BEA x 步步聚米, An investment app for young beginners
Project type: End-to-end app + branding + illustration
Role: Project Researcher, UI/UX Designer
(with support from my teammates: Irene Lee and Winnie Hung)
Industry: Digital Banking, ESG Investment
Tools: Figma, FigJam, Adobe Kits, Capcut, Procreate
Duration: Sep 2024 - Dec 2024
*Send me request and I'll approve it ASAP!*
Going Back to My Business Roots
The Problem
BEA sought to address the low motivation and interest young adults have toward investing. Their goal was not only to encourage this demographic to begin investing but to specifically promote ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) products among them.
Digging Into Their Actual Thoughts…
What We Learned from Real People
We launched primary research through a questionnaire (250 respondents) and in-depth interviews (17 participants). This helped us uncover the real barriers and motivations behind young adults' investment behaviors.
1. Classroom Knowledge ≠ Real-World Readiness
Most business students aren't investing because school teaches theory, not action. They learn what stocks and bonds are, but never how to actually begin.
2. Trust is Built Through Design, Not Just Data
Young users prioritise credit card aesthetics as much as features,
proving that visual appeal builds emotional trust and shapes financial identity from the first interaction.
3. Ambiguity Is the Biggest Barrier to ESG Trust
Inconsistent ESG ratings and unclear regulations make sustainable investing feel opaque and unapproachable—beginners need clarity before they can commit.
4. Business Students Are the ESG Early Adopters
Compared to other groups, business students showed significantly higher acceptance of ESG—making them the ideal audience to introduce sustainable investing with lower resistance.
Decision Point
Based on these findings, we chose to focus on business students. They possess foundational financial knowledge and a stronger openness to ESG, giving our solution a clearer path to engagement and impact.
How Can We Push Them
into the Investing World?
The Final Solution
With our target user and business goal defined, we designed a five-feature ecosystem aimed at guiding business students from curiosity to action.
Personality Test: Start with Self-Discovery
To lower the psychological barrier, we begin with a Personality Test that matches users with one of three mascots, each representing a distinct investment style. This personalised entry point helps users feel understood before they even invest a dollar.
Introduction to Home Page
Daily Log-in Bonus → Encouraging
To build routine engagement, we introduced a Daily Check-in Bonus with a playful roulette. This small, fun interaction encourages daily app visits, increasing familiarity and comfort with the investment environment.
Bonus Page
Earn Points → Sustainable & Encouraging
The core of our sustainable and encouraging ecosystem is a multi-faceted points system. Users earn "米" (rice) points through various daily missions that blend learning with action:
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Small Investment Quiz: Builds investment literacy daily through simple chart pattern recognition.
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Green Consumption: Spending on a linked credit card earns points, with multipliers for sustainable purchases.
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Collaborative Challenges: Tackles the feeling of individual powerlessness by visualising collective impact, proving that small actions contribute to a larger goal.
Mission Page
Investment Page → Sustainable & Transparent
The investment interface is designed for transparency and low commitment.
Key features include:
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Clear ESG Tracking: Simplified graphics highlight the ESG performance of potential investments.
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Micro-Investing: Allows purchases as small as 0.1 shares,
removing the capital barrier. -
Impact Amplifier: Automatically donates a percentage of commissions
(e.g., 5%) to charitable causes, making every investment meaningful.
Investment Page
Donation Page → Transparent
Extending the principle of transparency, the Donation Page provides detailed profiles of NGOs.
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How it works: Users can donate their earned points, and when a fundraising goal is met, they receive a reward—closing the loop between personal gain and social contribution.
Donation Page
Supportive Community Page → Encouraging & Transparent
To combat the isolation and overwhelm new investors often feel, we introduced a Community Hub.
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How it works: This feature transforms investing from a solitary task into a shared journey by showcasing a friendly leaderboard and an open discussion feed, where users can celebrate milestones, ask questions, and share insights in a low-pressure environment.
Community Page
Meet 米米——Introduction of Mascot
To make the abstract idea of “gradual wealth growth” tangible and encouraging, we created 米米—a mascot that visually evolves with the user. Starting as a single grain of rice (米仔) and growing into a full rice ball adorned with a wealth ingot (米米), it embodies our core philosophy:
Wealth is built step by step, grain by grain.
What I learned
The final challenge was translating our digital design into a physical exhibition. It was our first time building a full booth from scratch, which meant testing materials, sizing mascots, and crafting an interactive roadmap to communicate the user journey. The process demanded immense creative problem-solving and hands-on effort, teaching me that presenting a design can be as complex as creating it.
Ultimately, seeing our booth come to life—and presenting it to professors and the BEA team—was incredibly rewarding. I’m grateful for the team’s persistence and the unique opportunity to learn that a great design isn't just made on screen, but also in the space where it meets the world.
Briefing session with BEA Team
Presentation Snapshots
Final Booth Appearance
Exhibition Snapshots