FinHealth Application Design: Designing Fintech for Bipolar Disorder
Open Access
Author:
Hodsdon, Jennifer
Area of Honors:
Human-Centered Design and Development
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Saeed M Abdullah, Thesis Supervisor Steven R. Haynes, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
UX Design Fintech User Experience Design Prototype Bipolar Disorder Financial Technology FinHealth Mental Health Usability Evaluation Usability Testing
Abstract:
Research on the relationship between management of finances and mental health has revealed the many ways in which financial stress can negatively impact those with mental illness. People with bipolar disorder specifically have a unique strained relationship to finances, as manic episodes can lead to impulsive financial behaviors, which can then cause cycles of spending, anxiety, depression, and guilt. Thus, to address the gap in resources for this stakeholder group, a financial technology application prototype called FinHealth was developed for this thesis, which sought to provide users with bipolar disorder a tool to manage their finances. In this thesis, FinHealth was designed following a review of literature, a stakeholder survey, and research on user experience design standards. Then, the application was tested during an unmoderated usability evaluation to quantify the success of the application’s design. The usability evaluation resulted in positive feedback from the participants regarding navigability, ease of use, and comprehension, as well as some areas for improvement within the design. Additionally, limitations regarding the usability testing were identified and suggestions for future work were proposed. Ultimately, the research and prototype presented in this thesis demonstrated competency in user experience design principles.
