Aplus Bank//AI-driven app//
case study
Product design end to end, UX/UI development, user research, user testing
This project demonstrated how AI and UX design can work together to transform functional banking tools into emotionally engaging experiences. It proved that gamification, when rooted in real behavioral insights, can drive cross-product adoption and build long-term retention without compromising simplicity or trust.
From a design perspective, the key takeaway was the importance of balancing clarity, motivation, and personalization—designing systems that not only help users save money but also feel empowered and connected to their financial growth.
Impact & Takeaway
The Aplus Bank project reimagines how users interact with their finances by combining AI-driven personalization and gamified design to create a simple, rewarding, and habit-forming banking experience.
Through extensive research and competitor analysis, the project explored how gamification can strengthen user engagement and loyalty in fintech. The resulting concept uses AI to understand each user’s financial behavior and goals—offering personalized challenges, smart saving recommendations, and dynamic rewards that evolve with the user’s journey.
This project demonstrated how AI and UX design can work together to transform functional banking tools into emotionally engaging experiences. It proved that gamification, when rooted in real behavioral insights, can drive cross-product adoption and build long-term retention without compromising simplicity or trust.
From a design perspective, the key takeaway was the importance of balancing clarity, motivation, and personalization—designing systems that not only help users save money but also feel empowered and connected to their financial growth.
A whiteboard challenge was conducted to define the design direction and align the team around the project’s goals. The session focused on breaking down the core challenge—how gamification within the Aplus Bank app could increase product engagement and long-term customer retention. Key components such as context, user needs, goals, problems, and impact were mapped out to visualize how each element connected to the overall retention strategy.
During this process, price- and savings-conscious users were identified as the primary persona, with needs centered on tangible savings, simplicity, and engaging financial management. The whiteboard also highlighted high-level problems such as low multi-product engagement and a lack of differentiation from competitors, while defining goals to make financial management intuitive, rewarding, and minimal.
By visually connecting these factors, the challenge helped clarify where AI-driven personalization and gamified interactions could best address user pain points. The outcome was a structured foundation for the next design phase—transforming broad insights into an actionable UX strategy focused on habit formation, motivation, and long-term engagement.
A Whiteboard challenge
Research & Competitor Analysis
To better understand user motivations and define opportunities for engagement, a research phase was conducted combining both primary and secondary methods. Hypothetical user interviews and behavioral data analysis were used to uncover key motivations, pain points, and patterns of engagement within the existing Aplus Bank app.
In parallel, secondary research explored best practices in fintech gamification by analyzing successful products such as Revolut, Monzo, and Robinhood, as well as non-financial apps like Duolingo and Fitbit, known for their effective habit-forming strategies.
A competitor analysis followed, examining leading gamified financial solutions—Qapital, Monobank, GoHenry, Up Bank, and Prize-Linked Savings Accounts (PLSAs). This study revealed how features like goal-based savings, progress tracking, educational challenges, and prize-linked incentives effectively increase user engagement and loyalty.
The findings from this phase provided a strong foundation for the UX strategy, helping identify which gamification mechanics could best align with Aplus Bank’s retention goals and how AI personalization could elevate these experiences into meaningful, adaptive user journeys.
The onboarding and rewards experience of the Aplus Bank AI-powered gamified app, designed to make financial management simple, engaging, and habit-forming.
The welcome screen introduces users to the core idea — complete tasks, track progress, earn rewards — using a clean, minimal layout and a soft data-visual motif that conveys trust and progress through AI-driven insights.
The dashboard screen celebrates user achievements with a progress graph and personalized rewards like better rates or fee waivers. Gamified challenges and tailored suggestions encourage deeper engagement across financial products.
The UX focuses on clarity and motivation through immediate feedback, while the UI uses calm colors, rounded elements, and intuitive hierarchy to create a friendly, rewarding experience.
"Structuring Engagement: From Ideas to User Flow"
This framework visualizes the foundational structure behind the Aplus Bank app’s gamified rewards ecosystem. It captures how engagement mechanics, user assumptions, and behavioral flows were mapped to define the product’s motivational architecture.
Starting from the core challenge, the session explored how gamified elements—such as streak-based incentives, personalized savings milestones, and unlockable benefits—could turn routine banking into a rewarding experience. Assumptions were outlined to validate that users are driven by progress, recognition, and community support within financial contexts.
Parallel to this, key performance indicators (KPIs) were identified to measure engagement and retention, including daily active usage, task completion, streak participation, and product adoption via rewards. The user flow connects these ideas into a cohesive experience, from onboarding and daily task interactions to reward redemption and community-driven growth.
Together, these visual frameworks aligned the product team around a clear strategy: designing a banking experience that motivates consistent engagement through personalized, gamified, and emotionally rewarding interactions.
"Designing the AI-Driven Rewards Experience"- Early UX Exploration"
The low-fidelity prototypes illustrate the early UX/UI exploration for the Aplus Bank app’s gamified rewards experience. Each screen was designed to visualize how AI-driven personalization could blend seamlessly with clear financial management and motivational design patterns.
Starting with a rewards system intro, users are guided through an onboarding flow that introduces progress tracking, streaks, and point-based incentives. The home dashboard centralizes essential actions—daily savings tasks, transaction summaries, and performance insights—while adaptive components are designed to evolve based on AI-generated recommendations and user behavior.
The tasks overview and rewards dashboard demonstrate how gamification aligns with financial engagement: AI models personalize challenges and reward structures to fit individual savings patterns, encouraging consistency and loyalty. Visual cues, such as progress rings, challenge trackers, and leaderboards, reinforce progress and community motivation while maintaining a minimal, approachable interface.
These prototypes served as a foundation for validating user journeys and ensuring that the AI-powered guidance felt human, intuitive, and rewarding—turning data-driven recommendations into engaging, habit-forming financial actions.