation techniques or reducing scrolling. 

Technology considerations: coding language and integrations

When creating your finance app, it’s a good idea to determine which coding language or library you can use. Angular is one of the most popular technologies used in fintech, but it also helps in transforming the functionality of apps, hence improving the UX. It has a fast development process, as well as better speed and performance compared to other technologies of its sort. Its array of features, programming style and maintenance are some of the many reasons it’s chosen by developers.

Having seamless integration with other relevant services such as chatbots are also key, as it can offer users a convenient method of communication. Connecting your app’s interface with popular payment platforms like PayPal or Apple Pay can offer ease of payment for users and they’ll be able to make their payments directly from your app. Integration is a fundamental aspect of finance apps as it optimizes UX and attracts more users. APIs are widely used for integrations as they help different platforms communicate and fasten the development process.

Security

It’s vital for users to trust you with their confidential financial information and be assured that their money is safe in your hands. Mistrust in the security of your services can reduce the number of people willing to use your app. A great way to ensure your app is secure is to include a two-factor authentication. Oftentimes, a third authentication method is also used in the form of fingerprint scanning.  

Open-source libraries shouldn’t be trusted blindly too. Research by Trend Micro (2021) found that security threats related to open-source libraries increased by 2.5x over the last three years. Eliminate email as a form of customer correspondence and instead try opting for AES-256 encryption as it’s a lot more secure and can also be applied to chats! Research has found that 96 percent of phishing attacks are done via email.  

Conclusion

Finance apps are a brilliant way to help people manage their wealth better. Understanding what will give your users peace of mind when using your service is crucial. With the rise in cybercrime, it’s important to maintain a high level of security so users know they made the right decision opting for your services instead of your competitors. So in a nutshell: start with a design sprint, follow up, then deal with the necessary design considerations.  

Windmill Digital is experienced in creating high-quality finance apps customized according to client needs. Our experts are trained and highly experienced in their field and will ensure they meet all your security and UX requirements. To start building your own finance app, get in touch.