Zenia Rangwala

KidCash · Mobile banking app design for children

Teaching kids about money through play

Kids form habits around money really early, but most of us were never taught how money actually works.

The KidCash home screen saying “Hello, Zenia!” with savings balances and a Savings Tree, between cards for the Savings Tree and Goals, on pale yellow.
Role
UX designer
Team
Solo project
Tools
Figma
Timeline
June–July 2025

TL;DR

  • A mobile app concept that teaches kids to earn, save and spend through chores, savings goals and small learning games.
  • Research showed money habits form early and digital spending makes money feel less real, so a Savings Tree and goal bars make saving visible.
  • Borrowing ideas from Greenlight, GoHenry and Duolingo, it's designed to feel fun without being childish.

Why I created KidCash

I’ve always wished I had learned how to manage money earlier. Growing up, I spent without thinking and saved without really understanding why, mostly because no one ever taught me how money actually works.

KidCash is the app I wish I’d had. Kids do chores to earn a digital allowance, then decide what to spend, save or give. I wanted it to be fun without being childish or boring.

Understanding the problem

What I found:

  • Kids start forming attitudes about money very young, and those habits stick.
  • When money is mostly taps and cards, it stops feeling real.
  • A TD survey found 86% of Canadian parents think games that teach money would make it more fun for kids.

So saving had to be something you can see (a tree that grows, bars that fill up), and learning had to be a game.

Sources: TD Stories, “Your Kid’s Digital Spending Habits”; Michigan Ross, “New Research Shows Children Form Attitudes About Money at a Young Age”; Benjamin Talks, “Spendthrift or Penny Pincher? The Psychology Behind Your Kid and Money”.

Three insight cards. Digital Spending: kids are growing up around online purchases, subscriptions and digital transactions from an early age. Interactive Learning: interactive experiences can make financial education feel more engaging and easier for younger users to connect with. Money Habits: children begin forming emotional relationships with spending and saving from a young age.
Three insights that shaped KidCash. They led me to reward-based motivation, visual savings goals, interactive learning tasks and accessible design.

Designing the experience

Moodboard

I took inspiration from gamified banking and savings app designs I found on Pinterest.

Moodboard reference: a hand holding a phone showing a banking app with a $5,821.50 balance, savings and reward-point cards, and quick actions.
Moodboard reference: three phone screens from a savings app, with a “Saving your money” illustration, a spending chart and colourful wallet cards.
Moodboard reference: a pink savings app with a game console goal tracker and a piggy bank screen that says “Save your money”.

Colour palette

  • Teal #2A7F8E
  • Yellow #F4C660
  • Pink #F4A2A2
  • White #FFFFFF
  • Cream #FBEFD9
  • Dark navy #1B2A33

Typography

Nunito is the primary font.

Heading font sample in heavy dark navy type: “Ready to grow your savings?”
Heading font.

Reference apps

  • Greenlight: the spend / save / give system.
  • GoHenry: chore rewards and earning.
  • Duolingo: a friendly mascot and progress loops.

Key features

Goals card: Game Console 25% ($25 of $100), Book Fair 17% ($5 of $30), Sports Gear 20% ($8 of $40), and an Add goals button.
Goals: kids pick what they're saving for and watch the bar fill up.
“Play game” card with two learning games, Coin Quest and Budget Builder, each with a reward and a Play button.
Games: short ones like Coin Quest and Budget Builder, each with a small reward.
Savings Tree card, Level 3: “Watch it grow as you save!” with a small tree, $150 saved and a progress bar showing $50 to Level 4.
Savings Tree: it grows a level as they save, so progress is something you can see.

Final mockups

KidCash home screen: “Hello, Zenia!” with savings, checking and goals balances shown as piggy banks, and a Savings Tree below.
Home: balances and the Savings Tree.
Screen with saving goals and progress bars on top, and learning games below.
Goals and games.
Chores screen: today's earnings $5 of $13, 2 of 5 done, with chores like make your bed, walk the dog and read for 20 minutes, each with a dollar amount.
Chores show exactly what each one earns.
KidCash login screen: “Hey there! Ready to grow your savings?” with name and password fields, a Log In button, “Ask a parent to set up your KidCash account” and “Continue without an account”.
Log in, or ask a parent to set up an account.

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