RBC SaveUp
Simple and secure AI-powered financial planning web app designed to help users track spending, create personalized budgets, and set meaningful goals
CASE STUDY
Timeline
Overview
4 hours
6 members
Product Designer
Team
Role & Responsibilities
"How might we help users understand their financial habits while motivating them to achieve short- and long-term goals in a way that feels approachable, not overwhelming?"
While existing budgeting tools focus heavily on tracking and categorization, many fail to address the psychological barriers that prevent users from staying engaged—such as lack of motivation, unclear goals, and financial anxiety.
SaveUP builds on traditional budgeting tools by introducing a goal-first, psychology-driven approach to financial planning. Rather than starting with numbers alone, the product encourages users to define what they’re saving for, then supports them with personalized insights and AI-driven recommendations.
Problem
Solution
Understanding RBC's NOMI App
Create a financial planning tool that goes beyond tracking by motivating users with personalized insights, clear goals, and ongoing support.
In this case it was very important to see Carl's perspective and how his goals can be accomplished with the use of SaveUP. Not only this, but SaveUP will show how in many different scenarios and goal planning it'll be your companion throughout your journey.
And we want the best for Carl :)
Discover the Story of SaveUP —> UP
SaveUP for your next adventure
Understanding the User
Nomi is RBC’s AI assistant that helps clients save and track spending through automated insights and features like Nomi Find & Save. While it simplifies passive saving, its experience is largely system-driven rather than goal-first, leaving room for more personalized, motivational financial planning.
How Might We's….
How might we move beyond passive savings automation to actively guide users with personalized, goal-driven recommendations?
How might we help users better understand why they spend the way they do by combining behavioral insights with real-time financial data?
How might we keep users motivated over time by making saving feel rewarding, emotional, and connected to meaningful life goals—not just numbers?
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The Story
The Goal/Objective
Scenario-focused
Smart Alerts
Context-Aware
We wanted to think outside the box for our pitch and ground our idea in something emotionally familiar. We landed on UP — a story many people recognize and connect with.
We framed SaveUP through Carl’s perspective: someone with clear dreams, limited resources, and uncertainty about where to start. Just as Carl saves spare change toward a meaningful goal, SaveUP focuses on helping users move from vague intentions to purposeful and mindful saving :)
Carl's Takeaways
While Carl is inspired by a familiar story, his financial behaviours reflect a very real user group, older adults navigating financial uncertainty after major life changes. This persona helped us design SaveUp with empathy, clarity, and emotional sensitivity at its core.
Financial Overwhelm during life transitions -> Carl's situation highlighted how sudden life changes can disrupt well-planned finances, pushing us to design for guidance than making it complex for the user.
Emotional-driven spending patterns -> His emotional attachment to memories and tragic loss revealed that he needed a sense of support both physically and mentally
Desire for simplicity, not complexity -> Carl doesn't necessarily want to get the most out of his money, rather wants peace and clarity and to live that simple life without any disruptions.
User Flow
Based on Carl's needs, we mapped a primary user flow to reduce cognitive load and guide users from onboarding to meaningful financial action with minimal friction
Final Solution
Simple and secure AI-powered financial planning web app designed to help users track spending, create personalized budgets, and set meaningful goals. With features like smart alerts, tailored recommendations, and privacy-first design, we aimed to make financial planning more approachable, moving users closer to their next adventure 🚀
Key Features include:
Final Screens
AI-powered scenario planning to help users explore “what-if” situations and prepare for unexpected expenses without rigid budgeting
Clear, actionable insights presented in plain language to reduce financial anxiety
Supportive guidance and tone that acknowledges the emotional side of financial decision-making
This approach helped our team design a thoughtful, human-centered solution within a tight timeline. Understanding NOMI’s strengths and limitations shaped how we positioned SaveUp as a more empathetic, scenario-driven experience, which is reflected in the clarity and intent behind the final screens.
With this intent, it ultimately led us to a 1st place finish at the RBC Quest Case Competition :)