College Money Plan
Design a practical finance guide that helps a college student build a monthly plan and evaluate legitimate earning options.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Students face irregular expenses, limited income, credit offers, and online earning schemes that promise easy money. General tips are more useful when connected to a realistic budget and clear scam warnings.
User context
Dylan receives a monthly allowance, works occasional shifts, and needs to cover books and transport without taking on high-cost debt.
Product problem
Students need a nonjudgmental plan that handles variable income and distinguishes legitimate work from risky financial claims.
Objective
Create budget setup, monthly overview, savings decision, and earning-opportunity evaluation for a college student.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Enter recurring and irregular income and expenses
- Review a needs-first monthly plan
- Adjust a savings goal after an unexpected cost
- Evaluate an online earning offer against scam signals
Screens and states
- Budget setup
- Monthly plan
- Scenario adjustment
- Opportunity safety check
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Dylan enters allowance, shift income, books, food, and transport
- 02
The plan sets aside a buffer before discretionary spending
- 03
A lab fee appears and he revises the month's savings
- 04
He checks a remote job offer and sees why an upfront fee is unsafe
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Support variable income and one-off academic costs
- Use plain language for credit, interest, and repayment
- Cite current regional resources and student support
- Flag job or income claims that demand payment or sensitive credentials
Constraints
- The service cannot promise earnings or individualized investment returns
- Bank connection must be optional
- Budget values remain private by default
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Four responsive screens covering one monthly plan and income warning
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.