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GenWealth
Empowering Gen Z to Take Control of Their Financial Future
GenWealth
Empowering Gen Z to Take Control of Their Financial Future
A gamified, educational banking experience designed for long-term impact.
Overview
Problem: Despite constitutional protection in South Africa, intimate partner violence (IPV) in queer relationships remains underreported, especially among Black Lesbian Womxn.
Role: UX Researcher & UI Designer
Duration: 4 days
Tools: Figma
Deliverables: Mock up of App
Research
Challenge
Develop a comprehensive and innovative banking solution housed on existing Absa channels that is tailored for Gen Z young professionals that addresses their unique financial habits, preferences and challenges.
Key considerations:
Digital integration
Personalisation
User Experience
Financial Education
Sustainability and Ethics
Inclusivity
core problem
Gen Z in South Africa struggles to balance instant gratification spending habits with long-term financial planning. Traditional banks are failing to engage them in meaningful, accessible, and fun ways.
How might we help Gen Z feel confident in saving, budgeting, and investing while making it engaging and aligned to their digital lifestyle?
Project Goals:
Create a banking experience that resonates with Gen Z digitally native, socially influenced, and motivated by instant gratification while building sustainable financial habits.
Goals:
Deliver financial education in a bite-sized, gamified format.
Build trust and loyalty between Gen Z and Absa.
Simplify long-term planning tools into accessible daily interactions.
Constraints:
Hackathon timeframe 4 days.
Limited access to direct users (relying on proxy research, secondary data, and peers).
Must align with Absa’s ecosystem while standing apart from competitors.
Research
Research Methods
Secondary research
Short discussion on saving money
What makes a user stay with the brand
Key insight
Gen Z seeks instant gratification and struggles with long-term planning.
They trust influencers and peers over traditional institutions.
They want interactive, customizable, mobile-first solutions.
Many already use third-party budgeting apps instead of banking apps.
Target Audience
Gen Z (15–25), socially conscious, digitally native.
Strategy
Design Principles
Educate through play (gamification, micro-learning).
Personalize the journey (custom goals, chatbot, savings automation).
Make money social (peer challenges, progress sharing).
Ideation
Ideas that we came up with:
Awareness posters
Podcast idea
Influencer collaboration
Exhibition concept (chosen)
Wireframe
final solution
Savings Automation (round-ups, streaks).
Gamified Goal Tracking (progress bars, challenges, badges).
Micro-Investing Portal (start small, grow confidence).
Interactive Education Modules (saving 101, investing basics).
Reflection
Made top 5 of the ABSA Hackathon
Increased Gen Z acquisition for Absa.
Higher savings adoption among young users.
Strengthened brand loyalty through personalization.
What I Learned: Designing for Gen Z means blending education with entertainment. Banking does not always need to be serious, it must be social, playful, and accessible.
What I’d Do Differently: Conduct more in-depth interviews with real Gen Z users beyond peers for broader validation.
